disc jockeytosound editor
A disc jockey already meets 27% of what the sound editor role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
27%
73.2/ 100
1 Share of the sound editor role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the disc jockey profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.
Why this move works
A sound editor role treats 5 of its required skills as things a disc jockey already does. These are the ones it depends on most.
- attend music recording sessions
- edit recorded sound
- finish project within budget
- musical genres
- musical theory
What stands in the way is 12 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A sound editor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a disc jockey background worth leading with.
- already held attend music recording sessions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held musical notation arts and humanities
- already held transpose music communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held musical theory arts and humanities
- already held musical genres arts and humanities
- already held finish project within budget management skills
All 8 carried skills, including the 5 the sound editor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you would need to learn
The 25 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.
- required, not held structure soundtrack required
- required, not held analyse a script required
- required, not held consult with production director required
- required, not held coordinate music with scenes required
- required, not held familiarise with personal directing styles required
- required, not held follow directions of the artistic director required
- optional, not held draft music cue breakdown optional
- optional, not held purchase music optional
- optional, not held collaborate with music librarians optional
- optional, not held organise compositions optional
- optional, not held rewrite musical scores optional
- optional, not held transcribe ideas into musical notation optional
- optional, not held work with composers optional
- required, not held synchronise sound with images required
- required, not held search databases required
- required, not held film music techniques required
- optional, not held file-based workflow optional
- optional, not held film production process optional
- required, not held follow work schedule required
- optional, not held engage composers optional
- required, not held copyright legislation required
- required, not held audio editing software required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a sound editor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 structure soundtrack skill · occupation specific
- 02 analyse a script skill · sector specific
- 03 consult with production director skill · sector specific
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 8 skills that carry over
- already held attend music recording sessions skill
- already held edit recorded sound skill
- already held finish project within budget skill
- already held musical genres knowledge
- already held musical theory knowledge
- already held musical instruments knowledge
- already held musical notation knowledge
- already held transpose music skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held archive documentation related to work optional
- optional, not held draw up artistic production optional
- optional, not held synchronise with mouth movements optional
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held draft music cue breakdown optional
- optional, not held purchase music optional
- optional, not held archive documentation related to work optional
- optional, not held collaborate with music librarians optional
- optional, not held draw up artistic production optional
- optional, not held engage composers optional
- optional, not held file-based workflow optional
- optional, not held film production process optional
- optional, not held organise compositions optional
- optional, not held rewrite musical scores optional
- optional, not held synchronise with mouth movements optional
- optional, not held transcribe ideas into musical notation optional
- optional, not held work with composers optional
31 held skills the sound editor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ICT software specifications knowledge
- not needed by the target role acoustics knowledge
- not needed by the target role assess sound quality skill
- not needed by the target role compose music skill
- not needed by the target role compose playlist skill
- not needed by the target role connect music fragments skill
- not needed by the target role consult with sound editor skill
- not needed by the target role design a music show skill
- not needed by the target role ensure the appropriate atmosphere skill
- not needed by the target role follow a brief skill
- not needed by the target role interact with an audience skill
- not needed by the target role maintain sound equipment skill
- not needed by the target role mix multi-track recordings skill
- not needed by the target role mix sound in a live situation skill
- not needed by the target role multimedia systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate an audio mixing console skill
- not needed by the target role operate sound live skill
- not needed by the target role participate in music studio recordings skill
- not needed by the target role perform music solo skill
- not needed by the target role perform soundchecks skill
- not needed by the target role play musical instruments skill
- not needed by the target role record multi-track sound skill
- not needed by the target role record music skill
- not needed by the target role select music skill
- not needed by the target role select music for performance skill
- not needed by the target role select music for training skill
- not needed by the target role set up a multi-track recording skill
- not needed by the target role set up sound equipment skill
- not needed by the target role specialise in a musical genre skill
- not needed by the target role study music skill
- not needed by the target role use audio reproduction software skill
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- required, not held film music techniques required
- required, not held audio editing software required
- required, not held copyright legislation required
- optional, not held file-based workflow optional
- optional, not held film production process optional
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.