Audio Engineering Essay

Imagine a world without music…can it be done?? Of course not. Music is everywhere, even when we don’t realize it. In fact, there’s a piece by composer John Cage entitled “4:33” validating that such thing. Cage’s composition, or lack there of, puts an emphasis on how even in silence, the beauty of music still shines. His work consists of a pianist sitting beside a piano for four minutes and thirty-three seconds doing absolutely nothing…or so we think. In reality, though, the genuine music is the tiny sounds like the air conditioner, the whispering of people, etc. As outrageous as this might seem to some, I believe it’s genius. Like current day Audio Engineers, or Music Producers, Cage put a lot of thought into his creation prior to writing or producing it. Moreover, I believe Cage’s silent song paved the way for those employed in Audio Engineering now, and for those to come. By becoming an Audio Engineer myself, I too, want to show the world how beautiful music can be.

Before I can become an Audio Engineer, though, I must first dig deep and find out how this infamous career came to exist. Audio Engineering stemmed from Thomas Edison’s invention of the spinning cylinder (techengineering.org). Made in 1877, this invention contributed greatly to the advancements of Audio Engineering, and essentially, it recorded the first sound (techengineering.org). Without Edison’s contribution to the

Cody 2 field of Music Production, who knows where this career would be today. His invention also led to the formation of the Audio Engineering Society, as known as the “AES” for short (tech engineering.org). A man named Jack Mullin ,too, contributed to the AES by his invention of an electronic device that recorded audio onto a single strip of ma...

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...rs (ear phones), and the monitor engineer will send individual mixes to each of these as the band requires. This is not always a balanced mix like out front, as the musician may only [want] to hear key things, i.e. the singer may only want his vocals, as he can hear the drums and guitars loud enough alread” (Kasprowicz 2014). I imagine this particular task is a bit more challenging than being an FOH. Not only does one have

Cody 4 to focus on manufacturing quality sound, but one has to work with high-class celebrities who may be very demanding. Again, nevertheless, the opportunities are endless.

The pay of an Audio Engineer is also quite good. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in May, 2012, the average pay for an Audio engineer was $41,200; of course, depending on your skill, the monetary amount can reach as far up $79,170 (bls.gov).