How Much Do Sound Designers Make In An Hour

Addison Smith14 February 2021

In this article, I will explain the average salaries of sound designers that are working in a non-competitive environment.

Factors to take into account

If we were to start a Sound Designing Academy, this would be one of the main reasons why we need to figure out the average sound designers salary.

1. We need to calculate the cost of living

One of the things we need to consider is the cost of living. This is something a lot of sound designers have never considered before.

As a sound designer, you spend most of your time in an environment that is cold.

To start with, if you are living in the San Francisco area, the average cost of living is pretty high. If you live somewhere like Portland, the cost of living is significantly lower.

Keep in mind that these cost of living factors include the following:

The cost of living in the United States (this will always be higher).
Medical insurance premiums.
Dental insurance premiums.
Property Taxes.
Property insurance.
Monthly mortgage payments.
Food.
Subscription Services.
Groceries.
Miscellaneous.

2. The number of hours worked.

For a lot of sound designers, the first thing we need to calculate is the number of hours that we would need to work in order to earn the same amount of money as what we are now earning.

It is very important to realize that some companies will pay you better for your skill set, or you will have a higher demand for your skills. It will also depend on the type of work.

I do this on a per-project basis. Meaning, the number of hours I have worked in a project would be calculated as the total number of hours I have worked in a project.

If I had worked 10 hours, but that was only one project, then the number of hours worked would be 10. On the other hand, if I worked 20 hours on a project and that was only one project, then I would have worked 20 hours.

So, how do we calculate these numbers?

Obviously, when you are first starting out, you will want to work on more projects. Why? Because they will be the most profitable. In order to have more opportunities, you will need to work more.

When you start your own freelance career, you will probably want to specialize in a particular genre of sound design.

If I were to make a side income as a freelance sound designer, what genre would I specialize in? I could start off by becoming a generic sound designer that does every type of sound design.

Then as my portfolio grows, I will likely need to specialize in a specific genre.

For instance, if I wanted to make a side income of $150/hr, I would need to work for about 15 clients a week. Assuming that I have 10 clients every week, that would mean that I would need to work for 55 hours a week.

I would like to add that this number is not rigid. There are variables to take into account, such as how many clients I have in a week, the number of hours I actually worked.

This is why it is important to look at your own situation.

However, it is possible to work more than 45 hours a week. Again, this depends on the type of work you want to do.

For instance, some people make a lot of money working 20 hours a week. In this case, it is reasonable to work more than 45 hours a week, and you may even have the opportunity to get paid more if you get referrals.

You will also need to factor in the clientele you are targeting. For instance, if you are a heavy animation and voice actor, you are probably going to want to be more selective with your clientele.

This is because animation is an incredibly competitive market, and voice actors do not always get their work. Therefore, it is possible to make more money if you are more selective with your clients.

Takeaway

So, after we determined that we would need to make an additional $150/hr to live on, what is the best way to make that amount of money? Obviously, there are some factors that need to be taken into account.

This is why it is important to do your own research and decide which profession is right for you.

For instance, some sound designers make the bulk of their income from custom equipment sales.

Depending on your needs, you can choose a particular sound system, like a reverberation box, or a tube preamp.

These types of equipment is not necessary for creating sound effects for films, but the more advanced the equipment, the more the freelance sound designer can charge. However, that is not the case for every freelance sound designer.

As for me, I don’t sell gear, but I did earn quite a bit of money in the past from commissions.

While commissions do not provide a steady income, if you are good at what you do, they can be a reliable source of income. You will also need to pay a fee to the licensor to license their music for use in films, which can be a source of additional income.

When it comes to using a pre-existing library, there are two different types of libraries. There are ones that are specifically made for film work, and there are ones that are simple arrangements of sample libraries.

The library that I use the most is the library that I use for animation sound effects.

While it is possible to earn additional income through an arrangement of sample libraries, most sound designers choose to use a library that is specifically made for film work.