Sound Engineering and Music Production BSc(Hons)

You will be introduced to the core concepts, theory and practical principles involved in producing, engineering and mixing popular music. You will gain practical experience in an analogue/digital recording studio, developing your ability to record and overdub a variety of sources. For the mix stage of the production process, you will then review the fundamental approaches and techniques involved in effectively processing these signals.

This module aims to provide you with an overview of the technologies found in a modern audio recording environment. The module will introduce you to audio principles such as signals, acoustics, hearing, basic electronics and digital audio. These principles will be used to develop an understanding of audio technologies found in music production, such as studio spaces, microphones, mixing desks, amplifiers, audio processors and speaker systems.

This module will introduce you to a range of approaches to studying music and music technology. You will develop research, source-handling, evaluation, and critical-thinking skills and apply these to repertoires, cultures, and issues appropriate to your degree course. Linked lectures and seminars will increase your knowledge of key themes and concerns in music studies, give you opportunities to debate your ideas with others, and develop your confidence as an increasingly independent researcher.

The module introduces you to a range of audio formats and technologies: mobile, online, radio and podcast. You will be provided with the essential recording, editing, studio skills and legal and regulatory frameworks surrounding the production of audio content, and to understand the language and concepts required to critically evaluate audio content. legal frameworks surrounding the production of broadcast material.

You will be introduced to advanced concepts, theory and practical use of a broad range of equipment used for recording, editing and mixing sound. You will gain practical experience of sound recording in analogue/digital recording studios, in a concert hall and on location. Your ability to edit multitrack audio using advanced post production techniques will be developed, as will the skills required to capture accurate stereo and multichannel recordings in a concert hall environment.

This module will develop your production analysis and critical listening skills. You will explore ways in which to analyse music productions, investigate differences in sound quality between common studio processors and refine your critical listening and appreciation of music production sonic signatures. The module will explore the affordances of production techniques and equipment and investigate how they helped shaped the music production process.

This module will provide a strong understanding of methods for creating, processing and integrating audio into games. You will be able to apply these techniques to a variety of simulated games environments. Generative techniques will be applied to produce music tracks, sound effects associated with objects within games and environmental sound (such as water, wind etc). You will also gain understanding of software commonly used in this area.

In this module you will build on the Live Music Production Module, broadening out to cover a range of systems and roles undertaken in live events. You will explore digital consoles in detail, focusing on monitor, front of house and broadcast mixing. You will also look at PA system design, developing skills in the application of line array and point source systems. The module also focusses on systems used in live events, with digital audio networks, video and lighting systems all explored in detail. Broadcast streaming systems will also be explored, resulting in you streaming your own event at the end of the module.

Inside the Music Business will introduce you to a range of issues relevant to the current music industry, from copyright, contracts and economics through to the role of the media in marketing, reviewing, and representing music. You will explore the production, distribution and revenue models of the global music business and develop the critical and analytical skills to understand these working practices and the ways they relate to your own practice as a musician. On completion of the module, you will have created the assets to represent yourself to industry as a musician and have a digital portfolio of activity related to your chosen aspect of the music industry.

You will produce a portfolio of three music productions showcasing your skills over various genres through research and practice. It will extend your knowledge of music production by encouraging you to research seminal and cutting-edge music producers' work and apply this research to your productions. Throughout the module, you will be given the opportunity to present work that is in progress and receive support and guidance from your tutor(s), peers, and industry professionals.

This module will introduce advanced concepts, theory and practical skills in the use of a broad range of equipment used for recording and mixing sound for Film and Television. The focus will be on Sound Design, Foley, Sound Effects, Dialogues recording and editing, track lay, and mixing in stereo and surround. Practical experience of location sound recording will be gained and will form an integral part of the module and its assessment. It aims to develop your ability to track lay, synchronise and edit audio along with video in a DAW and develop advanced post-production editing and mixing techniques. Discussions of the theoretical, philosophical and creativity aspects of the area will underpin the module content in lectures.

After an initial lecture and seminar programme covering aspects of professional practice, you will complete a work-related project. Typical work-related projects include: documented placement work (for example, as a classroom assistant in a school; membership, administration or promotion of a non-university music ensemble; assisting in concert management; work as a music copyist and/or editor; music journalism; studio management etc.); researching and building a professional work-related website; releasing music commercially with associated promotion or an industry showcase event . Although there is no requirement for the work-related project to be music-specific, it should provide the student with sufficient opportunity to develop graduate and transferable skills for the workplace and must be agreed with the module leader prior to commencing assessment work.