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Gaming Audio Technician

Recording the soundtrack for videogames to give the most immersive, realistic experiences

How this role makes a difference

If you’re a gamer, you know how much thought goes into the whole experience of a game. Not only to the storyline, characters, script, visuals, and the action that’s in the hands of the gamer, but also to the sounds. Animal squeals, explosions, gun shots, electric storms, car screeches and crashes: all need to be created and programmed to happen at exactly the right time.

A lot of creativity and precision goes into making these sounds. A gaming audio technician helps to record material that can be manipulated to make the best possible sound effect. They’re also involved in putting character’s voices into games. With nearly three billion gamers all over the world, you could be the technician who helps create the excitement and atmosphere of the next big game they play.

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The kind of work you’ll do

  • Assessing the needs of a game and planning the type of audio it will require
  • Sourcing existing sound effects from sound libraries
  • Layering sounds together to produce the sound required
  • Manipulating sound files digitally
  • Recording new material to add to sounds or to create a new one
  • Programming sounds to happen in time with the action
  • Recording actors’ voice overs and adjusting recordings suit the character they’re playing
  • Listening in detail to every sound that’s created to make sure it is perfect and seamlessly integrated into the sound track
Useful skills
Technologically minded
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Attention to detail
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Precise
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Problem solving
Skills & attributes

What you can bring to the role

An appreciation of computer games and what they involve.

Some experience of making and recording sounds or music.

A knack for understanding new software and creating things on computers.

The ability to listen carefully and complete tasks accurately, with great attention to detail.

Good communication skills and the confidence to share your ideas in a team.

The determination to think problems through from different angles and consider all possibilities, before deciding on the best way forward.

The patience to do things with absolute precision.

This role could also be right for you if you have any of the following interests:

- gaming and technology

- electronic music and production

- exploring problems and finding answers

£ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 , 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Average salary per year *
£ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 , 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Average salary per month *

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*according to ONS

Future career opportunities

With experience you could become a senior audio designer and eventually an audio director. Alternatively you could choose to be a freelance sound designer, working with a range of gaming design studios. Another option is transferring your skills to the film and TV industries and focussing on editing either sound effects, music, or dialogue.

How to get into this role

There’s no perfect career path or ideal way into your dream job.

But if you’re interested in education and training options that could be relevant to this role, you might want to consider:

Schools and colleges each have their own career guidance plan and can provide detailed information, advice, and guidance on options and next steps.

A little more about the role

Exciting features...

You will work with a big team of designers and programmers to plan and create the soundtrack for a game. You might also run auditions to find voice actors you need and then work with them to record their lines with the right energy, style and tone to match the action of the game.

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technicians who
do this role

Greg Lester

Gaming Audio Technician

Greg Lester
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