Sound mastering engineer to recording studio technician
A sound mastering engineer already meets 31% of what the recording studio technician role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
72.1/ 100
1 How much of what a recording studio technician is expected to do is already part of a sound mastering 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 8 of its required skills as things a sound mastering engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assess sound quality
- audio editing software
- audio post-production
- audio technology
- audiovisual equipment
- coordinate audio system programmes
What stands in the way is 14 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 11 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 a sound mastering engineer background worth leading with.
- already held audio post-production arts and humanities
- already held audio mastering arts and humanities
- already held convert different audiovisual formats working with computers
- already held audio technology arts and humanities
- already held assess sound quality constructing
- already held coordinate audio system programmes working with machinery and specialised equipment
All 11 carried skills, including the 8 the recording studio technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 32 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 operate audio equipment required
- still to learn prevent undesired changes to sound design required
- still to learn record multi-track sound required
- still to learn set up sound equipment 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 operate the sound in the rehearsal studio optional
- optional, not held perform soundchecks 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 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 use audio reproduction software required
- optional, not held manage digital documents optional
- still to learn work ergonomically required
- still to learn acoustics 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 document your own practice practise this
- 02 operate audio equipment practise this
- 03 prevent undesired changes to sound design 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 11 skills that carry over
- already held assess sound quality skill
- already held audio editing software knowledge
- already held audio post-production knowledge
- already held audio technology knowledge
- already held audiovisual equipment knowledge
- already held coordinate audio system programmes skill
- already held edit recorded sound skill
- already held operate an audio mixing console skill
- already held audio mastering knowledge
- already held convert different audiovisual formats skill
- already held manage sound quality skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn health and safety regulations required
- optional, not held file-based workflow optional
- optional, not held vocal techniques optional
- optional, not held mix sound in a live situation optional
- optional, not held technically design a sound system optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- 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 operate the sound in the rehearsal studio optional
- optional, not held perform soundchecks 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 technically design a sound system optional
- optional, not held tune up wireless audio systems optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
- optional, not held manage digital documents optional
- optional, not held set up audiovisual peripheral equipment optional
- optional, not held supervise sound production optional
- optional, not held vocal techniques optional
7 held skills the recording studio technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt to artists' creative demands skill
- not needed by the target role audiovisual products knowledge
- not needed by the target role musical genres knowledge
- not needed by the target role musical instruments knowledge
- not needed by the target role musical theory knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate audio-signal processors skill
- not needed by the target role types of audiovisual formats knowledge
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 acoustics required
- still to learn health and safety regulations required
- optional, not held file-based workflow optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
- optional, not held vocal techniques optional
Other moves recorded from sound mastering engineer
Common questions about this move
Can a sound mastering engineer become a recording studio technician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A sound mastering engineer already covers 31% of what a recording studio technician is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 8 of which the recording studio technician role treats as required.
What skills does a sound mastering engineer need to become a recording studio technician?
14 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 document your own practice.
How hard is the move from sound mastering engineer to recording studio technician?
Its learning distance is 72.1 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.