A sound engineer is an individual trained in professional audio engineering. Because audio engineering covers a number of different specialties, the term is fairly broad and often requires more details to make an individual's vocation clearer. Some sound engineers may find work at live venues, monitoring and altering microphones and playback equipment as necessary, but others may find work in professional recording studios to optimize recorded material. The equipment is important to successful and beautiful sounds, but a sound engineer is required to maintain and operate the intricate switch boards and sound dials to create perfect sound.

At a live venue for a concert, a sound engineer will control the microphones and previously recorded material for playback. For example, if a solo singer takes the stage, the sound engineer will provide the singer with the proper microphone volume and play back the music as needed. The sound engineer may also implement sound effects if the show calls for them, adding voice distortion or refrain as the song calls for them. For stage plays, sound engineers will monitor numerous microphones attached to various actors and play sound effects like gunshots or background noises.

Sound engineers working in studios play significant parts in the recording process. By altering the tone, pitch, and timbre of previously recorded material, a sound engineer can change the entire feel of a song simply by tweaking a few minor details. Pop singers who use synthesized music and auto-tune to heighten their music have particular use for sound engineers. Without sound engineers, the performers will lose the creative edge that they want to incorporate into their songs through voice distortion and sound alteration.

Furthermore, sound engineers may find work in film studios by recording and editing sounds for film. Film studios use audio engineering to heighten the effects of films by adding sound effects, altering voices, and splicing prerecorded dialogue into animated sequences to sync properly with the characters' mouth movements. Because of the wide variety of specialties and uses for audio engineering, sound engineers play important parts in nearly any creative process by adding necessary touches to make music, stage plays, and films come alive.

There are a variety of sound engineering courses offered in the United Kingdom. Some of the courses include 'Sound and Multimedia Technology', 'Sound and Engineering Production' and 'Sound and Music Technology'.

You should get a degree in sound engineering if you want to pursue sound engineering. This way you will gain experience in the field and with the equipment. You should also get an internship.

Wolfgang Ahnert has written:

'Sound reinforcement engineering : fundamentals and practice' -- subject(s): Acoustical engineering, Loudspeakers, Public address systems

'Sound reinforcement engineering'

Some good sound system engineering information can be found at http://sse3.com/ which the website of the useful compendium by two authorities in the field of audio engineering.