A sound engineer is a person who practices audio engineering. They design, build, or maintain systems that are made for acoustic information to be conveyed using electronic media, like radio broadcasting and sound recording. There are many types of audio engineers working in different areas of audio engineering, such as live sound engineers, broadcast producers, music producers, etc.

What Does a Sound Engineer Do?

The audio engineer's job is multifaceted with duties ranging from calibration of audio equipment to audio synthesis

Some of the functions performed by audio engineers in their day-to-day work include the following:

1. Leveling

Leveling is the process of adjusting audio signals to a fixed decibel level. It also refers to a device used for this purpose, such as sound mixers and audio recording devices. The primary purpose of leveling is to maintain audio signals within a specific audio range and prevent audio overloads and distortion. A secondary purpose of leveling is mixing audio signals, allowing sound engineers to mix audio from multiple audio sources.

2. Equalizing

Equalizing, or EQ as it is more commonly known, adjusts the audio frequency spectrum of an audio signal. It is most typically used in live audio engineering and audio recording devices to adjust audio signals in real-time. Equalizing the audio frequency spectrum helps sound engineers clarify and define individual audio elements and improve overall audio clarity and quality.

3. Delaying

Delaying audio signals may include manipulating delay, which is the time between an audio signal being sent and received. This process is used to give listeners a sense of audio space and audio depth. It also allows audio engineers to create audio effects with audio samples, like audio repeating or rewinding.

4. Reverb

Reverb is a technical term for how audio signals sound when reflected off of physical objects. It is typically added as an audio effect during post-production processing to audio samples in studio recording scenarios. In live audio engineering contexts, reverb is used during audio mixing to create audio space and audio depth by simulating natural acoustic environments, like an audio concert hall or audio mosque.

5. Audio Restoration

It includes but is not limited to removing noise from audio signals. This can be done with high-quality plugins available for the most common digital sound audio recording and audio editing software. Audio restoration also includes audio filtering, which removes audio frequencies that are not part of a specific audio signal. Lastly, audio restoration can be done on audio samples that have digital degradation, such as those affected by audio watermarks or audio clipping.

Conclusion

Hiring a sound engineer may seem like an unnecessary expense, but they perform many functions that can help you save a significant amount of money in the long run. Whether it's leveling audio tracks or recording vocals for your podcast, hiring a professional will give your project the quality and attention to detail it deserves.