Course units
In response to the Climate Emergency, UAL has embedded responsible practices within the curriculum. We shaped our courses around principles of social and racial justice, and environmental sustainability that ensure learning outcomes reflect the urgent need to equip you with the understanding, skills, and values for ethical practice and empower you to work towards an equitable future.
In common with all courses at University of the Arts London, this course is credit-rated. The course is 3 years and taught at levels 4-6. Each year requires you to achieve 120 credit points. To be awarded the BA (Hons) Music Production qualification, you need to accumulate a total of 360 credits.
Year 1
You’ll build technical skills to create, record and produce music; planning skills to manage audio projects; and academic skills to support your learning.
Introduction to Music Production (20 credits)
You’ll be introduced to the context of contemporary music production, key skills required by music producers such as critical listening and production analysis, and academic and planning skills needed to manage audio production in response to industry briefs.
Audio Principles for Music Production (20 credits)
You’ll explore the technologies and techniques of contemporary studio production, the function and application of the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), and techniques for recording musical instruments in a studio environment.
Composition Skills for Music Producers (20 credits)
You’ll enhance your understanding of practical music theory by analysing musical components such as melody, harmony, rhythm, texture and form. You’ll explore approaches to composition and arranging techniques in a variety of genres by producing a collection of compositions.
Music Industries (20 credits)
This unit introduces you to key stakeholders within the music industry, developing your understanding of industry responses to an evolving commercial and technological environment. You’ll also explore career options as an employer, entrepreneur or artist.
Creative Mixing Techniques (20 credits)
You'll enhance your understanding of mixing techniques for multi-channel playback systems in audio applications such as VR, moving image, installations, music composition and record production. You'll also build written and reflective skills by researching your chosen applied area and reflecting on your developing practice.
Creative Audio Programming (20 credits)
You'll consider the theories, technologies and techniques of programming for music production. You’ll also explore the function and creative application of the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) in sound manipulation, sampling and synthesis.
Year 2
Music Cultures (20 credits)
You'll develop your awareness and understanding of key historical, contextual and technological developments in popular music, including recording and production. Your communication and analytical skills will grow through critical debate and analysis of music cultures and sub-cultures.
Audio Principles for Live Sound (20 credits)
Building on your knowledge of mixing and microphone placement, you’ll apply your learning to different approaches for live music scenarios. You’ll test theoretical concepts like networked audio, dispersion and speaker arrays in a live music environment.
Specialist Elective (20 credits)
This unit offers you the opportunity to specialise in an area of your interest. You may choose one specialist elective from a range of options that cross the sound and music discipline. Specific electives shall be determined on a yearly basis, according to staff expertise, emerging technologies and research areas, and changes in the sound and music industries, and may include: Sound and moving image, Hardware hacking, Songwriting and production, Electroacoustic Music, Live coding, Live electronics, Improvisation and performance, Composing for media, Immersive audio.
Music in the Marketplace (20 credits)
You’ll build on knowledge of the music industry gained in Year 1 to identify, analyse and apply methods for funding, marketing and promoting music in the contemporary marketplace.
Aesthetics of Music Production (20 credits)
This unit will develop your understanding of music perception and the application of acoustic and psychoacoustic principles to recording and production. You’ll listen critically to acoustic spaces, audio equipment and audio material, and learn how to apply this to key production decisions.
Creative Industry Project (20 credits)
You’ll conceptualise your ideas while establishing, building and working in teams to respond professionally to an industry brief. You’ll work collaboratively with an external client to produce creative work that will be showcased publicly.
Year 3
Innovations in Music Production (20 credits)
This unit will develop your understanding of innovations in music production, exploring how emerging tools and techniques are transforming the discipline. You'll examine a range of technologies, including artificial intelligence, as well as advancements in software and hardware, and their applications in areas such as composition, recording, mixing, and mastering.
Research Skills for Music Producers (20 credits)
You'll investigate and apply relevant research, managing and planning methodologies to propose a research project in your chosen specialist area.
Final Major Project (60 credits)
You’ll design, develop, implement and evaluate a significant creative project to a professional standard, applying your research and planning skills to create a music production-related outcome.
Professional Practice Portfolio (20 credits)
You’ll develop your ability to identify and evaluate opportunities in the creative and cultural industries relating to your area of professional practice. You'll build your enterprise skills and gain confidence to become a freelance professional or to set up your own business. You'll collate and present a portfolio of work relevant to your chosen area of the industry, demonstrating your professional skills and understanding of career paths.
