Music Technology
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About this course
The live music production industry spans a range of music, events and entertainment contexts. Live events range from local and regional to global settings with audience sizes ranging from small groups to hundreds of thousands. The UK live events and entertainment industry is world class and following the period of inactivity brought about by the pandemic there are significant growth opportunities emerging. Locally, there are many tangible prospects for musicians, music technologists, sound engineers, sound designers and producers that seek to begin or re-establish their careers.
At Level 4, students develop a broad knowledge and awareness of key aspects of the music industry through three Core units, which include one unit assessed by a Pearson-set assignment. The units are:
Unit 1: The Music Industry
Unit 2: Marketing and Promotion for Musicians (Pearson-set unit)
Unit 3: Professional Development
Unit 12: Applied Sound Principles
Unit 13: Recording Technology
Unit 14: Creative Software Techniques
Unit 16: Music Production Fundamentals
Unit 20: Live Sound Techniques
Modules
Unit 1: The Music Industry
Introduces students to the structure of the industry, focussing on revenue flows, employment opportunities, business activities and growth potential. Students will analyse various income streams and assess which revenue streams are relevant to their personal career goals.
Unit 2: Marketing and Promotion for Musicians (Pearson-set unit)
This unit provides students with knowledge that will form a ‘toolkit’ of information about freelancing and marketing activities they can use to further their career in the music industry. These ‘tools’ include offline techniques, such as effective networking, online and social media marketing. Students will investigate and research the relative merits of each of these tools, helping them to evaluate the most suitable marketing activities for their area of practice, as they embark on the journey as an industry professional.
Unit 3: Professional Development
For employment in the music industry to be successful and sustainable, today’s professional is often versatile and enterprising, maintaining a portfolio career in which they can fully exploit their complete range of skills. Knowledge of professional strengths and identity is the first step towards building a strategy that will inform the student’s route towards professionalism. Students will explore the many avenues of employment that relate to their specialism, build an awareness of how to present themselves to the market place and embark on the journey of professional development.
Unit 12: Applied Sound Principles
This unit explores the characteristics and underlying physics of sound waves, wave propagation and how sound is interpreted by human beings. Key concepts of acoustic principles will be analysed and creatively applied, to produce a range of samples and reverb responses that can be used in variety of music and sound design projects.
Unit 13: Recording Technology
This unit aims to provide students with the knowledge of the techniques used by sound engineers and music producers when using technology to record audio sources. While they will learn fundamental recording techniques, they will also learn how to use recording technology in creative ways. Studio setup procedures will be explored as well as the factors that affect the quality that audio is recorded at. Studio techniques will be investigated allowing students to explore the recording equipment used by industry professionals, which can further be developed towards live, studio, location and broadcast sound.
Unit 14: Creative Software Techniques
This unit explores the creative possibilities within different Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs). It assumes a basic level of knowledge but will build on this in areas such as MIDI sequencing and virtual instruments, Audio recording and editing, software synths and ‘mixing within the box’ using software mixers. It will also start to build an awareness of the strengths of certain DAWs in certain areas such as composing, producing, sequencing, audio production and editing and post-production.
Unit 16: Music Production Fundamentals
This unit introduces the skills needed to record, produce, mix and master creative ideas within a framework of current studio and industry practice. It will develop a core level of ability across a range of connected fields, providing a platform for progression through self-directed learning or further study. It aims to explore these concepts through practical work as much as possible and encourages a professional approach to technology and workflow.
Unit 20: Live Sound Techniques
The unit will build students’ knowledge of the practicalities involved in setting up and operating a sound reinforcement system for live music. Students will be assessed on their knowledge of planning, setting up, and operating an appropriate live sound system, as well as their ability to operate the equipment to achieve a distortion and feedback-free front-of- house (FOH) mix for both artist and audience.
Assessment methods
The assessment strategy of the course uses multiple different assessment methods and requires students to engage with a variety of assessment tools that are accessible, appropriately challenging, and support the development of student self-efficacy and self-confidence. You will receive support and feedback throughout the programme, enabling you to reach your potential.
You will be assessed in the following ways:
• Recordings of music/creative outputs
• Work-based projects
• Written reports, essays
• Creation of planning documents
• Academic posters, displays, leaflets
• PowerPoint (or similar) presentations
• Working logbooks, reflective journals
• Presentations with assessor questioning
• Time-constrained assessment
Tuition fees
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The Uni
University Centre
Art, Media and Performance
What students say
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