AUDIO ENGINEERING

'Audio engineering' is a part of audio science dealing with the recording and reproduction of sound through mechanical and electronic means. The field draws on many disciplines, including electrical engineering, acoustics, psychoacoustics, and music. Unlike acoustical engineering, audio engineering generally does not deal with noise control or acoustical design. However, an audio engineer is often closer to the creative and technical aspects of audio rather than formal engineering. A audio engineer must be proficient with different types of recording mediums such as analog tape and Digital multitrack recorders and workstations (ex: Digidesign Protool, Steinberg Cubase or Nuendo) Computer knowlege and with the advent of the digital age it is becoming more and more important for the audio engineer to be versed in the understanding of Software and Hardware integration from syncronization to Analog to Digital transfers.

Contents

Lexical dispute

Practitioners

Different professional branches of sound engineering

Education

Equipment

Studio Engineers of note

See also

External resources

Lexical dispute

The expressions 'audio engineer' and 'sound engineer' are ambiguous. Such terms can refer to a person working in sound and music production, as well as to a graduated engineer designing professional equipment for these tasks, making acoustical simulations of rooms, facing computer music problems, or doing research on sound in general, both in acoustics and from a signal processing point of view. The latter professional often develops the tools needed for the former's work. Other languages, such as German and Italian, have different words to refer to these two activities.

Practitioners

An 'audio engineer' is someone with experience and training in the production and manipulation of sound through mechanical (analog) or digital means. As a professional title, this person is sometimes designated as a 'sound engineer' or 'recording engineer' instead. A person with one of these titles is commonly listed in the credits of many commercial music recordings (as well as in other productions that include sound, such as movies).
Audio engineers are generally familiar with the design, installation, and/or operation of sound recording, sound reinforcement, or sound broadcasting equipment, including large and small format consoles. In the recording studio environment, the audio engineer records, edits, manipulates, mixes, and/or masters sound by technical means in order to realize an artist's or record producer's creative vision. While usually associated with music production, an audio engineer deals with sound for a wide range of applications, including post-production for video and film, live sound reinforcement, advertising, multimedia, and broadcasting. When referring to video games, a audio engineer may also be a computer programmer.
In larger productions an audio engineer is responsible for the technical aspects of a sound recording or other audio production, and works together with a record producer or director, although the engineer's role may also be integrated with that of the producer. In smaller productions and studios the sound engineer and producer is often one and the same person.
In typical sound reinforcement applications, audio engineers often assume the role of producer, making artistic decisions along with technical ones.

Different professional branches of sound engineering

★ 'Studio engineer' could refer to either a sound engineer working in a studio together with a producer or to a producing sound engineer working in a studio.

★ 'Recording engineer' is a person recording a record differentiating from a ...

★ 'Mixing engineer' who performs mixes of already recorded materials. It is not uncommon for a commercial record to be recorded at one studio and later mixed by different engineers in other studios.

★ 'Live sound engineer' is a person dealing with live sound reinforcement. This usually includes planning and installation of speakers etc and soundmixing during the show. This may or may not include running the foldback sound.

★ 'Foldback engineer' this refers to the person running foldback sound during a live event.

Education

Audio Engineers come from all backgrounds such as electrical engineering or Fine Arts, many colleges and accredited institutions around the world offer Degrees in Audio Engineering such as BS in Audio Production.

Equipment

Audio engineers in their daily work operate and take use of:

★ Mixing consoles

★ Microphones

★ Signal processors

★ Tape machines

★ Digital audio workstations

★ Music sequencers

★ Speakers

Studio Engineers of note

★ Steve Albini

★ Bill Bottrell

★ Fred Catero

★ Bob Clearmountain

★ Tom Dowd

★ Evgeny Murzin

★ Geoff Emerick

★ Mick Guzauski

★ Leslie Ann Jones

★ Eddie Kramer

★ Greg Ladanyi

★ Paul Richards

★ Chris Lord-Alge

★ Tom Lord-Alge

★ Scott Salem

★ George Massenburg

★ James Munro

★ Yuri Morozov

★ Jack Mullin

★ Roger Nichols

★ Hugh Padgham

★ Alan Parsons

★ Les Paul

★ Bill Porter

★ Bill Putnam

★ Phil Ramone

★ Eberhard Sengpiel

★ Al Schmitt

★ Bruce Swedien

★ Ken Townshend

See also

★ Electrical engineering

★ Acoustical engineering

★ Broadcast engineering

★ Record producer

★ Professional audio

★ Audio restoration

★ Noise engineer

★

★

External resources

★ Audio engineering formulas and calculators

★ Audio Engineering Society

★ Plasa Professional Lighting and Sound Association