Music man: A sound engineer at his console in a recording studio

Do you have a good ear? Can you distinguish between good and bad sounds? Are you a music aficionado? If your answer to any of the above is yes, you could consider becoming a sound engineer.

In the era of media explosion, sound recording or engineering makes for an exciting career option. However, most people are ignorant about the work a sound recordist does. Just to get an idea of how important a sound recordist is, try watching television with the mute button on.

Besides recording for television and films, a sound engineer can also design auditoriums, concert halls and sound studios in such a way that the acoustics are good. With his special training, the sound recordist knows about the quality of sound and its tendency to echo in rooms. His job is to act like a good filter, that is, ensure there is low noise co-efficient.

There are only four professional institutes that have a good course for budding sound recordists. The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Calcutta top the list. These two institutes are, in fact, technically on a par with any other audiography course in the world. Understandably, the selection criteria in these two institutes are a little tough.

Any graduate is eligible for the sound engineering course in these two institutes but to crack the entrance exam you need a good grounding in science, preferably a bachelors degree. FTII entrance exam is very technical. The institute has a four-day orientation for shortlisted candidates who must then face an interview. A distinguished panel of film makers, including technicians, is invited to conduct the interview. The SRFTI also makes its final selection after a five-day orientation and a round of interviews.

The course taught at SRFTI and FTII is a highly specialised and technical one — involving high-end equipment, computer-based software and professional electronic equipment — and is of three years’ duration. The FTII also has a one-year certificate course in sound recording.

The Adyar Film Institute in Chennai offers a three-year graduation course in sound recording that is open to candidates who have passed Class XII with physics as one of their subjects. You must be a science graduate to be eligible to apply to the post-graduate course at the School of Audio Engineering in Chennai.

“The scope for sound recordists is vast and varied. It is a very technical and challenging career,” says Arijit Paul who teaches sound recording at SRFTI. “You have to have a good grounding in physics to be able to grasp the technical aspects of the course.”

“I wanted to study sound because I was crazy about music. I thought recording music was all a sound recordist has to do. But when I came here for my orientation and saw the studios and all the equipment, I fell madly in love with the technical aspect of sound recording,” says K. Hitesh, a final year student of SRFTI. This BSc in computers wants to work in ‘direct sound’ — films where sound is recorded directly on the sets.

“Direct sound technicians are paid well but face a lot of competition from foreign technicians. If the money is the same, people prefer to engage a Hollywood technician,” says Paul.

None of the institutes have a placement cell for sound recordists but coming by jobs is not difficult. Recordists can get jobs in the booming television industry as well as in sound studios. They can also opt for freelance work — picking and choosing assignments, which can range from documentaries to corporate films to feature films to television programmes to music videos to song recordings. But a technician has to make a name for himself before branching out on his own. A sound recordist can begin with a monthly salary of Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,000. The pay gets better with time and experience. The best sound recordists in India earn anywhere between Rs 1 to Rs 1.5 lakh per month.

However, lack of awareness keeps youngsters from opting for this interesting career. Sudip Charkravati, who works as a sound recordist in a studio in Delhi, says his parents were doctors and wanted him to follow the same path. “They did not know what my institute and course was all about. For them someone studying in a film institute meant he was going to become an actor,” he says.

Agrees Girja Shanker Vohra, a young sound recordist who graduated from the SRFTI, and who works in films on a freelance basis, “Films are not considered a noble profession. Thankfully, this mindset is now changing”.