Acoustical engineer to recording studio technician
An acoustical engineer already meets 27% of what the recording studio technician role asks for. The move turns on 15 required skills not yet in the profile.
75/ 100
1 How much of what a recording studio technician is expected to do is already part of an acoustical engineer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the recording studio technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A recording studio technician role treats 7 of its required skills as things an acoustical engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- acoustics
- assess sound quality
- audio editing software
- audio technology
- operate audio equipment
- prevent undesired changes to sound design
What stands in the way is 15 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A recording studio technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an acoustical engineer background worth leading with.
- already held operate the sound in the rehearsal studio working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held prevent undesired changes to sound design working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held audio technology arts and humanities
- already held set up sound equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held assess sound quality constructing
- already held technically design a sound system communication, collaboration and creativity
All 10 carried skills, including the 7 the recording studio technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 33 missing skills fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn coordinate audio system programmes required
- still to learn operate an audio mixing console required
- still to learn record multi-track sound required
- still to learn de-rig electronic equipment required
- optional, not held maintain sound equipment optional
- optional, not held operate sound live optional
- optional, not held program sound cues optional
- optional, not held set up sound reinforcement system optional
- optional, not held support audio system installation optional
- optional, not held tune up wireless audio systems optional
- optional, not held set up audiovisual peripheral equipment optional
- still to learn document your own practice required
- still to learn keep up with trends required
- still to learn use technical documentation required
- still to learn audio post-production required
- still to learn audiovisual equipment required
- optional, not held audio mastering optional
- optional, not held file-based workflow optional
- optional, not held vocal techniques optional
- still to learn assess power needs required
- still to learn plan audiovisual recording required
- optional, not held manage inventory optional
- optional, not held manage technical resources stock optional
- optional, not held supervise sound production optional
- still to learn edit recorded sound required
- still to learn use audio reproduction software required
- optional, not held convert different audiovisual formats optional
- optional, not held manage digital documents optional
- still to learn work ergonomically required
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a recording studio technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 audio post-production study this
- 02 audiovisual equipment study this
- 03 coordinate audio system programmes practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 10 skills that carry over
- already held acoustics knowledge
- already held assess sound quality skill
- already held audio editing software knowledge
- already held audio technology knowledge
- already held operate audio equipment skill
- already held prevent undesired changes to sound design skill
- already held set up sound equipment skill
- already held operate the sound in the rehearsal studio skill
- already held perform soundchecks skill
- already held technically design a sound system skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn health and safety regulations required
- optional, not held mix sound in a live situation optional
- optional, not held manage sound quality optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held audio mastering optional
- optional, not held file-based workflow optional
- optional, not held maintain sound equipment optional
- optional, not held manage inventory optional
- optional, not held manage technical resources stock optional
- optional, not held mix sound in a live situation optional
- optional, not held operate sound live optional
- optional, not held program sound cues optional
- optional, not held set up sound reinforcement system optional
- optional, not held support audio system installation optional
- optional, not held tune up wireless audio systems optional
- optional, not held convert different audiovisual formats optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
- optional, not held manage digital documents optional
- optional, not held manage sound quality optional
- optional, not held set up audiovisual peripheral equipment optional
- optional, not held supervise sound production optional
- optional, not held vocal techniques optional
23 held skills the recording studio technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role acoustical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role adjust engineering designs skill
- not needed by the target role advise architects skill
- not needed by the target role advise on building matters skill
- not needed by the target role approve engineering design skill
- not needed by the target role architecture regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role building codes knowledge
- not needed by the target role computer science knowledge
- not needed by the target role create software design skill
- not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role design transportation systems skill
- not needed by the target role develop audio system designs skill
- not needed by the target role develop product design skill
- not needed by the target role draft design specifications skill
- not needed by the target role electrical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role engineering principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role engineering processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with noise standards skill
- not needed by the target role examine engineering principles skill
- not needed by the target role operate audio-signal processors skill
- not needed by the target role perform scientific research skill
- not needed by the target role physics knowledge
- not needed by the target role use sound measuring instruments skill
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn audio post-production required
- still to learn audiovisual equipment required
- still to learn health and safety regulations required
- optional, not held audio mastering optional
- optional, not held file-based workflow optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
- optional, not held vocal techniques optional
Common questions about this move
Can an acoustical engineer become a recording studio technician?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An acoustical engineer already covers 27% of what a recording studio technician is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 7 of which the recording studio technician role treats as required.
What skills does an acoustical engineer need to become a recording studio technician?
15 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is audio post-production.
How hard is the move from acoustical engineer to recording studio technician?
Its learning distance is 75 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.