Audio Engineering Career and Job Description

Audio engineering technicians require formal education and on-the-job training. Learn more about education, tasks and career information to see if it's the right choice for you.

Editing, creating and recording sounds is the main goal of an audio engineer. As they manage many electronic equipment, technical skills and sonic sensitivity are essential. Sound engineers can work in a variety of industries where the level of training required depends on the employer.

Essential information
Audio engineering technicians, also known as sound engineering technicians, do not work only in recording studios. They are responsible for the sounds we hear on radio, television and movies, on the Internet and at live performances. Most of these professionals acquire the necessary skills through formal education; On-the-job training is also important.

Information for a Career in Audio Engineering
Budding audio engineering technicians might be able to find basic work with training at a technical or vocational school. Programs typically last between one and two years, with some schools offering accelerated programs taking only a few months. For students who want more in-depth training, audio engineering programs are also available at the bachelor's and master's levels.

Audio engineering technicians work in a variety of locations, including recording studios, radio and television stations, film companies, editing and post-production houses, theaters and commercial studios. Job titles for audio engineering technicians are: recording engineer, sound editor, post-production editor, film or video game producer, music producer, radio engineer or broadcasting and sound engineer.

Job Outlook and Salary Information
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that employment in the audio engineering sector will increase by 2% between 2018 and 2028 (www.bls.gov). This limited growth is due to the double-edged sword of advanced technology; New innovations are constantly improving quality, but they also increase productivity and limit employment growth. Opportunities for broadcasting and sound engineering technicians are expected to be the most promising in the film and television industries.

The revenues of audio engineering technicians depend on their position and experience. The median annual income for sound engineering technicians was $ 52,390 in 2018, according to the BLS.

Job Duties
Whether working in a recording studio, in a live location, or in a post-production editing bay, audio engineering technicians must be familiar with complex electrical equipment. Sound boards, EQs, microphones, recording devices, mixing consoles and editing software are the tools of the audio engineering technician.

In addition to having technical skills, audio engineering technicians must be able to work well under pressure. They must also be good listeners and communicators in order to be able to distinguish and reproduce the sound that an artist or producer is trying to obtain.

Most sound engineers graduate from post-secondary education and gain additional skills on the job. They are used under a number of titles in movies, radio or concerts. The sound engineer strives to provide optimal sound quality and audio quality.

Chemosvit invests millions of euros in technology and responds to increased bonuses for weekend work

Chemosvit Folie, sro has invested EUR 15 million in technology over the past three years. These days, it has enriched the equipment with an eleven-color gravure printing machine for € 4.5 million.

According to the CEO of the Chemosvit group of companies, Jaroslav Mervart, the intention was not only to renew the fleet of gravure printing machines, but also to respond to the high labor cost of working on weekends.

"Due to the high growth in premiums as standard in Western states, we are also moving to work Monday through Friday,"he noted that, in addition, fewer people are needed to operate the new device, as it is more productive and automatic. A new German machine is used for printing packaging for biscuits, chocolates and cereals, which was inaugurated on Tuesday, 1 October.

The most expensive and of the highest quality

At the plant of the company that produces, upgrades and sells packaging materials in Svit, they have six rotogravure machines. According to Mervart, rotogravure technology is the most expensive but at the same time the best quality in the market.

"It is designed for huge contracts, ie contracts that sometimes print tens of thousands of meters are intended for contracts up to twenty tons," explained the director, saying that about 80 percent of production is exported.

Germany is the largest market, with up to 28 percent of its products being exported, followed by other Western European countries, and a smaller proportion goes to Ukraine and Russia.

The sub-Tatra company modernized production departments in 2016 and 2017, last year it also bought an eight-color flexo printing machine, and another investment was an offset machine. Massive investment development is also a reaction to market demands.

"The average order is dropping, so we also buy technologies that are suitable for lower orders," he explained. At the same time, he added that the company did not have the opportunity to draw on eurofunds as part of extending the equipment, this is money that shareholders decided to invest in the company.

They will also use Eurofunds

The investment development in Svit continues in other subsidiaries of Chemosvit. For example, they bought a new machine worth about € 1 million to support fiber production at Fibrochem. They also invested in a machine room where a new machining center will be opened within two months.

"We are already planning to purchase another large machining center, roughly 10 meters long, an investment where we also want to use Eurofunds and where we want to establish ourselves within a year with new clientele and new products," added Mervart.

Chemosvit Folie, sro, was established in 2005 and is the largest company in the Chemosvit, as group. On the premises of this group there are 2,300 employees, 900 of them for Folie. The company also has operations in Finland and Ukraine. The Group achieved annual sales of 220 million euros, while Chemosvit Folie is around 90 million euros.