Course and Module Catalogue

Modules are mainly taught by staff from the Department of Engineering and Technology. One core and three optional modules are provided by staff from the Department of Music.

The majority of the modules are 20 credit modules (the exception being one 40 credit module) and these modules equate to 200 hours of study.

Teaching and learning enables the students to acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills required by the course. Music Technology and Production is by its nature a multi-disciplinary course and its broad range of content dictates that a variety of teaching and learning strategies be adopted. The use of a range of strategies also accommodates the different learning styles of different students.

These teaching and learning strategies include: formal and informal lectures, demonstrations of tools and techniques, small group workshops, practical sessions, individual tutorials, seminars and directed student centred learning. In addition, practitioners from industry (in some instances alumni) are invited to present to the students in the form of both formal lecture and demonstration of latest practice within industry. This includes tools and techniques that are directly applicable to the course content.

Students are encouraged to network amongst themselves, forming relationships that enable them to work in real world scenarios, whether completing a recording or design project.  Students are able to undertake an enterprise placement year (EPY) as an alternative to the standard industry placement year. The EPY is supported by both academic staff and business advisors. Students taking this path are supported in running their own course related business for their sandwich year.

Course and curriculum design are influenced by academic contact with industry on placement visits and reviewed and approved by the Industrial Liaison Panel.

PDP is explicitly covered in the following modules: Professional Skills and Research Awareness , Group Project and Individual Project (Music Technology).  All modules include an implicit element of PDP as most teaching and assessments develop skills that are used within industry. Supporting documentation contains detailed information pertaining to PDP throughout the course.

Formative assessment is an important part of the learning process and is provided in a variety of ways. On this course it includes verbal feedback on work reviewed in a practical or workshop sessions, computer marked formative tests, lecturer marked submitted written work and lecturer comment in seminars.

Assessment is used to determine if students have achieved the learning outcomes of each module and thus the learning outcomes of the course as a whole. Just as the nature of the course dictates a range of teaching learning strategies it also dictates a range of assessment strategies.

These assessment strategies include: unseen closed book tests, computer-based tests, in-class open book tests, individual and group assessments, written and audio submissions, presentations, interviews and both creative and technical exercises and assignments.

The BSc(Hons) Music Technology and Audio Systems course is a broad course encompassing modules ranging from the artistic to the technical. It not only covers the use of technology in recording, live sound and sound design but also includes modules that cover how the underlying technology works.

The structure of the course is shown in a diagram in supporting documentation and is perhaps best explained by tracing themes or strands of modules through from Year 1 to Year 4.

The first strand of modules begins in Year 1 with Studio Engineering and Mixing Essentials. This module covers the basics of studio engineering, production and mixing. Desktop Music Production 1 in Year 1 focuses on the skills required to produce music solely with a computer environment, this can be explored further as an option in Year 2 with Desktop Music Production 2 In Year 2, Studio Production and Spatial Recording Techniques incorporates spatial and concert hall recording, audio post production and editing.. Additionally the second year module looks at a range of producers from popular music history and studies their techniques and recordings. In Year 4, Advanced Music Production and Mastering allows students to further develop their production skills in the recording studio context.

The second strand of modules covers research and business and begins in Year 1 with Professional Skills and Research Awareness where the studies are focused on fundamental research methodologies, report writing and the state of the art in Music and Audio Technology. In the second year, these skills are utilised and built upon in the Group Project module in the production of a music technology related artefact. A major module in Year 4 is the Individual Project (Music Technology) module. Students pursue a project of their choice under the guidance of an academic supervisor. These projects may be based upon any strand or combination of strands of the course.

Audio Technology covers the underlying theory and technology behind music technology and audio systems.  Fundamental audio theory and introductory audio electronics are covered.  Audio Electronics in Year 2, expands the principles covered in Audio Technology.  Acoustics and Psychoacoustics will also expand upon principles covered in Audio Technology, introducing the cohort to further and more advanced acoustical principles.

A further strand covers software development. Software is an important topic since knowledge and skills in software development give the student an appreciation of how the Music Technology tools they use are written. It also allows the student to develop new audio and MIDI manipulation tools. In Year 1 Web Audio covers introductory programming through the use of HTML and JavaScript and explores the Web Audio API. This is followed up in the Year 2 Programming C and Microcontrollers module by learning to program in the high level C language and develop software for microcontrollers. Students also study Designing Audio Plugins – Effects and Synthesisers in Year 4. This module teaches students how to develop audio plug-ins using in C++ with the JUCE toolkit.

The Live Music Production module in Year 1 provides a comprehensive coverage of live PA work from equipment specification and rigging to the specialist area of live sound mixing. This strand may be continued as an option in Year 2 with Live Event Audio Visual Systems which explores more advanced concepts which include networked audio, lighting systems and line array management.

A further optional module in year 2, Game Audio, would allow those students who are interested in the technicalities of AR/VR and audio creation for game systems to be explored.