Different Categories of Engineers

In my two previous posts I talked about what software I like to use and the different categories of microphones. Today I will be talking about the different categories of music engineers. This is a concept that can confuse people because at times an engineer will crossover from his/her category into another, but generally speaking, each task is supposed to be handled by separate individuals. There are three basic categories of engineers: Recording, Mixing and Mastering Engineers. The engineer is responsible for recording and/or mixing the project as well as fixing any technical issues that may arise. Before I go into detail about the job of each of these engineers, just remember that you do not need three of these engineers to produce a song, sometimes all you need is just one. It really comes down to how well that engineer can do their job and handle the tasks at hand.

Recording Engineer

The recording engineer, who can be referred to as the tracking engineer, is usually the only engineer that comes in direct contact with the client(s). They generally use a mixing board/console and other forms of recording equipment; microphone, pop/reflection filter, etc., to record whatever is needed to be recorded. This can range from a live band, to an orchestra, or simply just vocals on a two-track (stereo) instrumental. As I touched on above the recording engineer is also responsible for capturing the sound the clients are looking for, which at times can prove to be a difficult task. A term is often thrown around during the recording stage of a project, “We’ll fix it in the mix,” but this sometimes cannot be achieved. If a track is recorded distorted or to hot, in other words the signal is clipping or peaking, there is only so much that the mixing engineer can do to eliminate the distortion from the track. This is why it is very important that the audio is recorded properly otherwise the client may end up with a not to pleasing end product.

Mixing Engineer

The mixing engineer is number two in the hierarchy of studio engineers. The mixing engineer mixes or blends different tracks or sounds together. The mixing engineer’s job is to basically take all the separate tracks that have been recorded; drums, vocals, instruments, etc. and blend them to create a finished product that will either be ‘mastered’ or distributed. The term ‘mix’ or ‘blend’ basically means to adjust the volume or level, the stereo image (left or right pan) and the effects (time-based or dynamics) on every track to the client's or producer's liking. The most important thing to remember when mixing is that there is no perfect mix. The best advice I can give you on mixing is to make sure there is a relative balance in your mix between all the elements and to keep a keen eye on the master levels, to ensure that your mix is not peaking. I will discuss mixing in more detail in further posts.   

Mastering Engineer

The mastering engineer is usually the last engineer to work on a project before it is released or sent to distribution and is the last creative bridge between the mix process and the manufacturing process. Mastering engineers make minor tweaks to songs or albums such as EQ and volume changes. They have to maintain the vision of the artist, producer and the label, while making necessary changes based on what the audience wants to hear. In my opinion the mastering engineer has the least amount of creative control in the whole song process. It also takes years of working with and producing music to gain the listening ability to become a mastering engineer. Mastering engineers are also the most isolated as it is usually them by themselves working on the song and they have little to no face-to-face contact with the artist or the producer.

There are also many other types of engineers out there such as, live sound engineers (engineers for shows), audio-post engineers (engineers that work on movies) and even sound engineers for video games. If you are seriously considering becoming an engineer, the first thing you should do is think about what category of engineer you want to become. Yes, you can crossover into different fields such as, beginning as a recording engineer and then transitioning to mixing, but you need to take into consideration the workload. As I said above I will be talking about mixing tips in later blogs for all those aspiring mix engineers.