Program Overview

CertHE Music Production & Sound Engineering

Overview

This course is the first year of our BA (Hons) Music Production & Sound Engineering degree.

The CertHE Music Production & Sound Engineering provides opportunities for you to nurture a diverse skill set that will enable you to thrive in the music industry. Your lecturers are established industry professionals who have worked with artists like Pharrell, Lily Allen and The Killers and you will study alongside fellow producers, engineers, musicians, DJs and singers with whom you can create your own network.

The course is mainly practical but is underpinned by solid theoretical principles. Building your knowledge will support your decision-making, boost your confidence in personal and professional settings and make you more employable in a highly competitive industry.

You will be taught in our brand-new Penn Street campus full of state-of-the-art industry standard equipment including three SSL mixing consoles: a 48 channel SSL Duality Delta and two 48 channel SSL Origins; plus two 7-speaker Dolby Atmos immersive technology systems. On successful completion you can progress to year 2 and 3 of the degree.

This programme is quality assured by Middlesex University and you will receive a Middlesex award on successful completion.

Modules

• one of the following modules
  • Music Production (Logic)
  • Music Production (Ableton)
• Music Composition
• Sound Design
• Music Industry
• Sound Engineering
• Production Styles

Assessment

Assessment helps you gauge your progress, supports learning, and provides feedback. You will engage in the following types of assessment during this course:

1. Formative exercises - these are designed to provide feedback on your work and help you improve.
2. Summative assignments - these are designed to both assess your existing knowledge, and deepen your learning. They often simulate real industry scenarios, providing valuable experience with professional briefs.

To demonstrate your knowledge and skills, you will be asked to produce work in varying formats, depending on your course, including creative projects, compositions, performances, presentations, recordings, and written work.

Career Opportunities

Due to the growing demand across music, film, gaming, and live events, sound engineering offers multiple opportunities into music and media industries such as studio work, live sound, and post-production. The constant evolution of technology keeps the work engaging, while the blend of technical and artistic skills makes it both a challenging and fulfilling career path to take.

• engineer
  • RECORDING ENGINEER
• produce
  • MUSIC PRODUCER
• compose
  • TV/FILM COMPOSER
• design
  • SOUND DESIGNER
• arrange
  • MUSIC ARRANGER
• engineer
  • MIX ENGINEER
• manage
  • STUDIO MANAGER
• remix
  • REMIXER
• compose
  • VIDEO GAME COMPOSER
• perform
  • ARTIST/PERFORMER
• manage
  • A&R LABEL MANAGER

FAQs

• Do I need to buy software & equipment to take the course? Depending on your programme, certain hardware and software will be essential throughout your studies. To help with your independent learning and assessment work, you will need to have access to this equipment outside of the campus. However, if you are able to attend classes on campus, this equipment will be available to use either in class or by booking practice time. Note that you have access to our facilities 7 days a week during term time for the length of your course (excluding scheduled breaks). Please visit our Software and Hardware Requirements page which lists the hardware and software you are required to own for each programme. Where you may choose to study online (distance learning), this equipment will be essential to your studies and assignment work. If for any reason you cannot afford to purchase an essential item, you may be eligible for financial support via the Financial Assistance Fund. If you wish to buy equipment or software, pointblank students qualify for discounts from Apple Education, Ableton, Native Instruments, Serato, Pioneer DJ and other leading industry partners.
• Do I need a music or music technology qualification to apply? Studying a music or music technology qualification before applying for one of our Higher Education courses would be beneficial, but is not a prerequisite. If you are currently trying to decide which academic subjects to take at school or college (i.e. GCSE, BTECs or A-Levels etc.) we would therefore highly recommend choosing music or music technology. However, if these subjects are not available to you at your school or college, we will still be happy to consider your application. In this instance we would recommend that you undertake personal studies that will equip you with a similar level of musical knowledge, theory and literacy, in addition to your practical studies.
• What is my weekly study schedule? Each module requires your attendance at one daytime class which will be 3 or 4 hours long depending on the module. 3-hour classes will also have an additional 1-hour virtual seminar each week. You will also have two 30-minute tutorials with your lecturer per module per term for additional support. Your timetable will be confirmed a week before the start of each term. In addition to your classes and seminars, you are expected to schedule sufficient independent study and practice time each week. The school facilities are open 7 days a week during term time, allowing you to work on assignments and reinforce the knowledge and skills learned throughout the term.
• Can I take the course and work at the same time? This is a full time course and you should undertake at least 10 hours of study per module per week. This time includes classes, studio bookings, 1-2-1 tutorials and independent study. You can work whilst taking the course, however, we recommend you commit to working no more than 15 hours per week.
• I am an International Student. Can I apply? Yes. You are welcome to apply for this course, however, you will need a Student Visa. For more information, please visit our International Students page. Students can apply via the website application form or UCAS in the usual way.
• Help! My question is not answered here If you have further questions, don't be shy, please contact a course advisor who will be happy to help.