Interested in starting a live sound engineering career, but not sure about your options? Luckily, the sound engineer career path (or audio engineer career path) comes with quite a few choices. When you finish audio production school, keep in mind that you have a few career decisions to make! Today, we’re discussing the top three audio engineering careers in this branch of the Audio Engineering and Music Production industry.
1. FRONT OF HOUSE LIVE SOUND ENGINEER
The Front of House, or FOH, live sound engineer is in control of what the audience hears when a live performance is happening. Achieving superior sound quality is key to this profession. This is done by blending vocals and instruments together for a balanced sound.
Duties of Front of House Live Sound Engineer
FOH engineers perform their magic in various environments. On tours, they’re responsible for all of the audio equipment. They also supervise their own technical crews, overseeing instrument and microphone techs, monitor engineers and various assistants. Reporting directly to the tour manager and band, this professional operates, maintains and repairs all necessary audio gear. Don’t worry if you didn’t cover every aspect of this while attending a sound engineer school, most of this you will pick up on the job as long as you understand the basics.
During live performances, a FOH live sound engineer can be found right in front of the stage. Usually right in the middle of the audience, the engineer will use a mixing console to adjust incoming audio signals. Those signals are then manipulated, allowing the engineer to control the sound output to the speakers. This mixing continues throughout the live performance.
2. MONITOR ENGINEER
Even though the sound is essentially in your head, it’s almost impossible to carry a tune in a super-noisy, crowded room. This is why singers tend to use in-ear monitors and stage monitors to help them hear the instrument and vocal mixes in a track. This helps to keep them on key and on beat. The audio engineering professional tasked with crafting this monitor mix is the monitor engineer.
Duties of Monitor Engineer
Monitor engineers work under the band and FOH live sound engineers. They operate the monitor mixing console and maintain the efficiency of stage monitors and in-ear gear. These professionals also maintain mics, cables, audio gear, wedges, adjust individual monitor levels and adjust signals for the proper amounts of guitar, drum, vocals and snare.
During live performances, monitor engineers can be found in the winds, on the side of the stage. Preventing feedback is done by closely monitoring the on-stage movements of performers, and adjusting various levels based on off-stage noise. If this is something you have a solid interest in, pursue an internship while your attending a sound engineer school. That way you can start gaining the needed experiance even before you graduate!
3. LIVE SOUND ENGINEER STAGEHAND
Stagehands perform numerous job duties behind-the-scenes for TV, commercial, theater and film production. Their main duties include working with scenery, equipment and props. They must also have skills in minor stage construction as well as stage setting.
Duties of Various Types of Stagehands
A prop stagehand is responsible for making sure every prop is where it should be when the scene starts. At scene completion, those props are removed and/or replaced by the stagehand.
Film and TV stagehands, commonly known as Grips, move equipment and scenery from place to place. Gris also tend to find themselves painting or decorating, assisting scenic designers.
Flyers strategically place scenery above the stage, where it can’t be seen until it’s time. They then lower the scenery as needed. These professionals also help with lighting setup.
Theater stagehands often work with live sound engineers to ensure sound systems work properly. Sound is extremely vital to a good stage production, as it amplifies voices, sound effects and music. That makes this profession a very important one in the live sound engineer career field.
START YOUR NEW LIFE WITH A LIVE SOUND ENGINEER CAREER!
Interested in exploring your Sound Engineer career path options? A quality education from a good sound engineer school like F.I.R.S.T. Institute, one of the top audio engineering schools in Florida, can teach you the skills you need to succeed in the Audio and Sound Engineering Industry. There you’ll learn what you need to get your new audio production career off the ground, you’ll even learn your way around a recording studio and how to produce your own music. You won’t get our quality, hands on learning experience with passionate audio industry professionals anywhere else! Check out the Audio Engineering and Music Production program at the F.I.R.S.T. Institute audio production school today. You’re only months away from your dream career!
