# 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.

- **SOC code:** 27-4014.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-27-4014-00
- **Also known as:** Audio Engineer, Mixing Engineer, Recording Engineer, Sound Engineer, Audio Operator, Mastering Engineer, Mixing Technician (Mixing Tech), Music Producer
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap (how codifiable the work is), not jobs lost or a forecast. Every figure below is traced to a named public dataset.

## What this work is

**Core tasks** (O*NET):
- Confer with producers, performers, and others to determine and achieve the desired sound for a production, such as a musical recording or a film.
- Regulate volume level and sound quality during recording sessions, using control consoles.
- Record speech, music, and other sounds on recording media, using recording equipment.
- Separate instruments, vocals, and other sounds, and combine sounds during the mixing or postproduction stage.
- Set up, test, and adjust recording equipment for recording sessions and live performances.
- Report equipment problems and ensure that required repairs are made.
- Prepare for recording sessions by performing such activities as selecting and setting up microphones.
- Mix and edit voices, music, and taped sound effects for live performances and for prerecorded events, using sound mixing boards.
- Keep logs of recordings.
- Tear down equipment after event completion.
- Synchronize and equalize prerecorded dialogue, music, and sound effects with visual action of motion pictures or television productions, using control consoles.
- Reproduce and duplicate sound recordings from original recording media, using sound editing and duplication equipment.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Computers and Electronics _(knowledge)_
- Hearing Sensitivity _(ability)_
- Oral Comprehension _(ability)_
- Oral Expression _(ability)_
- Near Vision _(ability)_
- Auditory Attention _(ability)_
- Customer and Personal Service _(knowledge)_
- Fine Arts _(knowledge)_
- Active Listening _(essential_skill)_
- English Language _(knowledge)_
- Engineering and Technology _(knowledge)_
- Speaking _(essential_skill)_

**Skills in demand:**
- Active Listening _(Common Skill)_
- English Language _(Common Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Complex Problem Solving _(Common Skill)_
- Reading Comprehension _(Common Skill)_
- Writing _(Common Skill)_
- Time Management _(Common Skill)_
- Systems Analysis _(Specialized Skill)_
- Information Ordering _(Specialized Skill)_
- Inductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Active Learning _(Common Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Adobe Acrobat _(hot technology)_
- Adobe Creative Cloud software _(hot technology)_
- Adobe InDesign _(hot technology)_
- Adobe Photoshop _(hot technology)_
- Apple macOS _(hot technology)_
- Autodesk AutoCAD _(hot technology)_
- Facebook _(hot technology)_
- Git _(hot technology)_
- Linux _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Office software _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft PowerPoint _(hot technology)_

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 46th percentile (Moderate) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 59th percentile (Moderate) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 62nd percentile (Moderate) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 19th percentile (Low) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Frey–Osborne (2013, historical computerization estimate):** 30th percentile — kept separate from current-era studies.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** yes — task structure, not who actually works remote.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** -1.7% growth (Declining); 1.2k annual openings; 16.9k → 16.6k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $66,430; 13,050 employed.

## How people actually use AI here

Anthropic Economic Index — measured AI conversations mapped to this occupation's tasks:

- **Automation vs augmentation:** 13% automation, 37% augmentation (usage-weighted).
- **Autonomy median:** 4.0 (higher = AI acts more independently).
- **Dominant collaboration mode:** learning.

**Tasks most handed to AI here:**
- Confer with producers, performers, and others to determine and achieve the desired sound for a production, such as a musical recording or a film. _(1.0% of measured AI use; learning)_
- Create musical instrument digital interface programs for music projects, commercials, or film postproduction. _(0.4% of measured AI use)_
- Convert video and audio recordings into digital formats for editing or archiving. _(0.3% of measured AI use; directive)_

**Example prompts (honest phrasings of the tasks above — starting points, not endorsed instructions):**
- Help me confer with producers, performers, and others to determine and achieve the desired sound for a production, such as a musical recording or a film.
- Help me create musical instrument digital interface programs for music projects, commercials, or film postproduction.
- Help me convert video and audio recordings into digital formats for editing or archiving.

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS Employment Projections** (2024–2034) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **Anthropic Economic Index** (v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27)) — Anthropic. https://www.anthropic.com/economic-index
- **Microsoft “Working with AI”** (working-with-ai) — Microsoft Research. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130
- **AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE)** (Felten, Raj & Seamans) — academic. https://github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE
- **Frey & Osborne (2013)** (frey-osborne-automation) — academic. https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/
- **Dingel & Neiman (2020)** (dingel-neiman-workathome) — academic. https://github.com/jdingel/DingelNeiman-workathome

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_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-27-4014-00_