Sound technicians are often expected to work long hours including late nights and on weekends, for example when they are responsible for setting up, monitoring and then packing down the sound equipment at concerts and other live performances. Sound technicians' work can also involve heavy lifting and the co-ordination of other technical crew.

Sound technicians can also be required to work in loud, dark concert venues, or in variable weather conditions at heavily populated outdoor events, like the Big Day Out in Claremont. They may also work in wholesale or retail businesses.

Sound technicians work with a detailed and complex range of very specific sound recording, mixing and production tools. These may include audio mixing consoles, noise reduction systems, audio filters, microphones, radio frequency transmitters or receivers, sound and video editing software, cable testers and many different types of cabling. Sound technicians will need to know how each of these pieces of equipment work together, and are responsible for using them in conjunction with each other, as well as setting them up or packing them down.