Recording Engineer Jobs

Recording Engineer
One of the most common positions in the business. A recording engineer’s primary goal is to capture the artists’ performance as accurately as possible. They do this using Digital Audio Workstations (DAW’s), Analog Tape Machines, audio mixing boards, outboard effects processors, musical instruments, and microphones.

Mix Engineer
This position is often misunderstood or is forgotten altogether on smaller, low budget recordings. Unfortunately, it is possibly the most critical position there is in a musical environment. A mix engineer’s job is to take all of the elements from the Recording Engineer and assemble them, edit the performance, provide equalization, effects, volume balance consistency, and maximization of critical performance traits. They are often expected to make the performer sound ‘bigger than life.’

Mastering Engineer
This position entails taking the final mix of the Mix Engineer and ensuring consistency throughout the entire album or production. They do this by providing subtle equalization and effects to provide a polished sound to the final product. True Mastering Engineers often have spent years and years perfecting their craft. Although currently there are pieces of equipment claiming ‘mastering’ functions, they do not replace the experienced ears of a human’s touch.

Assistant Engineer
As an Assistant Engineer, you will aid the Recording Engineer or Mix Engineer in performing their duties. The duties will vary from setting up microphones, attaching cables, setting up the outboard equipment, patching and routing all of the input and output signals, to getting coffee and snacks for the talent.

This is can be a pivotal position for your entryway into the Music Business. Most engineers rely heavily on a great assistant.

2nd Engineer
This is an advanced form of the Assistant Engineer usually found in the hierarchy of a larger studio. The 2nd engineers job will be the performance of more important technical and creative functions within a project. They often will substitute for the Recording Engineer when asked to perform repetitive duties the lead engineer does not want to do.

As a sidenote, similar jobs are available in the computer game programming industry where audio programmers and engineers are in high demand.