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Sound technician, broadcasting/film/video: Job description and activities

Job description

The job of a sound technician is to identify the sound requirements for a given task or situation and to perform the appropriate actions to produce this sound. Sound technician is an umbrella term which covers many more specialised occupations. Sound technicians of different types are required in a range of industries including: broadcasting (radio or television), live performance (theatre, music, dance), advertising, music production and film.

Typical work activities

Sound technicians are required to assemble, operate and maintain the technical equipment used to record, amplify, enhance, mix or reproduce sound. The specific activities carried out by a sound technician vary according to the sector in which they are employed.

Sound technician roles can be split into two categories:

• production: the recording of all sound on set or on location;
• post-production: the balancing, mixing, editing and enhancing of pre-recorded audio.

Production activities include:

• assessing the acoustics of the performance area and assembling and operating the necessary equipment;
• consulting with producers/performers to determine the sound requirements;
• selecting, positioning, adjusting and operating the equipment used for amplification and recording;
• applying technical knowledge of sound recording equipment to achieve the determined artistic objectives;
• recording sound onto digital audio tape or hard disk recorders;
• monitoring audio signals to detect sound-quality deviations or malfunctions;
• anticipating and correcting any problems;
• maintaining and repairing sound equipment

Post-production activities include:

• the artistic integration (synchronisation) of pre-recorded audio (dialogue, sound effects and music ) with visual content;
• re-recording and synchronising audio (post-synching);
• mixing and balancing speech, effects and music;
• creating and altering sound effects for use in films, television etc.

For larger scale operations, such as film productions, sound technicians are usually required to work within sound teams. There are often separate sound teams for production and post-production. The job of a sound team is essentially to follow or interpret the instructions of the director, sound designer or sound supervisor. There are many specialised roles within sound teams including boom operators, sound assistants, dialogue editor, dubbing mixer, Foley artist, Foley editor, production mixer, sound designer and sound editor.

AGCAS

Written by Lewis Garland, AGCAS

Last updated:

April 2009

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