Are you an audiophile? Do you love creating music? Even more importantly, do you love producing music? Are you tech savvy? Do you love music more than anything else? In that case, sound engineering might just be the right field for you. In this post, we will talk about sound engineering and how you can get a degree in it. Let’s get started.

Degree In Sound Engineering: All You Need To Know

What is sound engineering?

Sound engineering is a course focused on teaching students the ability to create and produce top notch music, speech, and sound effects in studios using technical instruments. Sound engineers are taught the technical details of sound and music making. It’s a labour intensive course that teaches a lot to its students.

What is an audio engineer and what does one do in this job?

A well-known rock band plays on the stage of a major music festival, the fans dance, celebrate and sing along. As a sound engineer, it is your job to ensure that the artists, the audience in front of the stage, and the viewers in the online live stream are satisfied with the sound they hear.

Sound technicians are the people who are responsible for the sound. They work in different industries and for different media, such as:

• television productions
• radio productions
• music productions
• sound reinforcement technology
• theatre
• record companies

Recording and reproducing sounds can be called the main task of sound engineers. They either work at live events or in productions where the sound is recorded to be mixed and edited afterwards. Depending on the area of ​​responsibility, the working days can be very long, for example, if you are the sound engineer responsible for the sound at concerts or festivals. You spend large parts of your working time at the computer or at a mixer.

What does a sound engineer need to be able to do?

Good hearing is particularly important for your career as a sound engineer. You also need to have some knowledge of electrical engineering: you need to know how a mixer works and how to wire the system so that the various signals arrive at the right place. During your working hours, you must be able to react flexibly to problems that arise at short notice and love to deal with technology.

Is a sound engineer’s work very tiring?

Depending on the field of work, everyday work can look very different. Some jobs as an audio engineer are physically very demanding, especially when you regularly have to dismantle equipment at one location and set it up again at another. Other areas of application require creativity and a good knowledge of music theory and practice.

Audio engineers today often concern themselves with much more than the pure technology behind sound recordings. They often also take on design or creative tasks.

How to train as a sound engineer?

There are some apprenticeships that prepare for the profession commonly known as “sound engineer”. However, due to the above-mentioned problems with this term, the state-recognized training courses are not called “sound engineer training”.

In order to be able to work in this profession, you can, for example, complete an apprenticeship as a media designer for image and sound. As the name suggests, you not only learn all the important information about acoustics but also about the recording and processing of visual media. This training is a good basis for further specializations. 

Even after training as a specialist in event technology, you can work as a sound engineer. In this training, you will take care of the technology at live events. This includes setting up, dismantling, and running the event. You can usually do this training at radio or TV stations. 

How to get a sound engineering degree?

There are actually training opportunities called “sound engineering”. These are mainly offered by media academies or private universities. There is often also the option of distance learning. This training usually prepares you for work in film, TV, and audio productions. It should be noted that these training courses and certificates cost money, while you do not receive a training salary. In some cases, however, there is also the possibility of applying for grants or financing.

Studying to become a sound engineer

A sound engineering degree can be a solid basis for your career as a sound engineer.

With a degree in audio engineering, you will receive a Bachelor of Music degree. With this, you would have acquired the theoretical knowledge to mix the sound at events such as music festivals, concerts, theater performances, or TV recordings. A large proportion of this course consists of topics from electrical engineering.

At universities of applied sciences, you will also find courses on media technology. In this course, subjects such as mathematics, electrical engineering, computer science, and physics are on the syllabus. This training is usually very practice-oriented and you will carry out many practical exercises and projects during your studies.

There are other options at private universities. There are many providers where you can get a bachelor’s degree in audio engineering. At film schools, you will often find the Sound Design/Film sound course, with which you specialize directly.

What are the job opportunities for a sound engineer?

The work of a sound engineer can be very varied and there are many different areas of application. But the available training and study places are limited and highly competitive. And even after training, starting a career in the respective industry can be very difficult.

In order to be successful, practical experience is particularly important. An internship in the right place or a good contact can be more important than an academic degree or a good grade at the university. Specialization is also important. What medium or work interests you the most personally? You should already concentrate on this during your training and continue to educate yourself in order to become particularly good at your job. Many sound engineers work independently, as freelancers earn more money on average.

It doesn’t matter which training provider or university you choose: all options have advantages and disadvantages. At the end of the day, you have to think about which apprenticeship or course of study is the right choice for you.