Module: PM7032-30 Workstation Song Productio

Level: 7

Credit Value: 30

Module Tutor: Pete Bernard

Module Tutor Contact Details: p.bernard@bathspa.ac.uk

1.Brief description and aims of module:

This module equips you with skills and techniques sufficient to produce at least high-quality demo recordings of your songs. Much of contemporary professional practice is positioned within affordable platforms (such as laptops and home studios). The ability to employ digital technology as a writing and composition tool, alongside a knowledge of how to transform raw song material into realised more finessed productions, affords the songwriter autonomy, just as it is an expectation from the perspective of publishers, record labels, management and agents. This aligns robustly with Bath Spa University’s desired graduate attribute of digital literacy.

Similarly, in line with the Bath Spa University suite of graduate attributes, sufficient knowledge of music software recording techniques allows you to collaborate asynchronously, and across distance, avoiding the usual restraints of synchronous workings during collaboration., resulting in more opportunity for globalisation.

On this module, staff teach basic sonic theory - including the principles of MIDI recording - to negotiate recording approaches, moving later on to mixing procedures. Areas such as microphone technique, creation of drum, rhythm, instrumental and vocal arrangements are explored, alongside protocols around finalising stages and codecs. The module accommodates you if you wish to develop your arrangement and production experience, and widens your songwriting skill repertoire, as digital softwares are increasingly being perceived as, and utilised as, compositional tools.

The module prepares you for your upcoming Major Project, having equipped you with knowledge that will enable you to negotiate larger recording-studio setups (i.e. drum recording, live bands, groups, etc) into your own mobile resources for ongoing production processes. This then allows you to utilise larger studios in Trimester 3 with practical and financial efficiency as you then transfer studio files into your own home equipment - and vice versa - for ongoing layering. In the industry, this is ‘pre-production’ and is a method used to avoid over-reliance on full studio resources, with the costs that entails.

Staff support commonalities highlighted across several mainstream production platforms and you can hire appropriate equipment from the Newton Park asset store, although we encourage you to have your own personal laptop and software.

2.Outline syllabus:

Weekly tutorials and workshops will:

• Introduce workable and relevant sonic and recording theory
• Develop instrumental and vocal arrangement skills
• Develop mixing and mastering techniques

Appropriate tutorials support individual production projects

3.Teaching and learning activities

One-to-one small group tutorials work to determine the right program of study, and continue alongside prescriptive tasks and techniques in conjunction with detailed online support programmes. This is partially an extension of the distance learning approach to teaching and learning. Through this online platform, instructional videos are engaged with at the appropriate level of experience from beginner to advanced. This activity is supported by on-campus workshops / lectures and tutorials.

Assessment Item 1:

• Assessment Type: Course Work
• Description: Portfolio productions of five original songs
• % Weighting: 100%