Audio Engineer
Records, mixes and masters for music, film and live rooms. Ears plus signal-chain knowledge, compounding over years.
- Pay band (est.)
- $66k–$135k
- Time to competence
- 6 years
- Licence
- None
- Setting
- studio
- Leverage
- medium
- Place constraint
- high
- Physical demand
- 30/100
- Hours burden
- 65/100
Factor percentiles
Percentile against the whole curated set. Higher is better on that factor only.
- Play86th
Absorbing rather than merely paid.
- Specific knowledge73th
A combination of skills that is hard to copy.
- Leverage49th
Output that scales through code, media, capital or crew.
- Demand9th
Durability and shortage, scored conservatively.
- Pay47th
Mid-career floor and the range above it.
- Body60th
Inverse of physical demand and hours.
- Autonomy68th
Control of methods and time.
- People fit89th
Distance from your preferred people level.
- Place flexibility38th
Remote fit and freedom from specific metros.
- Time to skill44th
Inverse of years to competence.
- Meaning load50th
Closeness to the families you marked as meaningful. Your mapping, not ours.
- Downside tolerance59th
Inverse of named risk to body, market or platform.
Downside
Rates have fallen with home recording; nights and freelance gaps.
Examine this against your weights
The percentiles above use the default weights. Set your own on the ranking and this vocation moves with them.
- Place constraint is high. Where you live is analysed at locationistics.com.
- Hours burden is 65/100 and people intensity 60/100. Who you are with is analysed at relationistics.com.
Source note: BLS OEWS May 2024, Sound Engineering Technicians (27-4014): median $66,430, 90th percentile $134,980. Outlook from BLS 2025-35 projections, -3.1%. Other scores editorial. All figures are estimates for comparison.