A professional who operates disk or tape recording machine to record music, dialog, or sound effects of phonograph recording sessions, radio broadcasts, television shows, training courses, or conferences, or to transfer transcribed material to sound-recording medium. Responsibilities include:

• Threads tape through recording device or places blank disk on turntable.
• Moves lever to regulate speed of turntable.
• Places cutting stylus on record.
• Examines grooves during cutting by stylus to determine if grooves are level, using microscope.
• Turns knobs on cutting arm to shift or adjust weight of stylus and cause grooves to be cut evenly.
• Starts recording machine and moves switches to open microphone and tune in live or recorded programs.
• Listens through earphone to detect imperfections of recording machines or extraneous noises emanating from recording studio or production stage.
• Observes dials, mounted on machine, to ensure that volume level and intensity remain within specified limits.
• Removes filled reel or completed recordings from machine and attaches identifying labels.
• Keeps record of recordings in logbook.
• May service and repair recording machines and allied equipment.
• May be designated according to type of machine used as Disk-Recording-Machine Operator; Tape-Recording-Machine Operator.
• When transcribing to disk used in production of phonograph records, may be designated Dubbing-Machine Operator.
• When recording live television programs in monochrome or color on magnetic tape is designated Videotape-Recording Engineer.