How to Become an Audio Engineer: A Step-by-Step Guide

Audio engineering is a fascinating and awe-inspiring field. Whether you’re drawn to music, movies, or broadcasting, the possibilities in this field are endless. It’s easy to feel intimidated by the amount of technical knowledge and expertise required to become an audio engineer, however. This article will cover the steps you can take to pursue a career in audio engineering.

Audio engineering is a broad and multifaceted field that involves the technical aspects of recording, editing, and reproducing sound. Audio engineers work in areas like broadcasting, voice-over, film production, and even live performances. Many audio engineers specialize in and pursue careers in specific types of media.

The field of audio engineering is rapidly growing, and there’s no shortage of exciting projects to work on. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that employment for sound engineers will grow by 7.5% over the next decade. You’ll need to start on the right foot in order to succeed. Here are some of the best things you can do to kick-start a career in audio engineering.

The best way to start your career in audio engineering is to research the various specializations in the field. You will need different sets of skills to become a voice-over audio engineer or a music engineer. Some of the specializations in audio engineering include:

There’s not one set path you have to take in audio engineering. It’s good to consider what kind of projects resonate with you and to whittle down what specializations you are interested in working in from there.

Once you have an idea of what specializations you’re interested in, you can begin the process of researching what skills you will need to learn and what programs or opportunities might work for you. Many audio engineering programs offer a specific emphasis on areas such as music or live sound.

One of the best things you can do to kick-start a career in audio engineering is to enroll in a degree or certificate program. This is more cost-prohibitive than other avenues of learning, but degrees and certificates both offer the benefit of having a standardized learning path. A program will help you gain all the necessary skills to become an audio engineer without getting lost.

There are a few majors that are particularly good for audio engineering. Many people have jump started their careers by pursuing a bachelor’s or associate’s degree in music, audio technology, broadcast technology, communications, or media studies. The Berklee College of Music is particularly renowned among aspiring audio engineers.

If you prefer to go the route of earning certifications and starting your career independently, there are many highly regarded certifications to choose from. Audinate’s Dante Certification Program is considered high-quality, as are the certifications offered by the Society of Broadcast Engineers. It’s important to note that the skills you can demonstrate are considered more important than any certificate, however.

As mentioned before, demonstrating your skills is one of the most important things you can do in audio engineering. Once you have a basic grasp of the tricks and tools of the trade, you should focus on searching for opportunities to apply your skills in practice.

Luckily, you're not the only person aspiring for a career. Many audio engineers gained their first hands-on experience by working with aspiring musicians or voice-over artists. In your early career, you should focus on collaborating with other novices in the industry you’re attempting to enter.

For example, you could consider looking in the following areas for these common specializations:

As you gain basic experience and develop a portfolio, you should apply yourself to seeking higher-paying opportunities. After working with several local bands or Casting Call Club projects, for example, you could pitch your talent as a freelancer or look for entry-level opportunities in your specialization.

Once you’ve developed a basic skill set in audio engineering and have a portfolio to show off, you should move on to applying for internships and entry-level jobs in audio engineering. Securing an internship or job in the industry will allow you to learn the tools of the trade from audio engineers with years or even decades of experience.

There are many excellent places where you can look for audio engineering internships. Indeed, LinkedIn, and all the other major job forums are great places to start your search. You should also check the websites of any companies that work with the media in your area. Radio stations, TV broadcasters, and film studios in your area may be actively searching for interns at this very moment.

Knowing how to work with standard equipment and software in the sound engineering trade is a vital part of kick-starting your career. Most reputable schools will have this equipment and software available to students and standardized in the curriculum. If you intend to pursue audio engineering solo, familiarizing yourself with this equipment is vital.

You should know how to work with equipment like microphones, mixing consoles, boom poles, studio headphones, cable testers, and multimeters. You should understand how to navigate and work in the most popular digital audio workstations (DAWs), including Ableton Live, Reaper, Pro Tools, and Logic Pro.

You should also focus on gaining the right skills. Depending on your intended specialization, some skills and knowledge might be more in demand than others. Some of the skill sets commonly desired in audio engineers include:

You’ll find that advancing your career as an audio engineer is much easier when you know the right people. You should think about where you can find people in your industry and start talking to people. Do you want to engineer music? Attend music shows and network with local bands. Do you want to engineer broadcasts? Get a minor job at your local radio station and get to know the people who work there.

You can also use social media networks such as Twitter and LinkedIn for networking. Be transparent about your intent to meet others in the industry and show off your personality and talent when you have the chance to do so. With a large enough network, you may find that opportunities transform from a painstaking hunt to a convenience that practically falls into your lap.

