Sound Design BA(Hons)

Program Overview

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Sound Design BA(Hons)

Course Overview

Gain the creative, technical and business skills to become a sound designer for film, games, broadcast media and more.

Key Details

• Location: Penryn Campus
• Course duration: 3 years / 4 years
• Attendance: Full-time / Professional Placement
• UCAS code: W611/PY08

Course Structure

Year One: Upskill & Integrate

• Develop core sound design and related audio skills
• Understand sound design workflows in various contexts
• Fundamental theoretical and contextual knowledge of contemporary sound design practice

Year Two: Experience & Expand

• Live projects and study options
• Gain practical sound design experience
• Develop business and brand thinking
• Explore immersive audio technologies

Year Three: Focus & Connect

• Build professional identity, knowledge, skills and networks
• Develop a professional portfolio
• Enhance entrepreneurial skills
• Carry out business planning

Modules

Year One

• Understanding Sound & Audio
• Designing Sound
• Sound Design: Workflows, Tools & Techniques
• Studiocraft
• Music & Sound: Contexts and Cultures
• Non-Linear Sound Design

Year Two

• Skills Development
• World-Building: Pre-production
• Music and Sound: Resonant Futures
• Creative Delivery (optional)
• Sound Design Team Project (optional)
• Immersive & Interactive Audio (optional)
• Composing Music for Media (optional)

Year Three

• Music and Sound: Dissertation
• Professional Development
• Your Future
• Showcase Portfolio

Facilities

• Post-production audio suites
• Foley/ADR suite
• Recording studio complex
• Excellent studio hardware, software, and microphone collection
• Portable recording equipment

Staff

• Dr Antti Saario, Head of Music
• Dr Kingsley Marshall, Head of Film & Television
• Dr Simon Waite, Course Co-ordinator & Senior Lecturer
• Brian McDonald, Senior Lecturer Digital Games
• Will Parker, Lecturer in Music and Sound
• Robin Tyndale-Biscoe, Associate Lecturer - Creative Music Technology
• Pete Shepherd, Associate Lecturer (Audio)

Careers

• Sound designer for visual media or live contexts
• Audio editor
• Sound recordist
• Foley artist
• Specialist in sonic branding

How to Apply

• Apply via UCAS
• UCAS code: W611 (three year degree), PY08 (four year degree with professional placement)
• Deadlines: 29 January 2025 (UK applications), throughout the year (international fee payers)

Entry Requirements

• 104 – 120 UCAS Tariff points
• GCSE English Language Grade 4 (C) or equivalent
• IELTS Academic 6.0 overall score (for international students)

Fees, Costs & Funding

• Tuition fees: £9,535 per year (full-time UK), £17,950 per year (full-time EU/international), £1,905 per professional placement year (full-time UK and EU/international)
• Equipment costs: laptop, monitoring headphones, DAW software, etc.
• Funding: available through student funding pages

Similar Courses

• Music Business BA(Hons)
• CertHE Music Courses
• Musical Theatre BA(Hons)
• Theatre & Performance BA(Hons)
• Technical Theatre Arts BA(Hons)
• Acting BA(Hons)
• Music BA(Hons)
• Popular Music BA(Hons)
• Creative Music Technology BA(Hons)
• Dance & Choreography BA(Hons)

Program Outline

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Degree Overview:

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Overall Objective:

Empower next-generation creatives to break the mold and push the boundaries of possibility by studying cutting-edge sound design practices. Equip students with the creative, technical, and business skills to thrive as sound designers in diverse fields like film, games, broadcast media, and more.

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Key Program Features:

• Emphasis on hands-on learning: Students gain practical experience through industry-standard software, hardware, and technical facilities, including mixing consoles, portable recording equipment, Foley/ADR suites, and dedicated post-production audio suites.
• Focus on contemporary sound design principles: Learn the latest concepts, techniques, and workflows in sound design, including sonic wearables and branding, soundscape ecology, and sound design in wellbeing.
• Collaboration and interdisciplinary study: Engage in collaborative projects with film, games, and music students, developing a distinctive portfolio and vital transferable skills.
• Preparation for industry: Acquire the business, marketing, and entrepreneurial insights needed to excel in the professional sound design world.
• Available as a three-year BA(Hons) or a four-year BA(Hons) with professional placement.
• Course duration: Three years for the standard BA(Hons) program, four years for the program with a professional placement.
• Full-time attendance required.
• UCAS course code: W611/PY08.

