Sound assistant

What does a sound assistant do?

Sound assistants in post-production start off doing similar jobs to a runner – such as keeping the audio suites tidy – and also contribute to the sound department by ingesting material. As they gain experience and sit in on the operations of the dubbing suite, they are able to take on more responsibility. 

In time, they may be asked to record the commentary for a documentary or to set up a Foley session.  In all these tasks, the sound assistant learns to operate a digital  workstation confidently, understand the characteristics of many different types of microphone, and develop a knowledge of acoustics.   

Sound assistants are not expected to produce the finished recording, but it’s important they provide high-quality, distortion-free recordings, as their work will be passed on to either the picture editor or sound editor and then to the dubbing mixer, who creates the final mix.   

This role is different from being a sound trainee in production because it doesn’t involve capturing sound on location and working with a film crew. However, experience of being a sound trainee in production is a good background for working in post-production, and vice versa. 

If a sound assistant is good, they may work their way up to becoming a dubbing mixer or move into a related part of the industry, such as mixing music in a recording studio. It’s a very interesting and varied job and puts you at the heart of the post-production process where you can learn a great deal in a short time.  

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What’s a sound assistant good at?

• Understanding sound: know how it behaves, how we hear, how sound can be manipulated and distorted 
  
• Using audio equipment software: have a basic knowledge of the audio editing software and an appetite for learning more, know about microphones, recording, playback and editing gear 
  
• Learning by watching and asking: be able to observe what’s happening and ask questions at the appropriate moments 
• Attention to detail: be able to work alone, enjoy working with small changes and getting sound exactly right
  
• Collaboration: be able to work with others, communicate well, pick jobs up and pass work on  

Who does a sound assistant work with?

Sound assistants work with other members of the sound team like the  sound editor when they are track laying and the  dubbing mixer. When supporting the  ADR editor, they work with performers, directors and producers recording commentary or additional dialogue.