Not every piece you produce is going to be portfolio-ready, and that’s okay. If you want the best chance of success, however, you should begin to gather all of your best work into a portfolio. Showcasing your skills is much more important than any degree or certification—and if people can see from your portfolio that you have an ear for quality and a good skill set, they’ll be less hesitant about recruiting you for a future project.

The most important thing you can do as an aspiring audio engineer is to continue to hone your skills. A career in audio engineering can’t emerge in a day, but if you continue to apply yourself to studying, networking, and developing an impressive portfolio, it won’t be long before you eventually find incredible opportunities in this field.

Pardhu Gunnam: Scaling Success from Classroom to C-suite

Pardhu Gunnam, an entrepreneur and data platform engineer, has defied all odds on his ascent from the classroom to the C-suite. With a remarkable trajectory marked by academic achievements, stellar corporate promotions at LinkedIn, and an eventual entrepreneurial journey, Pardhu’s story is an inspiration to aspiring entrepreneurs and professionals alike.

Born in India into a middle-class family with limited educational guidance, Pardhu’s inherent brilliance was evident from his early years. He achieved numerous academic awards and scholarships in school, consistently proving his intellectual prowess. Pardhu’s tenacity—combined with his intellect—culminated with him securing an All India rank of 118 among 330,000 students, an honor which won him a college scholarship to the prestigious National Institute of Technology Warangal.

After acquiring foundational industry knowledge at Cisco Systems and NetApp India, Pardhu recognized the need for advanced academic credentials to elevate his career. Consequently, he pursued a Master’s degree in Computer Science at the University of Florida, a decision that significantly boosted his professional prospects.

Upon graduation, Pardhu secured a coveted position at Amazon through campus placements, but it was at LinkedIn that his career truly soared. Joining as a founding member of the innovative Metrics Platform team, he contributed to the development of the Unified Metrics Platform. This first-of-its-kind data democratization tool served thousands of LinkedIn users daily, propelling the company into a data-driven powerhouse. Pardhu’s outstanding contributions were acknowledged through rapid promotions, with him eventually assuming the role of Engineering Manager in the Metadata team.

Demonstrating his leadership skills, Pardhu expanded the team from seven to fifteen engineers within two years, delivering multiple successful projects in collaboration with various LinkedIn teams. His most notable achievement was the open-source project DataHub, developed under his supervision. The industry hailed this as a pioneer project in metadata, rapidly gaining adoption by prestigious organizations and data practitioners.

However, the pinnacle of Pardhu’s professional journey was his transition into entrepreneurship. Partnering with his tech lead, Mars Lan, he stepped away from LinkedIn in November 2020 to co-found Metaphor Data. Their groundbreaking concept attracted interest from top venture capital firms, raising over 10 million dollars in funding and hiring more than 15 people across diverse roles. Metaphor Data’s innovative product is now being widely adopted by organizations worldwide.

Pardhu’s journey has not been without its challenges. As the first member of his family to achieve an engineering degree, he faced the obstacles of limited resources and a lack of educational support. However, through hard work and determination, he overcame these hurdles and surpassed his goals. He also recognized the importance of continuous learning and expanding one’s comfort zone, regularly seeking new challenges outside his expertise to grow both personally and professionally.

Looking ahead, Pardhu envisions transforming Metaphor Data into a public market company, revolutionizing data value extraction for every organization. Additionally, he aims to serve as a guide and mentor to hundreds of students from similar backgrounds in rural India, providing them with better career opportunities and empowering them to achieve their dreams.

Pardhu Gunnam’s journey, from classroom to C-suite, is a remarkable tale of perseverance and achievement. Through his drive, ambition, and unwavering determination, he has overcome obstacles, embraced new challenges, and carved a path to success.

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Exlar’s 2010 Product Catalog, Engineering Guide Now Available

MOTION CONTROL:   Exlar’s 2010 Product Catalog and Engineering Guide is now available. A manufacturer of high performance servo actuators and motors, Exlar offers seven product families featuring a broad range of capabilities with peak forces exceeding 40,000 lbf, linear speeds in excess of 60 inches per second and a life expectancy 15 times longer than that offered by ball screw technology.The 2010 Catalog details Exlar’s selection of solutions for linear and rotary motion control applications. Product families span integrated actuator and motor designs, explosion proof designs, force tube actuators, and servo motor and gearmotors. The catalog and engineering guide additionally details Exlar’s advanced roller screw and stator technology as applied to linear and rotary actuators-with drawings, performance graphs and complete specifications for various configurations and applications. With a wide array of features and capabilities, Exlar offers several robust choices matched to each application’s diverse requirements.

An easy-to-reference engineering section includes definitions and equations for determining move-profile, velocity and acceleration, force, thrust, motor velocity and torque. Also included is a table of factors for converting units of rotary inertia, torque and material densities between English and metric units.

- Edited by Liz Taurasi