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MUS-10128 - Module Specification
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

For academic year: 2025/26 Last Updated: 04 December 2025

MUS-10128 - Unlocking the Studio: Your Journey into Sound Engineering
Coordinator: Tim Canfer
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 4
Credits: 30
Study Hours: 300
School Office:

Programme/Approved Electives for 2025/26

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2025/26

This module provides a solid grounding of the foundational skills and concepts needed to record and mix in the recording studio. Using professional recording studios with state-of-the-art equipment, staff with practical industry experience will introduce you to microphones, mic technique, routing, tracking, printing, overdubbing, re-amping, mix-prep, dynamic processors, and effects. You will learn about industry best practices and genre-specific workflows, develop the critical listening needed to achieve identified production aesthetics and explore your own creative workflow. 

Aims
To integrate the theoretical concepts into best-practice practical techniques of studio engineering.
To establish a core foundation of acoustics, analogue audio, and digital audio awareness.
To explore sound recording and mixing techniques, such as studio preproduction and microphone techniques, as well as dynamic processing and additive effects
To embed agile studio engineering best practices into student-led projects in social and industry contexts, building awareness of historical and leading-edge practices and genre-specific music production aesthetics.
To prepare students for future practical modules at Levels 5 and 6 and to develop personal workflows and practices.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Demonstrate critical listening in analysing reference tracks, showing awareness of genre and production aesthetics: 1,2,3
Show awareness of the fundamental concepts, tools and techniques of studio recording and audio fundamentals: 2
Show awareness of the fundamental concepts, tools and techniques of mixing in the studio and audio fundamentals: 3
Interpret and apply critical practice in recording techniques: 2
Interpret and apply critical practice in mixing techniques: 3
Demonstrate the ability to organise and complete a studio engineering project informed by production aesthetics.: 2

Study hours

48 active learning hours consisting of:
30 hours of practical workshops and demonstrations
10 hours of interactive lectures
8 hours of seminars
252 Independent Study hours consisting of:
126 hours of preparation for workshops, seminars and tutorials, including continued deliberate and critical listening practices
50 hours of experimenting with recording and mixing workflows
76 hours of preparation for the summative assessments

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Report weighted 20%
Annotated playlist
This assessment is a 1000-word annotated playlist consisting of five to seven tracks of musical releases and a brief analysis of each track. The tracks should be separated into clear genres (or sub-genres), exemplifying at least one core element of the genre's (or sub-genres) production aesthetic. The annotations should correctly identify at least one high-level characteristic (broad descriptor) and one low-level characteristic (specific descriptor, i.e. an instrument's frequency content). A wide range of genres, production aesthetics, and studio techniques is encouraged, as well as how students may apply these in their work. Each track in the playlist should reference a URL for each track as well as (or included in) the academic reference (please check with your tutor for reference style) using an easily accessible online music streaming platform (e.g. YouTube, Spotify).

2: Project weighted 30%
Recording and board mix
The recording and board mix project covers the preproduction and recording stages of a studio recording. The preproduction and recording will be done in small groups (two to four students). Each group will plan, organise and carry out a studio recording project. The preproduction stage (including time management and communication) is to be recorded, for example, using a collaboration app like Slack or Teams. Examples of effective practice and lessons learned should be included in an Appendix and referred to in the report. The recording stage (including overdubs and reamping) requires each group member to contribute a choice of at least two microphones and at least one microphone technique to suit the project. These choices should be justified in the genre and production aesthetic context. Please include diagrams and photographs. Each group member should create their board mix (balance and panning, and maybe one reverb only) and a report. The report should be 1500 words long and show control of recording studio concepts, tools and techniques with reference tracks and an understanding of the production aesthetic.

3: Project weighted 50%
Final mix
The final mix project covers the mixing stage of a studio recording using the group recordings made in the recording and board mix project. Students will individually use studio editing, dynamic processors, effects, and automation to turn the raw recording into an effective mix that meets the student's clearly articulated production aesthetic. The mix quality will be judged against the student's well-chosen reference tracks and the ability to create a genre-appropriate track with effective balancing, frequencies, transients, depth and stereo image. The final mix should be accompanied by a five to ten-minute Logic Pro video screen recording walkthrough covering key techniques (i.e. editing, dynamic processing and effects) and justifying the student's mixing process.

The University undertakes a continuous review of its teaching and research provision to ensure programmes are of a high quality and changes may be made to modules where it is necessary and reasonable to do so. Please be aware that minor changes to modules, such as a change to an individual assessment, can occur up until enrolment, although we endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes. 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/legalgovernancecompliance/governance/actcharterstatutesordinancesandregulations/studenttermsconditions/

Last Updated: 04 December 2025