Sound Engineering Technicians
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media · SOC 27-4014
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 27-4014 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
- SOC exposure
- 0.0%
- Low · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 44/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $73,130
- H-1B offered wage $55,411; LCAs are filings.
- Projected openings
- 1,700
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change -1.7%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- 3
- FY2025 certified LCAs; 2,108 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Transition context
- H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
- Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
- Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
- This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.
AI Exposure Analysis
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
AI could do ~42.6% of this role but only ~0% is currently done with AI — a large capability-vs-adoption gap.
Top Skills
H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand
View full H-1B trends →Certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications naming this occupation, FY2016–FY2025. A descriptive high-skill labor-demand signal — employer filings, not visa approvals or individual outcomes. Note: one LCA can cover multiple worker positions.
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
Assemble and operate equipment to record, synchronize, mix, edit, or reproduce sound, including music, voices, or sound effects, for theater, video, film, television, podcasts, sporting events, and other productions.
Common titles: Audio Engineer, Audio Operator, Mastering Engineer, Mixing Engineer, Mixing Technician (Mixing Tech), Music Producer
Representative Tasks
- •Confer with producers, performers, and others to determine and achieve the desired sound for a production, such as a musical recording or a film.
- •Regulate volume level and sound quality during recording sessions, using control consoles.
- •Record speech, music, and other sounds on recording media, using recording equipment.
- •Separate instruments, vocals, and other sounds, and combine sounds during the mixing or postproduction stage.
- •Set up, test, and adjust recording equipment for recording sessions and live performances.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Collaborate with others to determine technical details of productions.
- •Operate control consoles for sound, lighting or video.
- •Mix sound inputs.
- •Operate audio recording equipment.
- •Notify others of equipment problems.
Tools & Technologies
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 0.0% | 18.3% |
| Outlook | Average | 18% Bright |
| Median Salary | $73,130 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |