What Is The Main Role of Sound Engineers?
I show the importance of sound engineers & those who made an impact over the years.

When people go to a concert, event, or presentation, they usually talk about the artists or bands that perform the songs, and how they inspired them. Artists and bands are the main protagonists. But what many people do not know is that there are some sound engineers behind all this music, and without them, nothing could be possible. Before I start this article, let me quickly explain what a sound engineer is (in case you don't know): they are responsible for handling, controlling, and setting up the technical equipment either for performances or recording.

For example, in the recording of an album, the sound engineer has to meet with the producer or director to reach an agreement, and decide how the recording process will be. All artists need a sound engineer, as their performance is essential for the musicians to be able to perform their work.

Before talking in depth about this job, I will talk about two sound engineers who have become known thanks to their great contributions to music:

George Massenburg

He is perhaps one of the most recognized sound engineers in the world, was awarded a Grammy and in 1972 introduced a parametric equalizer that changed the course of the music industry. George has been working in recording studios since the age of 15, and studied electrical engineering but did not finish his degree. However, he has worked on more than four hundred albums, that's impressive, right? ! A lot of experience from just one person.

Source: GAIN11 The Art & Science of Audio & Video

Many of these albums were from bands such as Toto, Journey, Earth Wind & Fire, or artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Herbie Hancock, Aaron Neville, Valerie Carter,  and Randy Newman.

Bill Putnam

Milton Tasker Putnam is known for being one of the fathers of recording because all the technology that exists was thanks to his ideas and imagination in the 1950s. He contributed to the development of the first recording console, and in his studio called "Universal Recording", he had one of the most modern recording voice booths. In that same studio, he offered artists the opportunity to record with 8-track recording... if you are a musician, you probably know how impressive that is for the 1950s era. It was without a doubt a complete revolution, considering that Putnam was born in 1920.

Nat King Cole and Bill Putnam

Source: Universal Audio

Later on, he created a company in conjunction with Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby called "United Recording Corp". One of the best examples of his work was "Peg O' My Heart" by The Harmonicats. This song was produced in 1947.

Well, after reviewing these amazing engineers who changed the course of music forever… I will also talk a little about responsibility and commitment. The sound engineer has many responsibilities to fulfill, some of them are:

1. Keeping all DAWs (digital audio workstations) up to date and making sure they are working properly without any errors.
2. Handle with fluency and agility all recording, and sound editing programs.
3. Work as a team with video editors, producers, lighting experts, assistants, and cameramen.
4. Make sure that sound equipment is working properly before any presentation or recording, and in case any of it is out of order, have the necessary replacements, or spare parts to solve the problem.

It should be noted that when recording a song or album, the work is so extensive that the sound engineer needs help, this person can’t do all the work alone! For example, some assistants need to work to facilitate the procedure. However, the engineer is always responsible for making sure that everything works perfectly.

A lot of people often confuse the work that a sound engineer does with the work in particular of a music producer, so I will quickly explain the difference.

But before I explain, do you know what the main job of a producer is?

A music producer is in charge of modifying and making changes regarding the composition of songs, melodies, or entire albums. A producer must be aware of all the musical trends, how each of the existing genres works, and support the new artists/bands for the near future.

The first thing to know is that the music producer is the one who debates and discusses with the artist the details needed to create a song or an album, while the sound engineer simply takes care of the technical part. In other words, the engineer talks with the producer about what has been agreed with the artist. Finally, the engineer is in charge of making the musical ideas a reality.

As in any other job, sound engineers must have a lot of patience. Working hundreds of hours on a song, album or performance requires a lot of concentration and passion. But please, take this advice: to be a sound engineer you must love music. You must enjoy the job to the fullest, otherwise, you can easily get overwhelmed.

This is the kind of job where the more years of experience you have, the better. For example, if you are a sound engineer and you have worked with hundreds of artists, you will be in the spotlight so many others will want to work with you and hire you. But where can you study to be a sound engineer?

Before working professionally as a sound engineer, you must have previous experience as I mentioned above. So, you must handle the EQ, compression, effects, song editing and any type of microphone to be used in recording. After taking this into account, I will give you a list of places where you can study if you live in the United States:

• Frost School of Music
• Belmont University
• Berklee College of Music
• Full Sail University

However, if you live in another country, look for different options. Currently, hundreds of universities, academies, and schools are dedicated exclusively to teaching music production, sound engineering, and composition.

If you liked this article, share it with other people (friends or family) so they can learn about one of the most important jobs in the music industry.

And if you are interested in becoming a sound engineer, don't hesitate, just follow your dreams!

Making music either from the composition side as an artist, or from the technical side as a sound engineer is beautiful.