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The differences between sound technicians and recording 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 technician and a recording engineer. Additionally, a recording engineer has an average salary of $78,099, which is higher than the $43,270 average annual salary of a sound technician.
The top three skills for a sound technician include sound equipment, wireless microphones and audio equipment. The most important skills for a recording engineer are digital audio, R, and music videos.
| Sound Technician | Recording Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $43,270 | $78,099 |
| Hourly rate | $20.80 | $37.55 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 6,621 | 7,117 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Sound technicians and recording engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sound Technician | Recording Engineer | |
| Average salary | $43,270 | $78,099 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $73,000 | Between $44,000 And $135,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Oregon |
| Best paying company | - | Western Digital |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a sound technician and a recording engineer in terms of educational background:
| Sound Technician | Recording Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Music | Music |
| Most common college | New York University | Johns Hopkins University |
Here are the differences between sound technicians' and recording engineers' demographics:
| Sound Technician | Recording Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1% | Male, 91.4% Female, 8.6% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |