When it comes to careers in the music industry, a lot of people assume that their options are limited to being a musician, a DJ, a music producer or an artist manager. But as DJ Krowbar highlighted in a Facebook post last week, the options are vast. A good understanding of maths and physics is important because you need to understand how the different sound waves interact with each other in order to arrange music that will be enjoyable.
1. Front of House (FOH)
This is the person in charge of what the audience hears at a concert or live music show. They have to be keen on how the vocals on stage and the instruments blend. They’re in charge of the sound quality of the performance. Their work isn’t just limited to music concerts though, any live performance show needs a front of house engineer.
During performances, FOH are located a few metres in front of the stage. They use a mixing console to manipulate the sound that you hear.
2. Monitor Engineer
This is the FOH’s right hand. They work closely with the FOH and artists. They ensure that the speakers around the artists and those in their ear are working at optimum. This helps the artists to keep to the beat and stay on key during their shows.
During the performance, monitor engineers are on the side of the stage.
3. Foley
Imagine watching a movie that is just dialouge. No accompanying background sound. Nothing. It would be boring right? Foley artist are sound effects editors. Their job is to recreate the sounds that we hear everyday and put them into movies or videos to make them more realistic.
For example, when you write, there’s a sound that the pen makes on paper when as you move your hand. Or using Kwowbar’s example, the ‘whoosh’ sound a sword makes when you remove it form the sheath. It’s the foley’s job to enhance these sounds since they cannot be captured in real life.
4. Sound design
A sound designer’s job is to make the final audio mixing and surround sound that is used in TV shows and movies. They oversee the sound department during a production process. They source the audio tracks that will be used for sound effects or create new audio audio tracks depending on what is required.
5. Instrument technician
These folks are the oracles of musical instruments. They amass knowledge on a particular instrument. They learn about its build, how it works and it’s interaction with other instruments. They repair and maintain music instruments and during a show, they’re responsible for the set up and set down of these instruments on stage.
6. Acoustician
This person has to be an expert in physics, especially when it comes to the properties of sound. Acousticians work closely with architects to designs recording studios, music stadiums, and concert halls. They analyse sound and it’s effects in a room. This helps to minimize unwanted sound.
7. Entertainment lawyer
As an entertainment lawyer, you need to have a good grasp of contract and labor laws. Your job is to defend artists and protect them so that their rights aren’t infringed upon.
8. Recording engineer
A recording engineer works closely with the music producer during the process of recording a song in a studio. They are in charge of the audio mixes and placement of the microphones during a studio session so that the best quality audio is produced.
9. Music producer
This person has the overall say when it comes to making a song. They’re in charge of arranging the sound that goes on an audio track. They have an influence on which beat gets used on which song. They train the artists on their vocals and help them choose who to collaborate with. They supervise the entire process during an audio recording of a song.
Most of these careers can be self taught if you find yourself unable to get the means to undergo formal training. There are plenty of tutorials online that help to get you started on your path in the music and audio industry.