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MUS-20080 - Module Specification
School of Humanities
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

For academic year: 2024/25 Last Updated: 16 May 2024

MUS-20080 - Advanced Studio Engineering and Production
Coordinator: Tim Canfer
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 5
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office: 01782 733147

Programme/Approved Electives for 2024/25

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

Students need to complete the 'MUS-10108 Audio Fundamentals and sound recording' module prior to taking this module.

Barred Combinations

None


Description for 2024/25

In this module, you will unlock the secrets of music production. You will learn cutting-edge best practices and develop your own creative workflows - breaking the rules in the most effective ways.
You will curate your own playlist of core reference tracks, analysing the critical elements of what makes the music leap from the speakers.
You will then produce and engineer a track of your choice. You will record in groups, then mix, and master independently, while guided by highly practical, hands-on workshops with the underpinning concepts discussed in lectures.
You will have the opportunity to work 24/7 in either of our professional recording studios, one with a large-scale analogue desk and the other fully digital. You can also take the project with you on the Macbook that each Music Production student is given to mix in your own time in your own space.

Aims
To provide students with an opportunity to develop their contextual knowledge and listening skills as an engineer and a producer.
To provide students with an opportunity to develop their practical technical skills as recording and mix engineers and their project management skills as producers.
To enable students to engage with technical and aesthetic debates relating to production strategies and sound quality in recording and mixes.
To develop an awareness of production aesthetics and the ability to create the student's own coherent production aesthetic in their own work.

Intended Learning Outcomes

analyse, contextualise, and critique the production aesthetics and musical characteristics of notable music releases (reference tracks): 1,2
analyse, contextualise and apply the skills of producers and recording, mixing, and mastering engineers: 2
justify and apply recording, mixing, and mastering engineering techniques demonstrating the development of workflow(s): 2
demonstrate the ability to produce a moderately complex music project with a coherent production aesthetic showing control of music production resources: 2

Study hours

8 hours of lectures
16 hours of small group workshops, demonstrations and individual supervision, with or without computer mediated methods of interaction with the assigned tutors.
22 hours of reflection, revision and consolidation of lecture, workshop and individual supervision content, research through bibliographical and computer mediated sources through individual or group study work
10 hours of listening (recommended works from the repertoire), reflection and revision of aesthetic and technical aspects based on lecture content, bibliographical and computer mediated sources
10 hours of practical work in the music studios on specific tasks, relevant to the theoretical and practical topics and techniques covered during the semester.
10 hours of reading and reflection on literature covering the theory and aesthetics of record production and post-production.
30 hours to research and write the essay for assessment.
40 hours to realise the final project for assessment.
4 hours to prepare and package the material for submission.

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Report weighted 30%
Curated playlist of reference tracks
This 1500 word report is the student's curated and annotated playlist (approx. 8-10 tracks) of musical releases. Each track should have a clear genre or sub-genre and coherent production aesthetic and should demonstrate a particular music production technique. These techniques should be analysed e.g. `unconventional use of the stereo image for the genre leading to atypical focus' A range of different production aesthetics and techniques is encouraged, and students can choose overarching high-level themes if desired. E.g. authenticity, clarity, separation coherence. Each track in the playlist should be accompanied by a description about the production feature and students may use this space to compare differences in approach. Students should consider why the discussed methods have been employed (i.e. what effect/mood/aesthetic/etc. they were trying to invoke or indeed what technological development or limitation engendered this production feature). The written portion of this assessment may be presented either as an annotated list (each track named and then followed by text relating it to the theme of your playlist), or in essay form. The playlist should be constructed using an easily accessible online music streaming platform (e.g. YouTube, Spotify) a link to the playlist should be included at the start of the written work.

2: Project weighted 70%
Final music production project
Students will produce a track using modern multitracking techniques, fulfilling the roles of producer and recording, mix, and mastering engineer. The track will be accompanied by a report detailing the intended production aesthetic of the track and the methods used to create it. The track should be recorded in small groups (2-4), then mixed and mastered individually The produced track will have a minimum duration of 3 minutes and a maximum of 5 minutes. The track should be made up of audio predominantly recorded using microphones. Direct external sources can also be used (such as hardware keyboards or synths) as can MIDI triggered hardware or software, but these should be secondary elements (as they are more sound design techniques). The project will be accompanied by a written report of 1000 words. The report will be individual and demonstrate the student's individual engagement and contribution to the project. It should discuss the following: Pre-production - music choices, analysis of production aesthetic, instrumentation, musicians and reference tracks Recording - location, separation, microphones and microphone techniques Mixing - use of processors, any bus processing, effects and automation Mastering - format choice and plugins

Please note that for the 2022/23 Academic Year programmes may be adapted to operate in accordance with a flexible, digital approach. This means that there may be some changes made to how modules are delivered and assessed. The latest information will be provided to you by your School in module handbooks. We endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes and details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/student-terms-and-conditions/

Last Updated: 16 May 2024