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Sound engineer vs studio engineer

The differences between sound engineers and studio engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a sound engineer and a studio engineer. Additionally, a studio engineer has an average salary of $93,539, which is higher than the $52,197 average annual salary of a sound engineer.

The top three skills for a sound engineer include audio equipment, venues and A/V. The most important skills for a studio engineer are CAD, audio equipment, and troubleshoot.

Sound engineer vs studio engineer overview

Sound EngineerStudio Engineer
Yearly salary$52,197$93,539
Hourly rate$25.09$44.97
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs6,9237,875
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age4242
Years of experience22

Sound engineer vs studio engineer salary

Sound engineers and studio engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Sound EngineerStudio Engineer
Average salary$52,197$93,539
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $95,000Between $65,000 And $132,000
Highest paying CityPhiladelphia, PASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateOregonOregon
Best paying companyTechtronic Industries TTINetflix
Best paying industry-Automotive

Differences between sound engineer and studio engineer education

There are a few differences between a sound engineer and a studio engineer in terms of educational background:

Sound EngineerStudio Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common majorMusicMusic
Most common collegeJohns Hopkins UniversityMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Sound engineer vs studio engineer demographics

Here are the differences between sound engineers' and studio engineers' demographics:

Sound EngineerStudio Engineer
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 90.3% Female, 9.7%Male, 92.5% Female, 7.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 5.7% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between sound engineer and studio engineer duties and responsibilities

Sound engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage PowerPoint and mixing music at the same time.
  • Work for local contractor designing spreader bars for crane rigging using AutoCAD.
  • Provide equipment and engineering services for performers, musicians, bands, and DJ's.
  • Mix all live services FOH and maintain all audio, broadcasting and media system as well.
  • Experience tuning, calculating EQ settings, as well as appropriate delay times within an automobile.
  • Master multiple projects albums by working on song levels plus EQ and correct minor mix deficiencies with equalization.
  • Show more

Studio engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage Jenkins security by providing specific access to authorize developers/testers using project base matrix authorization strategy.
  • Perform all routine maintenance of studio equipment and troubleshoot equipment failures.
  • Perform required FCC monitoring and documentation.
  • Maintain facility drawings and create project designs utilizing AutoCAD.
  • Create detailed broadcast drawings using advance AutoCAD LT and add-on extraction applications.
  • Expedite and simplify the quotation process for solar water heating systems by accurately representing solar water heating system performance through MATLAB models
  • Show more

Sound engineer vs studio engineer skills

Common sound engineer skills
  • Audio Equipment, 15%
  • Venues, 11%
  • A/V, 10%
  • Technical Aspects, 8%
  • Live Sound, 5%
  • Stage Equipment, 4%
Common studio engineer skills
  • CAD, 21%
  • Audio Equipment, 13%
  • Troubleshoot, 11%
  • Music Videos, 5%
  • Pro Tools, 5%
  • Catia V5, 4%

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