Mixing technology and art in a unique job

摘要

»For reasons of speed in social situations I still sometimes tell people that I'm a sound engineer, even though I haven't been one for many years. It's a one-size-fits-all description for the layman. But what is a sound engineer and what do they really do? This is actually a more complex question to answer than you may initially think. Despite the relatively small size of the audio industry, a wide range of people call themselves sound engineers from recording studios, to film sets to music clubs. But let's answer the question within the context of AV. In short, a sound engineer is someone trained in the set-up, operation and use of audio systems. They will deal with the practicalities, the 'nuts and bolts' of the system in terms of physical set-up, configuration and use - if needed. So what's the difference between that and an AV engineer?