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Careers in Audio: Sound Designer
What does a sound designer actually do?
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Sound designers both create and curate the sounds heard by a film or theater audience. According to Gareth Owen, a sound designer for the theater, "The sound designer will create all of the sound effects. They’ll decide how loud they are and how they are played back." So one of a sound designer's main duties is to decide what something sounds like ('What sound does an exploding Death Star make?', for example.) and then create that sound using both synthesis and recorded sounds.
What skills does a sound designer need?
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Sound designers often have to create sounds from scratch, so need to know their way around a recording studio. They need to know how to use synthesizers to create sounds that have never existed before and how to record the sounds everyday objects make to add into a production.
How do you become a sound designer?
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Like many professions within the audio industry, a combination of hard work, networking, and a bit of luck are the keys to becoming a professional sound designer. There are many audio engineering degree programs to help you build your skills and create contacts in the industry. Berklee College of Music even offers an Electronic Music Production and Sound Design Degree.
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