Field Recording Music & Sound Evaluator
Job Description
Your work at IXO
Describe what is actually audible in short field recordings, including music mixed with traffic, crowds or other background sound. Your annotations will become a reference against which AI descriptions can be checked. Careful listening matters more than making a recording sound polished.
Responsibilities
• Listen to clips of approximately 30–90 seconds and identify instruments, tempo, musical key and relevant scene details.
• Mark the times of sound events such as a siren, applause or an instrument entering the performance.
• Complete structured fields, timestamps and concise evidence-based notes in a web workspace.
• Compare recordings of the same song made at different locations and explain what is consistent or different.
• In later evaluation work, check model descriptions against the audio and separate accurate observations from errors or invented details.
• Take part in paid calibration and a short weekly discussion of annotation quality.
Requirements
You need at least three years of hands-on music or audio experience, with the ability to distinguish individual instruments inside busy real-world recordings. You should estimate tempo within a few beats per minute and identify musical key; relative pitch with a reference is acceptable.
Relevant backgrounds include performers, session musicians, producers, mixing engineers, music educators, ear-training instructors, choir or band directors, conservatory musicians, location sound recordists, sound designers, foley specialists and documentary or podcast editors.
Clear written English, patience with repetitive structured annotation, quality headphones, a quiet workspace and reliable internet are required. You should be available for 20–25 hours per week during the agreed engagement period.
Outputs and terms
Deliverables include clip annotations, timed event labels, paired-recording comparisons and brief explanations of AI-description errors. Pay is $35 • $50/hr (USD). IXO will confirm the engagement window and schedule before work begins.