MUS1010 : Studio Production
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Rob Mackay
- Teaching Assistant: Mr Phil Begg, Mr Fred Hollingsworth
- Technician: Mr Rob Blazey
- Owning School: Arts & Cultures
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 10 |
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
This module aims to provide the student with core skills in techniques of music production when using sound recording technology to record music. It aims to help the student build upon, or learn from scratch, studio approaches and techniques, and to ultimately cultivate a musically intelligent practice and a practical musical intelligence. Skills learned inform stage 2 and 3 modules in composition, analysis, and performance, as well as offering secure theoretical grounding for historical and cultural theory modules.
Outline Of Syllabus
Studio Production is delivered as a series of lectures which feed in to weekly small group workshops in which students learn microphone techniques, editing and mixing skills, audio perception, acoustics and psychoacoustics, and different artistic approaches to studio prodcution. Students will be separated into working groups based on which instruments they play early in semester 1 in order to achieve a balanced and fair skillset across groups. These groups will then rotate around workshop sessions with different tutors, covering a variety of aspects of modern studio recording and mixing
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 20 | 2:00 | 40:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 22 | 1:00 | 22:00 | PiP. If necessary these can be converted back into non-synchronous online lecture materials |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 22 | 1:30 | 33:00 | PiP. Weekly small group workshops. These can be converted to synchronous weekly online small groups. |
| Guided Independent Study | Project work | 20 | 3:00 | 60:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 22 | 0:15 | 5:30 | PiP. If necessary these can be converted to online tutorials. |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 39:30 | 39:30 | N/A |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Students will be taught in a mix of large and small group scheduled learning activities so that they have directed learning as a collective and then guided learning in smaller groups, each session then leads to a formative task so that the direction of learning travel is towards independent application of the skills shown during each week of teaching. This moving of the learning environment from large, to small group, to self is an important stage in the repeated building of competence and confidence of the student to explore the skills and operations needed to record music using a Digital Audio Workstation.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design/Creative proj | 1 | A | 50 | A multitrack recording and stereo mixdown, reflective technical log on the recording process |
| Design/Creative proj | 2 | A | 50 | Stereo mix of multitrack recording. Evidenced by multitrack session, stereo mixdown & reflective commentary |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Presentation | 1 | A | 5min group presentation to discuss the track they plan to record, reason for selection, instrumentation & their approach |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
Students will work in groups to produce a recording (Sem 1) after which they will be required to mix individually (Sem 2). Submissions will be assessed on the skills demonstrated in the recording and mix. Each student is additionally required to write their own individual reflective technical log (Sem 1) or critically reflective commentary (Sem 2) for each submission, assessed on their understanding of the techniques and principles that have been explored throughout the module, and the justification of their creative/technical decision-making throughout the project.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- MUS1010's Timetable