Stage technician to audio production technician
A stage technician already meets 77% of what the audio production technician role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
33.6/ 100
1 How much of what an audio production technician is expected to do is already part of a stage technician’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 audio production technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An audio production technician role treats 22 of its required skills as things a stage technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adapt to artists' creative demands
- assess power needs
- de-rig electronic equipment
- follow safety procedures when working at heights
- keep up with trends
- maintain sound equipment
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 41 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An audio production technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a stage technician background worth leading with.
- already held prepare sound equipment on stage constructing
- already held maintain sound equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held provide power distribution working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held operate sound live working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held technically design a sound system communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage signoff of an installed system management skills
All 41 carried skills, including the 22 the audio production technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 12 missing skills fall into 7 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 set up sound reinforcement system required
- still to learn support audio system installation required
- still to learn tune up wireless audio systems required
- optional, not held set up basic recording optional
- still to learn follow safety precautions in work practices required
- optional, not held receive appropriate permissions for use of recorded audiovisual examples optional
- still to learn musical instruments required
- still to learn acoustics required
- optional, not held record music optional
- optional, not held plan audiovisual recording optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an audio production technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 coordinate audio system programmes practise this
- 02 musical instruments study this
- 03 set up sound reinforcement system 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 41 skills that carry over
- already held adapt to artists' creative demands skill
- already held assess power needs skill
- already held de-rig electronic equipment skill
- already held follow safety procedures when working at heights skill
- already held keep up with trends skill
- already held maintain sound equipment skill
- already held operate an audio mixing console skill
- already held pack electronic equipment skill
- already held perform soundchecks skill
- already held prepare personal work environment skill
- already held prepare sound equipment on stage skill
- already held prevent fire in a performance environment skill
- already held provide power distribution skill
- already held set up equipment in a timely manner skill
- already held store performance equipment skill
- already held understand artistic concepts skill
- already held use personal protection equipment skill
- already held use technical documentation skill
- already held work ergonomically skill
- already held work safely with machines skill
- already held work safely with mobile electrical systems under supervision skill
- already held work with respect for own safety skill
- already held adapt artistic plan to location skill
- already held advise client on technical possibilities skill
- already held consult with stakeholders on implementation of a production skill
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held document your own practice skill
- already held draw up artistic production skill
- already held edit recorded sound skill
- already held ensure safety of mobile electrical systems skill
- already held instruct on set up of equipment skill
- already held keep personal administration skill
- already held maintain system layout for a production skill
- already held manage consumables stock skill
- already held manage personal professional development skill
- already held manage signoff of an installed system skill
- already held manage technical resources stock skill
- already held operate sound live skill
- already held safeguard artistic quality of performance skill
- already held technically design a sound system skill
- already held translate artistic concepts to technical designs skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held use audio reproduction software optional
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held receive appropriate permissions for use of recorded audiovisual examples optional
- optional, not held record music optional
- optional, not held set up basic recording optional
- optional, not held use audio reproduction software optional
- optional, not held plan audiovisual recording optional
49 held skills the audio production technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt designers’ work to the performance venue skill
- not needed by the target role adjust projector skill
- not needed by the target role assemble scenic elements on stage skill
- not needed by the target role assemble the rehearsal set skill
- not needed by the target role assemble truss constructions skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate pre-show checks skill
- not needed by the target role dismantle the rehearsal set skill
- not needed by the target role distribute control signals skill
- not needed by the target role draw stage layouts skill
- not needed by the target role draw up lighting plan skill
- not needed by the target role draw up stage layouts digitally skill
- not needed by the target role ensure visual quality of the set skill
- not needed by the target role find a replacement for stage manager skill
- not needed by the target role focus lighting equipment skill
- not needed by the target role focus stage lights skill
- not needed by the target role handle scenic elements during rehearsal skill
- not needed by the target role hang chain hoists skill
- not needed by the target role identify technical resources for performances skill
- not needed by the target role maintain dimmer equipment skill
- not needed by the target role maintain electrical equipment skill
- not needed by the target role maintain lighting equipment skill
- not needed by the target role manage performance light quality skill
- not needed by the target role mark the stage area skill
- not needed by the target role modify scenic elements during performance skill
- not needed by the target role operate a chain hoist control system for entertainment skill
- not needed by the target role operate a lighting console skill
- not needed by the target role operate dimmer equipment skill
- not needed by the target role operate follow spots skill
- not needed by the target role operate stage movement control system skill
- not needed by the target role organise stage skill
- not needed by the target role perform first fire intervention skill
- not needed by the target role plan act lighting skill
- not needed by the target role plot lighting states skill
- not needed by the target role prepare the floor for performance skill
- not needed by the target role prevent technical problems with lighting equipment skill
- not needed by the target role prevent technical problems with scenic elements skill
- not needed by the target role prevent technical problems with stage equipment skill
- not needed by the target role read lighting plans skill
- not needed by the target role rig lights skill
- not needed by the target role run a projection skill
9 further entries not listed here
2 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 musical instruments required
- still to learn acoustics required
Common questions about this move
Can a stage technician become an audio production technician?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A stage technician already covers 77% of what an audio production technician is expected to do: 41 skills carry over, 22 of which the audio production technician role treats as required.
What skills does a stage technician need to become an audio production technician?
7 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is coordinate audio system programmes.
How hard is the move from stage technician to audio production technician?
Its learning distance is 33.6 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.