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Sound engineer

Records, edits and mixes sound so speech, music and atmosphere support a project’s creative intent.

What a day looks like

Imagine a sound engineer preparing audio for a short documentary. This is an illustrative day, not an interview with a particular professional. In the morning, the engineer and director agree on what viewers should hear: understandable speech, the atmosphere of the location and music that supports the story. The engineer checks the original recordings, marking noise, interrupted sentences and sections needing another take. Files are organised into tracks, while untouched originals are kept separately.

During recording, the engineer chooses microphone placement and checks the cable and signal level. The speaker tries a few normal sentences: a setting chosen for a whisper may distort a louder voice. A test take is played back before work continues. Removing a source of noise or changing microphone distance can be more useful than trying to repair everything later. Participant consent and music permissions are addressed before publication.

In the afternoon, the engineer edits dialogue and unnecessary pauses while preserving natural conversation. Levels are compared between scenes, ambience is added and music is kept from masking words. The result is checked on different available playback devices, with breaks to avoid listening fatigue. The engineer cannot promise to turn every poor recording into a perfect one. During review, the team requests a calmer scene, so adjustments continue. By evening there is a new version, a change list and a backup. Studio recording, film and concerts differ, but each needs attentive listening, technical care and collaboration.

Try it yourself this week

  • 40 minutes

    Edit a 30-second video from your own photos and clips

    1. Choose 8-10 photos or short videos on one theme on your phone.
    2. Open the built-in editor in your phone's gallery, which doesn't need registration.
    3. Put the shots in a clear order: beginning, middle, end. Add music or text if you know how.
    4. Watch the video and cut anything that drags on too long. Show it to one person and ask what stuck in their mind.

    What you'll learn about yourself: Whether you feel the rhythm of images and enjoy choosing what to keep and what to cut.

  • 20 minutes

    Record a 3-minute voice explanation of a hard topic

    1. Choose a school topic that you understand but many people don't.
    2. Jot down three main ideas and one real-life example on a sheet of paper.
    3. Record a 3-minute voice message as if you're explaining it to a younger kid. You don't need to send it to anyone.
    4. Listen back and write down: where it was clear, and where you got confused yourself.

    What you'll learn about yourself: Whether you enjoy making something complicated clear for another person — even when no listener is there.

What you can do next

  1. Next 3 months

    • Record a short explanation

      Complete t19 on your phone. Compare two device positions without increasing listening volume.

    • Make a sound map

      List the sounds of a room for five minutes. Separate useful atmosphere from distractions to speech.

    • Edit a short sequence

      Use your own recordings for t12. Check whether words are understandable without reading a transcript.

  2. In six months

    • Compare processing

      Keep the original speech and two edited versions. Explain where processing helped and where it made the voice unnatural.

    • Organise a project

      Separate originals, versions and exports into folders. Make a backup and check that the project opens.

  3. In a year

    • Prepare three audio examples

      Create speech, an atmospheric scene and a short video. Use your own material or appropriately licensed assets.

    • Explore different settings

      Compare studio work, concerts and film audio. Read two official study programmes and confirm current requirements.

What it pays

No verified information is available in this section yet.

Where to study

Universities

You apply after grade 11, based on your UNT results.

How to get into college

College gets you a profession faster than university. You can apply after grade 9 or after grade 11.

  • Colleges accept students both after grade 9 and after grade 11. After grade 9 you study longer — about 3 years 10 months; after grade 11, about 2 years 10 months. The exact length depends on the college and the specialty.
    Source: kchk.edu.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • About 80% of students admitted to colleges in the 2024/25 school year study on a state order, which means in state-funded places (in 2023/24 it was about 70%). But each college and each specialty has its own number of state-funded places.
    Source: inbusiness.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • There are also paid colleges. For example, training as a nurse at ADILMED costs 450,000 ₸ per year. Check the price and conditions on the college's website.
    Source: adilmed.kz (opens in a new tab)
UNT: which subjects to take for university

The UNT (Unified National Testing) is Kazakhstan's national university entrance test. You need it to get into university after grade 11.

  • The UNT 2026 has three compulsory subjects: History of Kazakhstan, Reading Literacy and Mathematical Literacy. On top of these, you take two profile subjects, chosen to match your specialty.
    Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • In total, the test has 120 questions (maximum 140 points) and you get 4 hours. The format is the same as in 2025.
    Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • Profile subjects depend on the group of specialties. For example: information technology — Mathematics and Computer Science; nursing and veterinary medicine — Biology and Chemistry; electrical engineering — Mathematics and Physics; law — World History and Fundamentals of Law. The full list is published by the National Testing Center.
    Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • For creative specialties (for example, media and design), you take History of Kazakhstan and Reading Literacy through the UNT, and two creative exams at the university itself.
    Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • Some universities have their own admission rules. Nazarbayev University, for example, requires a UNT score of at least 85, a GPA of 4.0 and English at IELTS 6.0 level.
    Source: nu.edu.kz (opens in a new tab)

Courses and opportunities

No verified information is available in this section yet.

History of the career

Recording sound developed into a distinct technical and creative practice. The Audio Engineering Society was founded in the United States in 1948 and brings together engineers, artists, scientists and students working with audio technology. This dates a professional organisation, rather than the first sound engineer.

In Kazakhstan, the T. Zhurgenov academy records the opening of its sound directing specialisation in 1998. Today the occupation spans music, film, television, podcasts and live events. O*NET describes equipment operation, recording, synchronisation, editing and reproduction. As media and software change, the underlying goal remains to convey artistic intent through technically reliable and intelligible sound.

Source: aes.org (opens in a new tab)

Well-known people in this field

Article sources

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