A question comes up from a friend every time I’m watching the Oscars: “What’s the difference between the two sound awards?” Well, when I was speaking to Randy Thom a few weeks ago, he used an interesting analogy: The sound mixer is to the cinematographer as the sound editor is to the production designer.

Like a production designer, a sound editor must come up with the dressing of a film’s soundscape. Thousands of potential noises and audible effects are created to fit the needs of the script. These are generated from numerous original sources, just like a production designer needs to find props and sets to suit the film’s visual look.

The sound mixer, working more in tandem with the director, will ultimately decide what is to go in the film’s soundtrack, combining not only the work of the sound editor but also the dialogue, music and other non-artificial audio elements, just as a cinematographer works with the director to decide what to actually shoot, combining the sets and props from the art department, adding lighting, camera positioning and, of course, the actors to the frame.

It’s a lengthy explanation, though you might just as easily consider a sound effect any sound manufactured and the sound mix to be the balance of everything you hear.