Location Sound Mixer
Impact: Production audio quality and storytelling through expert location sound recording
Record high-quality audio on film, television, and commercial productions. Operate sound recording equipment, manage boom operators, mix multiple audio sources in real time, troubleshoot audio problems on set, and deliver clean, usable audio recordings that meet broadcast and post-production standards.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Moderate
- Team vs solo
- 60% Team / 40% Solo
- Client facing
- Frequent
- Impact visibility
- Moderate
- Travel
- 80 to 100% on production sets
- Schedule flexibility
- Structured
- Remote work
- Hybrid
- Typical work hours
- 40 to 60 hours/week
- Stress level
- High
At a glance
- Median salary
- $95,000
- Entry-level
- $45,000 - $65,000
- Senior
- $180,000+
- Growth by 2033
- 5% (slower than average)
- Demand
- Stable
- Freelance potential
- Low
- Salary growth potential
- High - 65 to 80% growth from entry to senior
- Typical student debt
- Low
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- 55
Soft skills
- 45
Technical complexity: Moderate
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Associate's Degree
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 2 to 4 years
- Years to senior
- 5 to 8 years
- Career switching
- Hard
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
Where you can go from here
Typical progression
- Boom Operator > Sound Utility > Location Sound Mixer > Production Sound Mixer > Sound Supervisor
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 15% low risk as location sound requires physical presence and real-time judgment
- AI disruption risk
- Low
- Demand trend
- Stable
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 7/10
- Meaning
- 7/10
- Work-life balance
- 6.5/10
- Prestige
- 7/10
- Social perception
- High