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Outline:

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Year One:

• Focus: Upskilling and immersion in various creative disciplines from the sound design perspective.
Development of core sound design and audio skills, understanding of sound design workflows in various contexts, and fundamental knowledge of contemporary sound design practice.
• Modules:
• Understanding Sound & Audio:
Fundamentals of sound and audio theory, concepts, aesthetics, terminology, and practices.
• Designing Sound: Introduction to creative possibilities of sound design for visual media (film, TV, animation, games).
Exploration of sculpting audio to create new sonic forms.
• Sound Design: Workflows, Tools & Techniques: Industry-standard workflows, tools, and techniques for professional practice.
Development of industry-standard skill sets.
• Studiocraft: Recording, editing, mixing, and mastering audio in a recording studio environment using microphones, audio interfaces, mixing desks, and digital audio workstations (DAWs).
• Music & Sound: Contexts and Cultures: Key concepts and debates in music and sound studies, critical analysis of the relationship between music, sound, and culture.
• Non-Linear Sound Design: Development of skills and understanding of sound design for non-linear contexts, such as games, apps, and the web.

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Year Two:

• Focus: Live projects, study options, practical sound design experience, business and brand thinking.
Identification, acquisition, and application of new skills through collaborative projects with students from across the University. Exploration of immersive audio technologies and contemplation of future directions in the sound design discipline.
• Modules:
• The Art of Post:
Exploration of creative and technical possibilities of audio post-production. Introduction to professional concepts, techniques, workflows, various professional roles, and creative strategies in audio editing and mixing.
• Music and Sound: Resonant Futures: Questioning and exploring the relationship between music, sound, technology, context, and culture.
Imagination and speculation on the future of music and sound.
• The Business of Music and Sound: Introduction to intellectual property regulations, risks of exploitation in creative industries, and essential business skills for sustainable work in the music and sound sectors.
• Sound Design Project 1: Game Audio: Collaboration with students from the Games Academy to create and implement audio assets for an original game while learning about the contemporary game industry.
• Sound Design Project 2: Team Project: Pushing the limits of practice by taking on projects as part of a multi-skilled team.
Development of collaboration and teamwork skills, effective contributions towards shared goals, objectives, and deadlines.
• Immersive & Interactive Audio (optional): Introduction to a range of technologies, techniques, and applications of immersive and interactive audio.
Interdisciplinary module relevant to film sound, game audio, digital arts, and experience design.
• Composing Music for Media (optional): Development of critical understanding of music/image relationships, practical work across various media, enhancement of composition and production skills through industry-standard workflows and techniques.

Four-Year Program with Professional Placement:

• Professional placement option allows gaining industry experience and refining skills while studying.
• Enhances your professional network and industry insights.

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Year Three:

• Focus: Building professional identity, knowledge, skills, and networks in line with your chosen sound design specialism.
Development of a professional portfolio, entrepreneurial skills, and business planning in preparation for graduation and entry into the industry.
• Modules:
• Music and Sound: Dissertation:
Independent research project on music and sound subjects, further development of intellectual skills.
• Professional Development: Continued development of specialist skills, contextual knowledge, experience, and entrepreneurial mindset in preparation for the Showcase Portfolio module, career paths, and/or artistic practice beyond the degree.
• Your Future: Development, practice, and analysis of sustainable career-related skills applicable to now and the future.
Enhancement of legal, financial, marketing, and digital skills specific to areas of the music sector. Critical analysis of trends and opportunities related to your chosen career path.
• Showcase Portfolio: Production of a professional portfolio showcasing your specialized skills and artistic practice developed over the last three years, ready for industry presentation.

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Assessment:

• Diverse assessment methods catering to individual interests, aims, and objectives.
• Assessments include coursework and practical submissions in various formats:
• Artefacts
• Case Studies
• Dissertations
• Essays
• Journals
• Portfolios
• Practical projects
• Presentations
• Reports
• Each module involves one or two summative assessment points.
• Feedback provided through written feedback sheets, feedback tutorials, and live feedback sessions.

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Teaching:

• Learning through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, masterclasses, workshops, solo and collaborative project work, crit sessions, fieldwork, guest lectures, and industry panels.
• A 'digitally enhanced learning & teaching' approach integrates predominantly in-person teaching with targeted online elements (live or pre-recorded).
• All teaching staff and guest speakers have a broad range of specialist knowledge and experience within the sound design discipline and associated industries (music, games, film, television).

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Careers:

• Potential career paths include:
• Sound designer for visual media or live contexts
• Audio editor
• Sound recordist (location or field)
• Foley artist (creating sound effects for film and other media)
• Specialist in sonic branding

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Annual tuition fee Student Full-time UK £9,250 per year Annual tuition fee Student Full-time EU/international £17,950 per year Annual tuition fee Student Full-Time UK and EU/international £1,850 per professional placement year