Unless you’re designing the speakers’ circuitry, testing mic element response curves, designing the mic housing, etc, you’re not an engineer. You’re just a technician. This is like saying IT Help Desk is staffed by software engineers. They may have one or two actual engineers available, but you’re definitely not going to be talking to them for the daily “I don’t know the difference between rebooting and turning my monitor off and back on again” issues. IT Help Desk has techs who deal with the actual operation.
The only boots-on-the-ground position that might qualify for an actual engineering title would be the system designer, who did the math (or at least plugged all the numbers into their program) to determine where/how to set up the line arrays for adequate and even coverage throughout the room. At least they dip their toes into acousticians’ territory, so they may qualify as an engineer if you stretch the definition a little bit.
Source: Am an audio tech; Not an engineer.
I also have issues with the fact that staging refers to lighting electricians as… Well… Electricians. In other industries, an electrician will have a journeyman’s license at least. They’ll have several years of experience under their belt, and will have done a full apprenticeship under a master electrician. But in staging, an electrician is just someone who plugs lights in.
I know a lot of FOH engineer that can design an array hang, dial in delays, do crazy sub array stuff, manage a Dante network, AND make a band sound good.
They are quite comfortable as FOH, systems, monitors RF or even just a patch monkey.
Just because a lot of people that call themselves sound engineers can’t do that, doesn’t mean nobody is a sound engineer.
I get that engineer is a protected term, but the majority of those apply to disciplines that have been around for centuries not 70 decades.
Original sound engineer would make their own kit. So they were probably electrical engineers, applying their knowledge to sound.
Be an audio tech. That’s cool. I’d rather be on a gig with someone I consider a sound engineer tho.
Unless you’re designing the speakers’ circuitry, testing mic element response curves, designing the mic housing, etc, you’re not an engineer. You’re just a technician. This is like saying IT Help Desk is staffed by software engineers. They may have one or two actual engineers available, but you’re definitely not going to be talking to them for the daily “I don’t know the difference between rebooting and turning my monitor off and back on again” issues. IT Help Desk has techs who deal with the actual operation.
The only boots-on-the-ground position that might qualify for an actual engineering title would be the system designer, who did the math (or at least plugged all the numbers into their program) to determine where/how to set up the line arrays for adequate and even coverage throughout the room. At least they dip their toes into acousticians’ territory, so they may qualify as an engineer if you stretch the definition a little bit.
Source: Am an audio tech; Not an engineer.
I also have issues with the fact that staging refers to lighting electricians as… Well… Electricians. In other industries, an electrician will have a journeyman’s license at least. They’ll have several years of experience under their belt, and will have done a full apprenticeship under a master electrician. But in staging, an electrician is just someone who plugs lights in.
I know a lot of FOH engineer that can design an array hang, dial in delays, do crazy sub array stuff, manage a Dante network, AND make a band sound good.
They are quite comfortable as FOH, systems, monitors RF or even just a patch monkey.
Just because a lot of people that call themselves sound engineers can’t do that, doesn’t mean nobody is a sound engineer.
I get that engineer is a protected term, but the majority of those apply to disciplines that have been around for centuries not 70 decades.
Original sound engineer would make their own kit. So they were probably electrical engineers, applying their knowledge to sound.
Be an audio tech. That’s cool. I’d rather be on a gig with someone I consider a sound engineer tho.