Recording engineers mix and balance sound sources for recordings. They record instruments, vocals, and sounds separately. They combine the tracks during the mixing or post-production stage.
Recording engineers are not considered professional engineers and do not engage in the practice of engineering as defined in the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act [pdf].
Recording engineers are unlike professional engineers who may design or construct audio systems. Recording engineers use a variety of techniques and electronic equipment to record, mix, process, manipulate, and edit sound for various media productions.
Most recording engineers use computers and digital signal processing equipment such as:
- Multitrack digital recording equipment
- Digital audio workstations (DAWs)
- Hard disc-based computers or samplers
This allows them to:
- Work in a non-destructive format
- Work faster and more efficiently
- Manage complex combinations of vocal, instrumental, and other sound recordings
- Collaborate with others in locations throughout the world
To achieve the desired sound for projects, recording engineers may work closely with:
The occupation is broad and includes many disciplines. There is a lot of crossover between the skills and duties of the different disciplines. Recording engineers may find themselves fulfilling duties from 1 or more of these subcategories:
- Recording engineer
- Sound mixer
- Sound editor and sound designer
All recording engineers need to understand how the sound will be used. Usually, once recording is complete, the recording engineer will hand off the file to sound mixers and sound editors for further processing. However, the roles are not fixed.
Recording engineers record a variety of subjects, such as musicians, vocalists, narrators, actors, ambient sounds, and sound effects. They use equipment that captures the signals from microphone or line inputs to record audio. Then they process the audio signals.
Recording engineers monitor sound through speaker systems and headphones. They also provide their subjects with monitoring equipment when needed.
Sometimes, recording engineers mix sounds during the recording. For example, they may do this when musicians record in a studio. Other times, they will hand off the file to a sound mixer.
Sound mixers combine and blend different sound sources into 1 cohesive mix. They use a mixing console, usually in combination with other recording and audio processing tools. They:
- Offer ideas and suggestions to achieve the best possible mix
- Understand the technical requirements of all the equipment being used
- Understand how the audio will sound when it is played in a real-world setting such as on home sound systems, in vehicles, on portable devices, or in movie theatres
Sound mixers may create master files for later broadcast or retail sale. Sometimes they mix, combine, or edit recordings themselves. But usually, this is done by a mixing or mastering engineer. They create master files for:
- Commercials
- Film, TV, and game soundtracks
- CDs, DVDs, or BluRays
- Multimedia presentations
- Podcasts, audiobooks, and social media content
Sound editors and sound designers change sound sources and create new sounds. They prepare the sound for use in projects. They:
- Clean up and improve noise problems on a recording
- Edit out unwanted material
- Place the sound in the proper order for a project
- Create new or unusual sounds
- Work with sound effects
For the remainder of this profile, “recording engineer” will refer to the broader occupation rather than the subcategory.
Recording engineers mix and balance sound sources for recordings. For information about those who control the sound components of live events, see the Sound Engineer occupational profile.
