Live Sound Engineer

The music industry is such that anyone with enough talent, skill, and determination can have a career–it’s more about what you know than how you know it. So, no, you don’t need a degree from a four-year university, community college, or trade school. However, formal education in audio engineering or related fields can provide a strong foundation and enhance your knowledge and skills.

But it’s practical experience and on-the-job training that are highly valued in the live sound engineering field. Working as an intern or apprentice at live music venues, studios, or with experienced engineers can provide valuable real-world experience. Many live sound engineers start their careers in entry-level positions, such as stagehands or assistant engineers.

You can also learn the fundamentals of live sound engineering through self-study, online resources, books, and tutorials. But it can be difficult to know which resources to follow and you can’t really ask a YouTube video a question. And with message boards, there can be so many different opinions it can be really confusing.

Recording Connection brings both the educational and experience aspects of learning about live sound engineering together in a fully immersive experience. You’ll work with your mentor inside their studio, getting immediate feedback and answers to your questions. Prove your abilities, and you can help your mentor during a live session with professional artists. You get the best of both worlds.

As a live sound engineer, you need a diverse set of technical, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills. From learning the gear to training your ear, a live engineer is part physicist, part artist, and part fixer all at once–and done without a safety net of having another take.

As far as the technical aspects of the job, you need a familiarity with various types of audio equipment, including microphones, mixing consoles, amplifiers, speakers, signal processors, and cables and how to set up and maintain them. This includes knowledge of digital audio concepts, including audio interfaces, digital mixers, and recording software.

Because you won’t always have control over the venue, you need knowledge of acoustic principles, room dynamics, and sound propagation to optimize audio quality. This includes creating monitor mixes for performers on stage so they can hear themselves clearly.

Because the show is live, you’ll need to anticipate any issues before a show and act fast when something unexpected happens. This is where collaborating with stage crews and your knowledge of the gear, cables, and power sources will really come in handy. Continuous learning and hands-on experience are essential for mastering these skills and excelling in the field.

Like most music engineering and production jobs, it takes a combination of education, determination, and hands-on experience to learn live sound engineering. You can start by gaining a strong foundation in sound principles and getting a baseline knowledge of the equipment.

This can be done in a few different ways. While you don’t need a degree from a four-year university to become a professional live sound engineer, some formal education will make sure you learn the basics, such as audio physics, music theory, and signal flow while you familiarize yourself with the gear you’ll be working with.

From there, it’s a matter of getting as much experience as you can. This is a career where you learn by doing, and practical exposure to the job allows you to grasp real-world challenges and solutions while becoming comfortable with audio equipment. Work at local events, music venues, or with bands to set up and operate sound systems.

Master the technical aspects of audio equipment, including microphones, mixers, amplifiers, and speakers. Practice setting up, troubleshooting, and fine-tuning sound systems. Developing proficiency in these areas builds your confidence and ability to handle technical challenges efficiently. You’ll also want to stay up-to-date with industry trends and technological advancements by reading industry publications, attending workshops, and continuing to learn and adapt.

Becoming a live sound engineer is a multi-step process, and the length of time it takes to become proficient enough to become a professional largely depends on you. If this is something you’ll just work on during the weekends for a few hours, it will take a lot longer than if you dedicate yourself to getting the skills and experience on a daily basis.

That being said, formal education can last up to four years at university while trade schools can last one to two years. While you won’t necessarily get any “real-world” experience, you should be able to give yourself a solid foundation on the technical aspects of the job and pick up a baseline knowledge of the gear you’ll use.

Then the real work begins: getting the practical experience you need and building a portfolio to show potential clients. This can only be done by working in live environments with actual artists. During this time, you’ll still be working to further your skills while learning the complexities of different situations. It can take a year or two beyond learning the basics before you start to make this career.

With Recording Connection, you can condense the time it takes to learn the rudimentary skills of live sound engineering while gaining practical experience at the same time. Our Live Sound Program is taught by an experienced mentor, covering 11 courses spread out over six months. You’ll see first-hand what the job entails and get on-the-job training. It’s an accelerated program designed to get you into the job force as soon as possible. But it largely depends on the work you’re willing to put into it.

Live sound engineers are responsible for managing sound quality during live performances, focusing on real-time adjustments and technical problem-solving. Mastering engineers, on the other hand, work in post-production to enhance the quality of recorded tracks, ensuring they sound their best for distribution.

While both roles involve audio engineering, they cater to different stages of the music production process. Live sound engineers work in real-time during events, such as concerts, festivals, theater productions, and corporate presentations. They are on location and may not have access to all of the tools available to them in a normal recording studio.

Mastering engineers work in controlled studio environments, refining the final mixdown of recorded tracks, applying equalization, compression, and other processing to fine-tune the sound. Where a live engineer makes the artist sound great on stage, the mastering engineer readies the music to be distributed through various media channels (radio, streaming, and others).

Both work closely with their clients to understand how they want to sound and the vibe they’re trying to create. The live sound engineer works to make that happen during a live show while the mastering engineer has the ability to work at their own pace, spending more time when necessary to get the tracks to sound just right for a variety of uses.

Live sound engineers use a variety of equipment to ensure that audio is captured, processed, and distributed effectively during live events. You may need to bring your own equipment or work with the systems already in place at the venue. This can present a whole host of challenges, so you need to make sure you have what you need to make the show sound great.

Generally speaking, there is gear you’ll need at your disposal at every gig (whether it’s yours or it’s provided to you). It’s important that you can work with a wide variety of gear and inspect every venue beforehand to make sure you have what you need. This includes a working knowledge of different types of microphones, mixing consoles, and signal processors.

Communication devices are needed so you can talk with stage crews and others during a show, as well as in-ear devices so the band can hear how they sound while playing–this reduces stage noise and improves overall sound quality. You will also be responsible for recording equipment.

There are accessories you may be required to have as well, including cables, mic stands, power distribution systems, and even speakers depending on the venue. Venues may have their own sound systems, which you’ll want to inspect well before the show. Cases and racks for all of the gear are needed to help keep everything safe and secure until set up.

Just like any other industry, the more skill you have, the more experience you have, and the better track record you have will go a long way in deciding how much money you’ll make. There will be outliers of course–there are superstars in any industry–but this is a look at what live sound engineers can make at different stages of experience and notoriety.

Keep in mind that your salary as a live sound engineer can depend on things out of your control, too. For example, where you live can play a big role in what you make: you’ll get paid more in NY or LA, but everything is more expensive there, too. Demand for live music engineering will fluctuate as well as smaller towns may not have as many venues.

Entry-level live sound engineers with limited experience may earn an annual salary in the range of $25,000 to $40,000 working part-time or on smaller events with lesser-known artists. Those with a few years of experience and a solid skill set can typically earn between $40,000 and $70,000 per year. They may work on a variety of events, including concerts, corporate meetings, and theater productions.

Experienced live sound engineers who have a strong track record, advanced technical skills, and the ability to handle large-scale events can earn salaries ranging from $70,000 to $100,000 or more annually. At the top tier of the profession, highly experienced and renowned live sound engineers who work with top artists and on international tours can command salaries exceeding $100,000 per year. Some may even earn a percentage of the event’s gross revenue in addition to a base salary.