There are many professions related to sound, such as musicians, audio engineers in studios, creators of equipment, DJs on the radio, and others. In this article, we will tell you what those who decide to pursue a career in this field should expect and be prepared for.
DJs, musicians and vocalists
The first profession usually associated with music is performing. DJing also falls under this category, as the ability to select samples and tracks, create smooth transitions, and combine several melodies into a single, cohesive work is not an easy task.
Anyone who plans to make a living playing music needs to know their target audience, as this will determine their repertoire, especially at first. Once a performer has achieved success and found their own sound, they can then start to bend their own rules. At first, you may have to play things that contradict your own sense of beauty, but are required by the public.
Musicians and vocalists, however, have the opportunity to become part of a musical group with a specific repertoire, where they don’t have to compete with each other. Ideally, they should find like-minded people, a group in a genre close to their soul.
Most importantly, you should understand that success will not come overnight. You will have to work hard, pay close attention to your profession, constantly learn new things (new music scenes, trends, interesting tricks, etc.), and put your soul into this business. The artist feeds fame.
Sound engineers
Sound engineers are engaged in mixing and mastering recordings; they collect whole compositions from the material recorded in the studio and polish them to the finished product, which sounds acceptable on various audio setups. Just like DJs, they should start by learning the basics on a home system, such as Pro Tools | First, which costs $10 for students.
Free and inexpensive programs can help you understand how the equalizer, compressor, and other settings work, as well as why they are needed. After that, it makes sense to build your own small studio and start more serious experiments.
Experience is important for a sound engineer, and it is measured not by dozens, but by hundreds of recorded songs, ideally in different styles and genres, in order to understand where to move, what is achieved, and what needs to be worked on further. It is also necessary to constantly study trends, new tools, and technologies in order to stay up-to-date with the industry.
Networking and communication skills should not be underestimated; connections in music are everything.
Radio hosts
Radio hosts are those people who fill the gaps between songs, jingles, news, interviews, and other blocks with interesting conversations on the music radio station’s airwaves. The main working tool of a radio DJ or radio host is the voice, so much attention should be paid to its development and condition. Learn to master it: warm up, train diction, and avoid any defects.
Examples of work are necessary not only for musicians and sound engineers, but also for DJs on the radio. The demo format is a 30-second airing that will allow potential employers to evaluate one’s speech and ability. In fact, this is a short performance by a single actor. It should say hello, introduce itself, and announce the next track with a bit of background.
It is important to understand the format of radio stations and their features, such as news presentation formats, regulations, repertoire, and the topics that presenters focus on in their conversations. It is important to be aware of the key figures at various radio stations as they tend to be self-absorbed and take pleasure in being in the spotlight. Knowing such personalities can be beneficial in understanding who are involved on the airwaves.
Video game industry
The gaming industry involves two types of professionals working with music – audio coders and audio designers. Audio coders take care of the coding part, DSP, utility creation for audio designers embedding soundtracks into the game. Both are important roles that contribute to making a great gaming experience.
The latter create sounds, record them, mix them, master them, edit dialogues, and test sounds. But first and foremost, they still write music and sounds for games.
When trying to get a job, having a diploma may not be enough. Employers will more likely focus on your portfolio, demos and connections to decide if you are the right fit for the job. You should pay close attention to the design of demo recordings – name them so that it is clear who sent them, write metadata, and provide easy access to the recordings (rather than just throwing a link to an unnamed folder in the cloud).
Film industry
The sound department, which works on sound during the production and post-production of movies and TV shows, is called the sound shop. Depending on the project’s scale, this department can include anywhere from two to several dozen people. For example, a sound engineer and a microphone engineer work on the set; the former monitors the quality of the audio recording, while the latter controls the location of all microphones. Another team of sound engineers deals with the recorded material. Noisemakers, composers, and other sound creators work independently.
Assembling a mix of hundreds of tracks is difficult for a sound engineer in a movie, due to the large number of tracks and the fact that their sounds often differ in nature. It is challenging to track all the conflicting frequencies and fit everything to the same key and timbre. Moreover, it is necessary to compare the sound picture with the visualization to ensure they are correctly synchronized. When a picture is present, it is important to consider the volume and direction of the sound.
The recording process is also special, since all microphones – both lavaliers and “guns” – should be invisible in the frame, yet still be as effective as possible. The task of the sound engineer and microphone engineer working on the site is to ensure the microphones are invisible and the recording is of high quality.
Sometimes, you need to create sounds that don’t exist in nature—for example, to voice how a huge beanstalk grows. This is what noisemakers do. Creativity and the ability to notice interesting sounds around them are some of the main requirements for the noisemaker profession.
Creation of acoustics
Sound engineers and loudspeaker designers develop speakers that meet customer requirements. The modern creation and design of acoustics somewhat resembles a designer’s process: engineers need to assemble a device with the correct sound signature and an adequate cost from the available element base.
In the audio industry, there are many stories of sound engineers who couldn’t find speakers that suited their needs, so they began creating them on their own. Additionally, amateur engineers have also achieved recognition from industry experts for creating speakers.
Now, specialized mathematical algorithms are regularly used in the creation of acoustics. To work with them, one needs to know specialized software, such as Leap and Clio, which are used to optimize and calculate the parameters of audio systems.
Designing acoustics is a multi-stage process, and the first prototype at the beginning of a career is unlikely to be successful immediately, since it is difficult to take into account all the nuances with little experience.
It is important to differentiate between acoustics design as a hobby and acoustics design as a profession. The enjoyment of the first case comes from the process, while the second is evaluated by the end result.
What is the result
Sound production necessitates diligence. Entering the music industry requires more than just a desire to work with or make music. Professions related to audio require important skills:
- Applicants should demonstrate basic skills, relevant experience, and, if applicable, educational background;
- Having a willingness to continually develop and gain new knowledge is important;
- Interpersonal communication and networking skills;
- Persistence and determination;
- Stress tolerance;
- Creative thinking;
- Music is beloved.
Other industries are also affected by this. The experience of touching art can provide comfort to those with unpredictable work.