Sound Engineering Technicians
Assemble and operate equipment to record, synchronize, mix, edit, or reproduce sound, including music, voices, or sound effects, for theater, video, film, television, podcasts, sporting events, and other productions.
13,080 people do this job in the US. $73,130 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 39%
- 7%
- 54%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 6%. Today's estimate: 10%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 14 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mix and edit voices, music, and taped sound effects for live performances and for prerecorded events, using sound mixing boards.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 18% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 1 work day | Stays with people | |
| Separate instruments, vocals, and other sounds, and combine sounds during the mixing or postproduction stage.Done daily by most who do it. | 18% | 5 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | 15%Half by Jun 2027 | |
| Record speech, music, and other sounds on recording media, using recording equipment.Done daily by most who do it. | 16% | 2.5 h38 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Synchronize and equalize prerecorded dialogue, music, and sound effects with visual action of motion pictures or television productions, using control consoles.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 15% | 4.2 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days | 23%Half by Mar 2027 | |
| Regulate volume level and sound quality during recording sessions, using control consoles.Done daily by most who do it. | 10% | 1.7 h50 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Confer with producers, performers, and others to determine and achieve the desired sound for a production, such as a musical recording or a film.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Convert video and audio recordings into digital formats for editing or archiving.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 2.1 h25 min to 4.2 h | 48%Half by now | |
| Set up, test, and adjust recording equipment for recording sessions and live performances.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Reproduce and duplicate sound recordings from original recording media, using sound editing and duplication equipment.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Prepare for recording sessions by performing such activities as selecting and setting up microphones.Done daily by most who do it. | 2% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Tear down equipment after event completion.Done daily by most who do it. | 1% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Keep logs of recordings.Done daily by most who do it. | 1% | 21 min8 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Audio and Video Technicians25% now, 54% by 2028
- Broadcast Technicians26% now, 32% by 2028
- Lighting Technicians8% now, 12% by 2028
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians17% now, 49% by 2028
- Audiovisual Equipment Installers and Repairers7% now, 7% by 2028
- Calibration Technologists and Technicians17% now, 55% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).