The sound designer creates a film’s soundtrack. This is an excellent career for anyone interested in audio design, music, and filmmaking. Plus, if you’re a talented sound designer, you can branch out into other fields like TV and game design.
On this page, you’ll learn all about how to become a sound designer. We’ll break down the job role including duties, education, career route, salary, and how to find work.
What Is a Sound Designer?
Sound designers create the soundtrack of a film. They use sound effects, dialogue, and music to make the final track.
The sound designer has an integral role in film editing. A movie might have thousands of audio clips throughout the edit which need organizing, layering, and mixing. What’s more, the soundtrack must match the movie’s genre and enhance the story.
On low-budget film sets, they typically work alone. However, they can also work alongside a team if the budget allows for it. This team includes Foley artists, audio engineers, supervising audio editors, and automated dialogue replacement (ADR) teams. They also work closely with the music composer.
In terms of specific responsibilities, a sound designer’s job starts with a script breakdown. Then they meet with the director and director of photography (DOP) to discuss the soundtrack before they shoot the film. When needed, they hire a team and rent editing space.
Nextthey watch over the edit and then create the soundtrack once production wraps.
Every project requires a different approach to sound design. Some projects, for instance, re-record all audio and dialogue as ADR. The sound designer might also use computer effects or create new ones with Foley artists. Regardless of the approach taken it’s their job to edit all the audio together into one final track.
What Does a Sound Designer Do?
| Pre-production | – Break down the script – Attend meetings with the director and DOP – Hire sound design and editing team – Rent editing space |
| Production | – Watch film shoot and edit |
| Post-production | – Create all the audio for the film – Record ADR and sound effects – Layer and edit together all audio – Complete the finished soundtrack |
How to Become a Sound Designer
Essential sound designer skills:
- Imagination
- Audio recording
- Sound design technology
- Editing
- Creation of audio effects
- Storytelling capabilities
- Collaboration
- Communication
This is a job that requires a strong creative and technical skillset.
As for where you’d acquire these skills, many designers get degrees in disciplines like sound or audio engineering, production, or technology. Not only will you learn the art of sound design, but how to master the technologies to create amazing tracks for the entertainment industry.
If you want to fast-track your education, you can learn all about sound design by taking short online courses. Then combine them with hands-on training. You can work as a sound designer apprentice or get an entry-level job in the sound department as an audio assistant or production assistant.
These entry-level jobs are great as they give you much-needed experience working in a recording studio. They also give you a chance to master all of the essential skills, starting from the basics all the way up to more advanced ones.
What’s more, working in the industry means you can start networking. When you’re ready to apply to sound designer jobs, you’ll have plenty of important contacts who might be able to get you the hook up.
Finding Sound Designer Jobs
Some studios employ sound designers full-time. However, the majority of people in this role are freelancers. That said, this is an in-demand role, so you should be able to find plenty of jobs and apprenticeships.
One good place to start your job search is on film job boards. In addition to finding sound designer jobs there, you’ll also find entry-level positions and traineeships in the audio department.
Also consider looking at smaller film studios. If you’re eager to start working as a sound designer, it’ll be easier to apply to and get those jobs on smaller productions. You can work as a freelancer, making a name for yourself as well as building up a list of contacts. Then move into high-end film and TV sound design when you’re ready.
One other career route is to build your skill set and resume in other industries. For instance, you can work in other types of media like gaming, radio, and virtual reality as a sound designer first.
How Much Money Do Sound Designers Make?
Minimum pay rate for sound designers: $43.86/hour
On some productions, sound designers are needed only for a few days’ work. Other times, they work on projects for years.
Unlike other film crew roles, this position has regular nine-to-five work hours. So, you can use this as a metric when estimating your pay from a job.
In terms of earning potential, the same factors that impact other production crew rates will impact yours. For example, what you make depends heavily on experience and the production budget. Being a union member can also impact your earnings.