Audio engineering

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Audio engineering is a part of audio science dealing with the recording and reproduction of sound through mechanical and electronic means. The field of audio engineering draws on many disciplines, including electrical engineering, acoustics, psychoacoustics, and music. Unlike acoustical engineering, audio engineering generally does not deal with noise control or acoustical design. However, an audio engineer is often more affiliated with the creative aspects of audio rather than formal engineering, as most professional audio engineers lack a formal and accredited Engineering degree. Audio engineering is different from acoustical engineering, which heavily relies on the underlying physics and mathematics of sound waves and their propagation.

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[edit] Practitioners

An engineer at one of the audio consoles of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (Danmarks Radio). The console is an NP-elektroakustik specially made for Danmarks Radio in the eighties.

An audio engineer is someone with experience and training in the production and manipulation of sound through mechanical (analog) or digital means. As a professional title, this person is sometimes designated as a sound engineer or recording engineer instead. A person with one of these titles is commonly listed in the credits of many commercial music recordings (also in other productions that include sound, such as movies).

Audio engineers are generally familiar with the design, installation, and/or operation of sound recording, sound reinforcement, or sound broadcasting equipment. In the recording studio environment, the audio engineer is a person recording, editing, manipulating, mixing and/or mastering sound by technical means in order to realize an artist's or record producer's creative vision. While usually being associated with music production, an audio engineer may be involved in dealing with sound for a wide range of applications, including post-production for video and film, live sound reinforcement, advertising, multimedia, broadcasting.

Audio engineers operate mixing consoles, microphones, signal processors, tape machines, digital audio workstations, sequencing software and speaker systems. Commonly an audio engineer is responsible for the technical aspects of a sound recording or other audio production and works together with a record producer or director, although the engineer's role may also be integrated with that of the producer.

In typical sound reinforcement applications, audio engineers often assume the role of producer, making artistic decisions along with technical ones.

It's worth noting that a formal engineering degree isn't worth anything unless accredited by a national or international accreditation organization, such as SAE Institute, EurIng or NORDING. However, many of the most successful recording engineers have no degree at all.[1]