An audio engineer is the title of a person responsible for the production of recording audio & is apart of the audio science field dealing with the reproduction of sound waves through mechanical and electronic means.
Becoming an AUDIO ENGINEER
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Practitioners
An audio engineer is responsible for the technical aspects of the production of recording audio & works directly with a producer or director. They manipulate audio through mechanical (analog) or digital means.
An audio engineer is commonly listed in the credits of music recordings (as well as in other productions that include sound, such as movies & television). Audio engineers are responsible for the production of recording audio, sound reinforcement, or sound broadcasting equipment, including consoles.
In the recording studio an audio engineer records, edits, manipulates, mixes & masters sound by technical means in order to realize an artist's creative vision. Audio engineers deal with sound for a wide range of applications, including post-production for video and film, live sound reinforcement, advertising, multimedia, and broadcasting. When referring to video games, an audio engineer may also be a computer programmer or sound designer.
Different professional branches
There are four distinct steps to commercial production of a recording. Recording, editing, mixing, and mastering. Typically, each is performed by an audio engineer who specializes only in that part of production.
Studio Engineer
- Recording engineer or studio engineer is a person who records sound. Studio engineer is either an audio engineer working in a studio together with a producer, or a producer who is also an audio engineer.
- Mixing engineer is a person who creates mixes of multi-track recordings. It is not uncommon for a commercial record to be recorded at one studio and later mixed by different engineers in other studios.
- Mastering engineer Typically the person who mixes the final stereo tracks or stems that the mix engineer produces . The mastering engineer makes any final adjustments to the overall sound of the record in the final step before commercial duplication. Mastering engineers use principles of equalization and compression to affect the coloration of the sound.
- Game audio designer engineer is a person who deals with sound aspects of game development.
- Audio post engineer is a person who edits and mixes audio for film and television.
Live Sound Engineer
- Live sound engineer is a person dealing with live sound reinforcement. This usually includes planning and installation of speakers, cabling and equipment and mixing sound during the show. This may or may not include running the foldback sound.
- Foldback or monitor engineer is a person running foldback sound during a live event. The term "foldback" is outdated and refers to the practice of folding back audio signals from the FOH (Front of House) mixing console to the stage in order for musicians to hear themselves while performing.
- Systems engineer is a person responsible for the design setup of modern PA systems which are often very complex. A systems engineer is usually also referred to as a "crew chief" on tour and is responsible for the performance and day-to-day job requirements of the audio crew as a whole along with the FOH audio system.
Education
Audio engineers come from backgrounds such as electrical engineering or the fine arts, and many colleges and accredited institutions around the world offer degrees in audio engineering, such as a BS in audio production.
Some of these schools include your local community college, Full Sail University, the Berklee College of Music & Middle Tennessee State University.
When considering what school to attend make sure they offer a BS in an audio related field. Another bonus would be becoming pro tools certified. It is my personal belief that you should also take into consideration the quality of the "co-ed". When it is time to get a masters or become a doctor, then look at who has the best gear. But you only go to college once so have fun and enjoy being young.
Advice for Aspiring Engineers
Equipment
Audio engineers in their daily work operate and make use of:
Engineers of Notes
- Steve Albini
- Billy Anderson
- Jim Anderson
- Bill Bottrell
- David Bottrill
- Chuck Britz
- Terry Brown
- John Burns
- Dru Castro
- Fred Catero
- Roy Cicala
- Bob Clearmountain
- Jason Corsaro
- Rhett Davies
- Nick Davis
- Neil Dorfsman
- Tom Dowd
- Geoff Emerick
- Jack Endino
- Dave Fridmann
- Rudy Van Gelder
- Nigel Godrich
- Doug Grean
- James Guthrie
- Mick Guzauski
- Roy Halee
- H. Sridhar
- David Hentschel
- Andrew Jackson
- Andy Johns
- Glyn Johns
- Leslie Ann Jones
- Neil Kernon
- Eddie Kramer
- Greg Ladanyi
- Chris Lord-Alge
- Tom Lord-Alge
- Tony Maserati
- George Massenburg
- Mike Terry
- Yuri Morozov
- Jack Mullin
- James Munro
- Evgeny Murzin
- Roger Nichols
- Gary Paczosa
- Hugh Padgham
- Robert Parker
- Alan Parsons
- Les Paul
- Tony Platt
- Bill Porter
- Bill Putnam
- Phil Ramone
- Emitt Rhodes
- Paul Richards
- Bruce Robb (producer)
- Scott Salem
- Eberhard Sengpiel
- Al Schmitt
- Ken Scott
- Norman Smith
- Andy Sneap
- Neil Strauch
- Stephen Street
- Bruce Swedien
- Bill Szymczyk
- Stanley Tonkel
- Ken Townshend
- Phil Thornalley
- Robert Venable
- Paul PDub Walton
- Andy Wallace
