Music & Sound Annotation Expert - Remote

Role Overview

• Compensation: $30–$45 per hour

• Location: Remote

• Engagement Type: Contractor

• Availability: 20–25 hours per week during the engagement period

About the Role

We are seeking Music & Sound Annotation Experts to support a project at the intersection of music, audio technology, and AI development. You will use your listening skills and music or audio expertise to analyze short field recordings and document precisely what can be heard.

Your annotations will capture musical elements, environmental sounds, timing, and scene context through a structured web platform. In later project phases, you may also evaluate AI-generated descriptions of audio clips, distinguishing accurate observations from errors or unsupported claims.

Key Responsibilities

• Listen carefully to field recordings, typically 30–90 seconds long, using quality headphones in a quiet workspace.

• Annotate musical characteristics, including instruments, tempo, and musical key.

• Identify and timestamp background sounds such as traffic, sirens, applause, and other environmental events.

• Document relevant scene details and audible context using structured fields and concise notes.

• Compare recordings of the same song captured in different locations, identifying which musical elements remain consistent and which change.

• Evaluate AI-generated descriptions of audio clips, identifying accurate details, incorrect claims, and invented or unsupported information.

• Provide brief, evidence-based written explanations for annotation and evaluation decisions.

• Attend a paid onboarding and calibration session, along with a short weekly project sync.

• Follow project guidelines and maintain consistent, high-quality annotations throughout the engagement.

Required Qualifications

• At least 3 years of hands-on experience in music or audio, such as performance, production, recording, sound design, or audio editing.

• Strong analytical listening skills, including the ability to distinguish individual instruments in busy or noisy real-world recordings.

• Ability to identify musical tempo within a few beats per minute and determine musical key. Relative pitch with a reference is acceptable.

• Comfort with detailed, repetitive annotation tasks using a web platform, including dropdowns, timestamps, and structured notes.

• Clear written English and the ability to provide concise, evidence-based explanations.

• Quality headphones and access to a quiet workspace.

• Reliable internet connectivity.

• Availability for 20–25 hours per week during the engagement period.

Relevant Professional Backgrounds

Candidates may bring expertise from one or more of the following areas:

• Working or gigging musicians, session players, music producers, or mixing engineers.

• Music educators, ear-training instructors, band or choir directors, and conservatory students or graduates.

• Location sound recordists, sound designers, foley artists, or podcast and documentary audio editors.

Working Arrangement

This is a remote contractor engagement involving structured audio annotation and evaluation. You will work independently on recordings, document audible evidence, and participate in project calibration and coordination sessions.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate combines trained listening skills with practical music or audio experience. They can identify musical and environmental details accurately, distinguish what is clearly audible from what is uncertain, and communicate their findings in concise, structured notes.