Music & Sound Annotation Expert

Confidential; United States; Remote; USD 34,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Zekai is seeking a Music & Sound Annotation Expert for a 100% remote contractor role. You will listen to field recordings and document audible elements such as instruments, tempo, key, background sounds, and crowd reactions using a structured web platform.

You will later compare paired recordings across locations to judge consistency and, in follow-on phases, review AI model descriptions with concise notes. Paid onboarding and weekly sync are included.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of hands-on music or audio experience.
• Strong analytical listening to identify instruments in busy real-world mixes.
• Can identify tempo and musical key with reliable accuracy.
• Comfortable with detailed, repetitive annotation in a web platform.

Responsibilities

• Listen to 30-90 second field recordings and annotate instruments, tempo, key, timestamps, and background events.
• Compare paired recordings from different locations and assess what stayed the same or changed.
• Review AI model descriptions later and mark correct, wrong, or invented content with brief explanations.
• Attend onboarding/calibration and a short weekly sync.

Skills

Musical experience

Analytical listening

Attention to detail

Remote collaboration

Job description

Role Title: Music & Sound Annotation Expert

Role Type: Contractor

Location: Remote

our partner is engaging Music & Sound Annotation Experts to contribute to a customer's project at the forefront of music and audio technology.

Your ears are the ground truth. You'll listen to short field recordings and document exactly what's audible — instruments, tempo, key, background sounds, crowd reactions — through a structured web platform built for this project. Later phases involve grading AI model answers against what you actually heard.

What you'll do

• Listen to 30-90 second field recordings (headphones, your own quiet workspace) and complete structured annotations: which instruments are present, tempo and key, timestamps of background events (traffic, sirens, applause), scene details
• Compare paired recordings of the same song captured at different locations and judge what stayed the same and what changed
• In later phases: review AI model descriptions of clips and mark what's correct, wrong, or invented, with a brief written explanation
• Attend a paid onboarding/calibration session and a short weekly sync

Who we're looking for (any of these backgrounds)

• Working or gigging musicians, session players, producers, or mixing engineers
• Music educators, ear-training instructors, band/choir directors, conservatory students or graduates
• Location sound recordists, sound designers, foley artists, or podcast/documentary audio editors

Requirements

• 3+ years of hands-on music or audio experience
• Strong analytical listening: you can pick individual instruments out of a busy, noisy, real-world mix - not just studio recordings
• Can identify tempo (within a few BPM) and musical key (relative pitch with a reference is fine)
• Comfortable with detail-oriented, repetitive annotation work in a web platform - dropdowns, timestamps, short structured notes
• Clear written English for brief, evidence-based notes (e.g., "accordion enters around 0:12")
• Quality headphones, quiet workspace, reliable internet
• Available 20-25 hrs/week for the engagement window

This is a 100% remote contract role, open to applicants worldwide in the countries the employer accepts.