Podcast producer to sound mastering engineer
A podcast producer already meets 38% of what the sound mastering engineer role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
55.7/ 100
1 How much of what a sound mastering engineer is expected to do is already part of a podcast producer’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 mastering engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A sound mastering engineer role treats 5 of its required skills as things a podcast producer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- audio editing software
- audio mastering
- audio technology
- audiovisual products
- edit recorded sound
What stands in the way is 7 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 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A sound mastering engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a podcast producer background worth leading with.
- already held audio mastering arts and humanities
- already held audio post-production arts and humanities
- already held audio technology arts and humanities
- already held audiovisual products arts and humanities
- already held audio editing software information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held edit recorded sound working with computers
All 6 carried skills, including the 5 the sound mastering engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 12 missing skills fall into 5 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 audio-signal processors required
- optional, not held operate an audio mixing console optional
- still to learn assess sound quality required
- still to learn manage sound quality required
- still to learn types of audiovisual formats required
- optional, not held audiovisual equipment optional
- optional, not held musical instruments optional
- optional, not held musical theory optional
- optional, not held musical genres optional
- still to learn adapt to artists' creative demands required
- still to learn convert different audiovisual formats required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a sound mastering engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 adapt to artists' creative demands practise this
- 02 assess sound quality practise 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 6 skills that carry over
- already held audio editing software knowledge
- already held audio mastering knowledge
- already held audio technology knowledge
- already held audiovisual products knowledge
- already held edit recorded sound skill
- already held audio post-production knowledge
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held audiovisual equipment optional
- optional, not held musical instruments optional
- optional, not held musical theory optional
- optional, not held operate an audio mixing console optional
- optional, not held musical genres optional
31 held skills the sound mastering engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role add elocution techniques to recording audio materials skill
- not needed by the target role advertising techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply social media marketing skill
- not needed by the target role assess studio production skill
- not needed by the target role channel marketing knowledge
- not needed by the target role content marketing strategy knowledge
- not needed by the target role coordinate activities in audio recording studio skill
- not needed by the target role define measurable marketing objectives skill
- not needed by the target role draw up artistic production skill
- not needed by the target role e-commerce systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role execute marketing plan skill
- not needed by the target role implement marketing strategies skill
- not needed by the target role manage sales channels skill
- not needed by the target role marketing principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role media formats knowledge
- not needed by the target role mix multi-track recordings skill
- not needed by the target role monitor quality of broadcasts skill
- not needed by the target role operate audio equipment skill
- not needed by the target role plan audiovisual recording skill
- not needed by the target role plan digital marketing skill
- not needed by the target role plan marketing strategy skill
- not needed by the target role plan social media marketing campaigns skill
- not needed by the target role prepare broadcasts skill
- not needed by the target role receive appropriate permissions for use of recorded audiovisual examples skill
- not needed by the target role record audio materials skill
- not needed by the target role record multi-track sound skill
- not needed by the target role set up basic recording skill
- not needed by the target role social media marketing techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role supervise sound production skill
- not needed by the target role use microphone skill
- not needed by the target role work with a voice coach 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.
- still to learn types of audiovisual formats required
- optional, not held audiovisual equipment optional
- optional, not held musical instruments optional
- optional, not held musical theory optional
- optional, not held musical genres optional
Common questions about this move
Can a podcast producer become a sound mastering engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A podcast producer already covers 38% of what a sound mastering engineer is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 5 of which the sound mastering engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a podcast producer need to become a sound mastering engineer?
7 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is adapt to artists' creative demands.
How hard is the move from podcast producer to sound mastering engineer?
Its learning distance is 55.7 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.