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Sound technician vs light technician

The differences between sound technicians and light technicians 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 technician and a light technician. Additionally, a sound technician has an average salary of $43,270, which is higher than the $40,111 average annual salary of a light technician.

The top three skills for a sound technician include sound equipment, wireless microphones and audio equipment. The most important skills for a light technician are ladders, hand tools, and light fixtures.

Sound technician vs light technician overview

Sound TechnicianLight Technician
Yearly salary$43,270$40,111
Hourly rate$20.80$19.28
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs6,62131,530
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age4242
Years of experience22

Sound technician vs light technician salary

Sound technicians and light technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Sound TechnicianLight Technician
Average salary$43,270$40,111
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $73,000Between $28,000 And $56,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-BlackRock
Best paying industry-Hospitality

Differences between sound technician and light technician education

There are a few differences between a sound technician and a light technician in terms of educational background:

Sound TechnicianLight Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common majorMusicPhotography
Most common collegeNew York UniversityNew Mexico State University

Sound technician vs light technician demographics

Here are the differences between sound technicians' and light technicians' demographics:

Sound TechnicianLight Technician
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 82.9% Female, 17.1%Male, 86.6% Female, 13.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 5.0% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between sound technician and light technician duties and responsibilities

Sound technician example responsibilities.

  • Create new costumes, props and scenery.
  • Coordinate costumes for various roles and scenes.
  • Set up all audio and dj equipment for schedule events.
  • Create weekly PowerPoint presentations for Sunday services as well as other events as they occur.
  • Operate FOH for various live events including music concerts, comedians, presentations, and speeches.
  • Work as the projectionist in several shows and run computer programs for show monitors on stage.
  • Show more

Light technician example responsibilities.

  • Maintain and manage multiple stages: FOH mix, monitor mix, and video presentation editing mix.
  • Provide support for the engineering, furnishing, and installation of classify and unclassify video teleconferencing systems and video distribution systems.
  • Communicate with other departments and coordinators to maintain order.

Sound technician vs light technician skills

Common sound technician skills
  • Sound Equipment, 16%
  • Wireless Microphones, 13%
  • Audio Equipment, 13%
  • Technical Equipment, 5%
  • Live Sound, 5%
  • Live Productions, 4%
Common light technician skills
  • Ladders, 14%
  • Hand Tools, 9%
  • Light Fixtures, 9%
  • OSHA, 9%
  • A/V, 6%
  • Video Equipment, 5%

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