RecordMove

Disc jockey to sound editor

A disc jockey already meets 27% of what the sound editor role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From disc jockey

Distant match

To sound editor

8 You already bring

12 Still to learn

33 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

73.2/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a sound editor is expected to do is already part of a disc jockey’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 sound editor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A sound editor role treats 5 of its required skills as things a disc jockey already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

attend music recording sessions
edit recorded sound
finish project within budget
musical genres
musical theory

What stands in the way is 12 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A sound editor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a disc jockey background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held attend music recording sessions communication, collaboration and creativity
already held musical notation arts and humanities
already held transpose music communication, collaboration and creativity
already held musical theory arts and humanities
already held musical genres arts and humanities
already held finish project within budget management skills

All 8 carried skills, including the 5 the sound editor role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 25 missing skills fall into 8 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.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 communication, collaboration and creativity 6 required, 7 supplementary

still to learn structure soundtrack required
still to learn analyse a script required
still to learn consult with production director required
still to learn coordinate music with scenes required
still to learn familiarise with personal directing styles required
still to learn follow directions of the artistic director required

optional, not held draft music cue breakdown optional
optional, not held purchase music optional
optional, not held collaborate with music librarians optional
optional, not held organise compositions optional
optional, not held rewrite musical scores optional
optional, not held transcribe ideas into musical notation optional
optional, not held work with composers optional

02 working with computers 2 required

still to learn synchronise sound with images required
still to learn search databases required

03 arts and humanities 1 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn film music techniques required

optional, not held file-based workflow optional
optional, not held film production process optional

04 management skills 1 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn follow work schedule required

optional, not held engage composers optional

05 business, administration and law 1 required

still to learn copyright legislation required

06 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 required

still to learn audio editing software required

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a sound editor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 8 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held attend music recording sessions skill
already held edit recorded sound skill
already held finish project within budget skill
already held musical genres knowledge
already held musical theory knowledge
already held musical instruments knowledge
already held musical notation knowledge
already held transpose music skill

The 2 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 information skills 2 supplementary

optional, not held archive documentation related to work optional
optional, not held draw up artistic production optional

08 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 supplementary

optional, not held synchronise with mouth movements optional

13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held draft music cue breakdown optional
optional, not held purchase music optional
optional, not held archive documentation related to work optional
optional, not held collaborate with music librarians optional
optional, not held draw up artistic production optional
optional, not held engage composers optional
optional, not held file-based workflow optional
optional, not held film production process optional
optional, not held organise compositions optional
optional, not held rewrite musical scores optional
optional, not held synchronise with mouth movements optional
optional, not held transcribe ideas into musical notation optional
optional, not held work with composers optional

31 held skills the sound editor role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role ICT software specifications knowledge
not needed by the target role acoustics knowledge
not needed by the target role assess sound quality skill
not needed by the target role compose music skill
not needed by the target role compose playlist skill
not needed by the target role connect music fragments skill
not needed by the target role consult with sound editor skill
not needed by the target role design a music show skill
not needed by the target role ensure the appropriate atmosphere skill
not needed by the target role follow a brief skill
not needed by the target role interact with an audience skill
not needed by the target role maintain sound equipment skill
not needed by the target role mix multi-track recordings skill
not needed by the target role mix sound in a live situation skill
not needed by the target role multimedia systems knowledge
not needed by the target role operate an audio mixing console skill
not needed by the target role operate sound live skill
not needed by the target role participate in music studio recordings skill
not needed by the target role perform music solo skill
not needed by the target role perform soundchecks skill
not needed by the target role play musical instruments skill
not needed by the target role record multi-track sound skill
not needed by the target role record music skill
not needed by the target role select music skill
not needed by the target role select music for performance skill
not needed by the target role select music for training skill
not needed by the target role set up a multi-track recording skill
not needed by the target role set up sound equipment skill
not needed by the target role specialise in a musical genre skill
not needed by the target role study music skill
not needed by the target role use audio reproduction software skill

5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier

still to learn film music techniques required
still to learn audio editing software required
still to learn copyright legislation required
optional, not held file-based workflow optional
optional, not held film production process optional

Index

Other moves recorded from disc jockey

Full index of moves from disc jockey

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a disc jockey become a sound editor?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A disc jockey already covers 27% of what a sound editor is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 5 of which the sound editor role treats as required.

What skills does a disc jockey need to become a sound editor?

12 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is structure soundtrack.

How hard is the move from disc jockey to sound editor?

Its learning distance is 73.2 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.