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Sound technician vs sound assistant

The differences between sound technicians and sound assistants 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 sound assistant. Additionally, a sound assistant has an average salary of $67,356, 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 sound assistant are sound effects, pro tools, and audio equipment.

Sound technician vs sound assistant overview

Sound TechnicianSound Assistant
Yearly salary$43,270$67,356
Hourly rate$20.80$32.38
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs6,621239
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age4242
Years of experience22

Sound technician vs sound assistant salary

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

Sound TechnicianSound Assistant
Average salary$43,270$67,356
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $73,000Between $39,000 And $114,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between sound technician and sound assistant education

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

Sound TechnicianSound Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorMusicPhotography
Most common collegeNew York UniversityStanford University

Sound technician vs sound assistant demographics

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

Sound TechnicianSound Assistant
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 82.9% Female, 17.1%Male, 70.2% Female, 29.8%
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, 8.2% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 5.2% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between sound technician and sound assistant 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

Sound assistant example responsibilities.

  • Administrate sound management system utilizing analog & digital consoles in a smaller environment.
  • Initiate multimedia using LCD projectors & PowerPoint

Sound technician vs sound assistant skills

Common sound technician skills
  • Sound Equipment, 16%
  • Wireless Microphones, 13%
  • Audio Equipment, 13%
  • Technical Equipment, 5%
  • Live Sound, 5%
  • Live Productions, 4%
Common sound assistant skills
  • Sound Effects, 24%
  • Pro Tools, 21%
  • Audio Equipment, 11%
  • Sound Systems, 11%
  • FOH, 10%
  • Live Sound, 7%

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