Electronic Music Production with Foundation Year BA (Hons)

Recording theory is a broad module introducing a variety of topics vital to the field of music technology. It also serves as a base for the more practical and technically orientated modules in the music technology degree courses at LCM/UWL. It is a key module designed to equip students with a grounding in the core knowledge and techniques germane to the disciplinary nature of the music technology courses.

The module aims to provide the student with a solid grounding in the theory, techniques and terminology associated with contemporary acoustic and digital recording practice, as well as ensuring a fundamental grasp of the basic physics of sound and sound propagation.

The bedrock of electronic music is synthesis and sampling. These two technologies, more than any other, have shaped the field of modern electronic music making. In this module you will get to grips with the fundamental principles of both and get comfortable with the wide variety of tools and techniques available to the modern electronic musician. You will then learn to exploit your new skills by programming your own unique sounds and using them in your music.

Of course production is important but let’s not forget, it’s all about the music right? Your releases will only be as good as the musical ideas you can communicate. We cannot side-step the issue of musical composition and theory, it’s an essential skill for producers and performers and this is the module where you’ll develop your understanding in this area,  learning how to apply this knowledge in the context of beat-making and the digital audio workstation.

If you understand how other people’s music works, it will help you develop your own creative vision. Different music genres all have their own particular sonic signature and this module is where you learn how to identify and talk about the elements which have defined recorded music, from past to present allowing you to absorb the techniques and mix aesthetics to build them into your tracks.

Recording Practice will help you develop the required skills needed to operate studio recording technology to a high standard. The module will further the listening skills covered in Recording Theory and will increase your sensitivity to different recording and musical contexts. It covers a comprehensive overview of contemporary studio technology and the recording process.

The module will also extend ear-training techniques and examine each component of studio technology in detail. In addition, it will address how the techniques of recording are coupled to the technology, providing each student with a backbone of knowledge designed to help the recording demands of the second year.

Throughout your first year you will have been recording music and producing tracks in a variety of styles and genres. In this module we think about what happens to the music next. How do you connect your music with an audience and what strategies and distribution techniques can you use to generate revenue. We hope this module will provide an exciting end to the year, culminating in a planned release of your music.

Entering your second year means you can expect to go up a gear in the sophistication and complexity of the work we’ll be asking you to do. We want you to have a forensic knowledge of past and current trends in EDM and to articulate where this field may go in the future. This module provides a balance of research and practice, so we’ll expect to hear the results of your analysis flowing out of your tracks.

No one involved in electronic music can have missed the massive rise in popularity of modular synthesis and the hugely important role modular systems play in modern electronic music, across all fields and genres. We are lucky enough to have a number of modular systems at UWL, which you will be exposed to, learning how they work individually and then having the buzz of bringing them all together playing with other musicians in a modular ensemble.

You have set yourself up to enter a hugely competitive creative industry and so, how you present yourself, and your work, to the world is extremely important. The social media landscape changes at an incredible rate but in this module we will prepare you to adapt your message and your personal brand, using the latest tools and technologies to promote your individual artist identity to the world.

Academia is all about searching for something new and we use research to do it. Working in the creative arts is very similar, working to find that new sound or production technique, which will set us apart from other artists. In this module these two endeavours are brought together and we will show you how to use the power of research to fuel your creativity.

Hip Hop Production is a combined lecture and workshop-based module, designed to introduce you to the creation of Hip Hop music.

It follows the historical development of technology and production techniques in the genre, from the initial use of Turntablism through Digital Sampling, Interpolation, and Synthesis. It also provides a solid grounding of these techniques within the larger aesthetic and cultural context of the African-American musical traditions that are vital to its practice.

The module consists of short weekly lectures on the history or use of specific styles and techniques of Hip Hop DJs and producers. But the heart of the module is the weekly creative group work and workshops where you will learn, hands-on and in collaboration with your classmates, how to produce your own tracks.

Your first year ended with the release of your music and the high point of your second year will be a public performance of your music. This will involve the planning and execution of a public facing event from the ground up. We will explore the many ways you can bring your music to the stage. You will have to raise your game, not just creatively but also in terms of planning and management.

Although you will have made a lot of diverse music during your journey at UWL, much of what you will have created will have been related to popular culture in one form or another. In this module we give you a very different perspective, using sound as a tool to make art. There are a huge number of creative contexts and opportunities to generate revenue outside of the purely commercial sector and this module will explore this field and the artists who earn their living from it.

In this module we want to build on your experience of planning and performing an event in the second year. This time however we want you to raise your game and make a work that is truly multi-media in nature, something that looks as good as it sounds. This could involve this could involve interactive visualisations, lighting controllers, or generative animations, but whatever you choose it will hopefully deliver a memorably experience for your audience.

This module examines cutting-edge technologies and emerging trends in music technology and creative arts in general. It will allow students to gain knowledge of the latest technologies that are disrupting the industry at all levels. From composition, production, dissemination/consumption to performance, technology is redefining the way art is created and consumed.

During your time at UWL you will have picked up a huge range of technical and creative skills, many of which can be used to earn money outside of the music industry. This module will show you ways in which your talents can be exploited in the film and games industry, exploring their different workflows and responding to their distinctive briefs. This will provide you the opportunities to spread your sonic-signature sound across more media outlets, giving your brand even more strings to its bow.

In the final year of your degree course you will undertake a major project. This module is your chance to create your dream project with a high degree of independence.

You will be allocated a supervisor and then given the freedom to create a piece of work, which you feel really represents you as a music technology student.

You will be guided and supported, but this is your vision and your chance to show the world your achievements.