BA (Hons) Creative Music Production

This module will consider how computer technology is used to produce contemporary music. Using Pro Tools, Logic Pro and Ableton Live, you’ll develop music programming and production techniques, including synthesis and sampling, alongside the development of critical listening skills.

You’ll explore the fundamentals of audio theory within the context of a professional music recording studio. By learning how to use industry-standard recording and production equipment, you’ll become proficient with both recording and engineering (editing and sound production) processes.

On this module, you’ll be introduced to effective ways of recognising and interpreting the development of popular music genres and will develop the skills necessary to justify intellectual positions using critical texts and resources. The module utilises the University of East London’s ‘Skills Curriculum’ as a core framework for investigating, analysing and critiquing current debates and theories relating to the context within which popular music is produced, performed and consumed.

This module will equip you with the skills to write and perform a repertoire of original compositions and remixes. You’ll begin to progress writing, composition and remixing techniques aligned with the role of the creative producer. Alongside this, you’ll develop a practical approach to exploring your creativity, and will gain a deeper understanding of the history and context of creative composition and production.

This module further develops your recording and production skills, exploring advanced music production techniques for recording and mixing music to a professional standard, including file delivery and the audio mastering chain. The module also examines the producer’s role with consideration for musical decisions – for example, developing and creating a desired sound.

This module sees you explore your approach to writing in differing configurations of class creative roles and teams. You’ll compete to meet a range of industry briefs, including an Individual song writing Project, where you’ll continue your creative writing development and will examine A&R principles in more detail, creating repertoire for a specified artist project of your own design. The Writer Producer industry brief sees you combine your musicianship skills with your production talents in a studio environment to examine writing and arrangement techniques using production software.

To be a successful music producer it’s extremely helpful to be able to explore the relationships between popular music genres and experiment with a range of analytical approaches. This module builds on prior foundational work, further developing your capacity for intellectual engagement with popular music through analysis and critique, and involving you in the current debates and theories relating to the context within which popular music is produced, performed and consumed.

Essential to the career of every musician is a thorough awareness of the various facets of today’s rapidly evolving music industry. This module will establish the framework of the industry, exploring its three main sectors: recorded music, live music and publishing. It will deliver an overview of the contemporary music business, allowing you to develop an invaluable understanding of current monetisation models; effective marketing and promotion strategies; the role of management; and how to recognise and exploit changes in practice which have been brought about by the impact of the internet and new technologies.

Through project work, you’ll develop further understanding and application of core live sound concepts, principles and production methodologies including location recording, ‘sound vs music’, audio theory and creative recording techniques.

On this module you’ll develop critical awareness and analysis of the compositional methods, tropes and approaches used in music for film, television and multimedia, including computer games design. This awareness and analysis will be practically applied through composition, post-production and editing.

On this module you’ll study advertising, PR, branding and entrepreneurial business models through an analysis of case studies, as well as working practically on developing, managing and refining your own product. You’ll also be encouraged and directed to keep your finger on the pulse of the rapidly evolving business of music with ongoing reference to contemporary news stories and analysis.

A major element of your undergraduate degree, your dissertation requires you to plan, develop and realise an appropriate, independent research project under relevant subject-specialist supervision. This will enable you to: demonstrate how you’ve developed and applied the skills of critical and/or historical analysis acquired in the programme so far, offer a critical analysis of a wide range of source material, demonstrate independent thought and write lucidly. The dissertation is split into two parts – a series of lectures and seminars designed to inform your own work, supported by supervised sessions looking at the development and execution of your dissertation.

The aim of this module is to support you in using the skills you’ve developed throughout the programme in order to identify, plan and complete a project to a professional standard. You’ll be empowered to decide the form of your project, but it could take the form of a music-based community project, a live performance, the production of an EP, music for media, or something entirely different. Main topics of study include the artist and collaborative practice, and an interdisciplinary project seminar, in which you’ll discuss and analyse project management best practice and methodologies prevalent in artistic project contexts.