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Quasi-manufacturing workers

How to become a Recording Engineer

Also called: PA Mixer, Studio Mixer

Records sound to produce music and other content.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say vocational college (senmon gakko) or university is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

No particular qualifications or level of education are needed to start. People usually graduate from a senmon gakko (vocational college) course in sound arts, broadcast arts or recording technology and are then hired as assistants at a recording studio, or join an agency that places recording engineers at record companies and rental studios. Some study electronic engineering, acoustic engineering, arts or musicology at university and are hired by record companies. There are qualifications from the Japan Association of Professional Recording Studios, such as the Sound Recording Technology Certification Test, which prove your skills. Recording engineers include recording engineers, who mainly finish the sound on the mixing console, and assistant engineers, who do everything else. At first you work as an assistant engineer, mainly setting up microphones and operating recorders, while developing your ear, refining your own sound and waiting for the chance to be recognised as a recording engineer. As well as loving music, you need the technical skills to repair equipment and to be good with your hands. Being able to read music is desirable. For recording engineers working on film and video, a feel for pictures is also important. All recording engineers work with many different people, such as singers, musicians, actors, directors and composers, so people skills are important. Singers', musicians' and actors' schedules come first, so hours can be irregular, and you need fitness and good self-management.

Ways in

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Recording Engineer?

No particular qualifications or level of education are needed to start. People usually graduate from a senmon gakko (vocational college) course in sound arts, broadcast arts or recording technology and are then hired as assistants at a recording studio, or join an agency that places recording engineers at record companies and rental studios. Some study electronic engineering, acoustic engineering, arts or musicology at university and are hired by record companies. There are qualifications from the Japan Association of Professional Recording Studios, such as the Sound Recording Technology Certification Test, which prove your skills. Recording engineers include recording engineers, who mainly finish the sound on the mixing console, and assistant engineers, who do everything else. At first you work as an assistant engineer, mainly setting up microphones and operating recorders, while developing your ear, refining your own sound and waiting for the chance to be recognised as a recording engineer. As well as loving music, you need the technical skills to repair equipment and to be good with your hands. Being able to read music is desirable. For recording engineers working on film and video, a feel for pictures is also important. All recording engineers work with many different people, such as singers, musicians, actors, directors and composers, so people skills are important. Singers', musicians' and actors' schedules come first, so hours can be irregular, and you need fitness and good self-management.

How much does a Recording Engineer earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥4,708,500 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Drafting and other production-related workers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Recording Engineer?

Not always. In this job's census occupation group, 25% of workers are university graduates. Ways in include: Vocational college (専門学校) course: Music.

Will AI change the work of a Recording Engineer?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026