Thinking about the audio field...

[Hi Ho]

I am a senior in high school and I am trying to figure out what I will do with my life. I am really, really into audio/video/home theater stuff along with PC's. Lately I have been thinking about "sound guys". My dad has a couple friends who are sound guys. They make a LOT of money. One makes an average of $2,500 per gig! He usually has at least one per week, mostly more. Now, that seems like the dream job to me. I love audio and I have a good ear.

The thing is, I don't know what I need to get into the field. The major thing I can think of is experience. I'm also thinking there must be a catch. What is the average salary for someone that runs sound at concerts? Do I need any sort of college degree? Technical school? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[annunaki]

By "Sound Guy" do you mean professional band equipment? Studio technician? I would suggest going to college or technical school for Audio engineering, electrical engineering and the like. A good technical background can go far. If the "Sound" part of it does not work out, you have something to fall back on.

 

[jaxvon]

Sounds (hah) like you're looking for a career in Sound Engineering. There are lots of good schools that offer majors in this. There's a school called Full Sail down in Florida that has an excellent program.

 

[Hi Ho]

Well the specifics are up in the air. I have been thinking more along the lines of the "sound guy" at a concert. I don't even know the technical name. I am a bluegrass musician and go to most of the festivals in the state. The sound guys that run the concerts are paid quite well I would love to do that kind of work. There have been many times when I wished I could just get my hands on that board and make the sound better. There are a lot of instances where I wonder, "What the hell is that guy thinking? That sounds terrible!" I am a bit of a perfectionist and most people don't hear the discrepencies that bother me but it seems that a perfectionist like me would be perfectly suited for the job.

 

[MDS]

A perfectionist would be good for a sound guy, but I also agree with the others that it is important to get a solid technical background. On the job training is very valuable but IMO the best approach would be to go to college and study EE or any related engineering field - even computer science/computer engineering.

You could then apply for internships or co-op positions to get the on the job training as you work through school. That's one of the best ways to get a job after school. Nearly every one of the co-ops we get are hired after school if they do well while they are working with us 'professionals'.