Are you a gamer that's looking for a job, but you don't know where to start? We've got a bunch of jobs in the gaming industry that might fit you well, but perhaps you haven't considered them before? So, let's take a look at what a sound engineer does!
An important aspect for every game design is the audio engineering of a video game. You may or may not have come across some games that blast away your ear drums upon opening the game, and that's definitely something that game designers will want to avoid.
That's where a sound engineer will come in. In general, there are so many options when it comes to jobs for gamers, but sound engineer is certainly one of the most interesting! Some video game development studios will have specialized sound engineers, while smaller game developers might take on the task themselves, it all depends on the size of the team. But what does a sound engineer even do?
Jobs For Gamers: Sound Engineers Explained
A sound engineer, aka audio or recording engineer, is necessary for high quality audio in not only video games, but also for movies and TV-shows, as well as music. Who would've guessed?
If you're really interested in becoming an audio engineer, there's a ton of places that you'll be able to work at. But what are some of the tasks that a sound engineer has to fulfill?
Audio Monitoring
A sound engineer needs to make sure that the recorded audio is always of an optimal quality, and also needs to ensure that the audio used isn't too loud or too quiet. Ideally the sound will be at the same volume throughout the entire game or movie, and a sound engineer is in charge of adjusting the audio, so that players won't have to constantly raise and lower their volume while playing.
Audio Mixing
In case the recorded audio isn't perfect, or some SFX effects from a library are at a different volume than hoped for, an audio engineer will have to mix the audio with the help of audio software and the proper equipment!
By mixing the audio, a sound engineer can not only ensure optimal quality, but also create amazing effects that amateurs might not be able to achieve, which will really help to set the tone of the project!
- Don't know if this is the right job for you? Check out some other jobs for gamers!
Creating Sound Effects
Another really fun, aspect of a video game sound engineer's job is creating the necessary sound effects for the game. An engineer has to work together closely with the game designers to decide whether to use audio pieces from an SFX library, or to create their own sound effects in order to create the perfect product.
If the latter is the case, then an audio engineer will have to go ahead and try their best to create sound effects that make the game as realistic and immersive as possible. A great example of a sound effect that's a real cherry on top are footsteps in snowy areas. Normal footstep sounds would seem odd, and by adding that nice crisp *crunch* sound when stepping on snow, the game will just become even better.
What do you think? Are you thinking about becoming a sound engineer now, or would you rather check out some other jobs for gamers on our site?