Music Production

In this module, you’ll discover the magic of recording various artists using different styles of recording such as multitracking and overdubbing, in session and in your own time, to form a portfolio of studio work.

In the professional audio world Pro Tools is the DAW of choice. In this module, you’ll learn how to use this powerful application by covering Pro Tools navigation and operation, setting you up for the rest of your course and career in audio, and paves the way for Pro Tools accreditation.

In this module, you will explore the creative potential of various music technologies. You will exercise your creativity through music production, and learn a variety of techniques and technologies, such as sampling, synthesis, improvisation and composition in the DAW, hardware controllers, sound design, and remixing.

You will also gain a deeper contextual understanding of electronic music, through a global and ethical lens.

Composing music is like painting on a blank canvas, and depending on the genre there are certain rules to be aware of. This module will provide you with the guidelines that will form the foundation for your music to be functional with these forms, as well as allowing you to build in your own creativity and originality.

This module will teach you the fundamentals of music theory such as harmony, melody, accompaniment and arranging, enabling you to communicate emotions and feelings through your compositions. You’ll demonstrate your understanding through portfolio tasks and explore a genre of interest and compose a representative piece as well as research the genre’s context in a short negotiated practical research submission.

You will explore contexts of working in the international world of sound and music and how you might establish a career by exploring the flow of money through the industry and relevant current and emerging trends. You’ll assess your current skill set and discover what you need to do to improve your chances of success on your employable journey.

You’ll choose work like briefs lasting at least 80 hours to enable you to experience working opportunities in a field of interest, then reflect on your learning to set you up for the rest of your course in an employable mind set. Your future starts now!

You will explore digital, analogue, and hybrid studio technologies, developing recording and processing techniques to take on a variety of productions over the module: this could be using  traditional studio environments (on-site or external) or your own DIY production setups.

You will collaborate with performers, artists, and other students to work on a wide base of genres, selecting a range of your productions for a portfolio that should be approaching commercial standards.

In this module, you’ll work on client supplied briefs as well as your own self sourced material, engaging in technical and creative post production and mixing processes to create a portfolio of work. You’ll critically compare your mixes with industry outputs from around the world and learn approaches to help you meet commercial benchmarks.

You’ll cover techniques with compression, effects and automation with additional production skills such as vocal editing and production, drum production and other genre specific approaches of additional production through a range of projects.

The history of music technology has informed where we are and where we might go next. In this module, you will be exposed to decades of key recordings, technologies, events, artists and the movers and shakers involved in shaping modern popular music as we know it.

You will choose your own specific area of interest in music technology and production and explore how it’s impacted creativity and the development of the wider world of music within an essay, accompanied by practical assets to illustrate your understanding.

In this module, you will learn how to compose music for a wide range of purposes, including songwriting and music for media with both solo and collaborative approaches.

You will develop an understanding of the wider global, historical and ethical contexts whilst building on your existing technical and artistic skills . You will continue to develop your ability to express yourself artistically, while also understanding the needs of a demanding and ever-changing industry.

By the end of the module you will have deployed your artistic, technical and commercial skills in the creation of a range of finished pieces to form a varied portfolio.

During this module you will source and execute appropriate self-directed projects, working individually and collaboratively on creative work, allowing you to directly apply the research, knowledge and skills learnt throughout the programme in the context of the workplace. This module aims to develop your overall professionalism and provide you with the knowledge and resources to begin a career in the creative industries. The nature of creative industries is increasingly defined by freelance and self-employed models of work.

Consequently, individuals seeking work in industry need to appreciate the pressures of working on multiple projects to strict deadlines and the subsequent demands they place on time and resources. Similarly, an understanding of professional practice and the legal and economic imperatives in industry is important, as is effective communication, self-efficacy and autonomy.

This module aims to develop these skills and knowledge by challenging you to develop a range of self-directed projects along with analysis of the processes involved along the way.