Music Technology

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The MA/MSc/Diploma in Music Technology is a course unlike any other. Based in contemporary practice and research, the Music Technology Masters course offers a detailed insight into the inner workings of both digital music and technology. Importantly, this isn't a recording course, or a studio production course. Rather than simply become end users of technology, our graduate students design and build systems from the ground-up, incorporating the latest research in spatial audio, musical instrument interface design and relevant real-time audio software engineering techniques. Students taking the MA pathway are not required to emulate the compositional work of others: instead we are looking for an original and innovative approach to the musical application of digital technology.

Electroacoustic music is one of the most demanding, rapidly developing and rewarding fields of work for the engineers and musicians of our time. The purpose of the course is to bring together musicians on the one hand, and hardware and software engineers on the other, to learn together about this new field and to make their own contribution to it. The course units are designed to give musicians a degree of technical appreciation, and engineers to a grasp of musical issues at an early stage. All students will take the same units, working together and contributing insights from the standpoint of their complementary disciplines. In the final stages of the course, students an individual research project. This can take the form of musical composition, development of hardware or software for musical applications, or research into any other topic related to the work of the Music Technology Group as a whole. A thorough training in the concepts, applications and practice of music technology will be given. The knowledge gained through the course is of the greatest relevance to the following careers:

* musical instrument technology (designer, engineer, performer)
* sound production in radio/TV industry
* research into Music Technology related systems
* recording industry (as engineer or producer)
* composition (electroacoustic, film, media)
* secondary education, tertiary education & community education.

The MA/MSc Music Technology course has three major components: core taught courses, Special Interest Groups and an individual research project. These take place in the Autumn term, Spring term and for the remainder of the 12 month course respectively. Core taught courses form the basis of the first term's work, then the students choose to study three from a series of special interest groups (SIGs) in the Spring term.

A SIG consists of around seven taught sessions of 1.5 hours each over three weeks plus individual tutorials, then seminars and tutorials during the second half of term (usually 4 x 2 hour seminars during the second half of term).

Syllabus

TERM 1 (Autumn)

* Introductory Research Project
* Unassessed Unit : Studio Techniques and Technologies (optional)
* Unit 1 : Signal Preservation
* Unit 2 : Digital Audio Processing.
* Unit 3 : Aesthetics.
* Unit 4 : Human Perception of Sound.
* Unit 5 : Electronic Musical Instruments.
* Support Course 1: Programming.
* Support Course 2: Circuits

TERM 2 (Spring)

All students do:

* Unit 6: Research Preparation

and they also choose any 3 of the following Units

* Unit 7: Composition
* Unit 8: Sound in Space
* Unit 9: Studio Techniques
* Unit 10: Music Technology for Disabled Musicians and Special Needs Education
* Unit 11: Audio Processing Techniques and Environments

TERM 3 (Summer)

Project Focus

GroupFinal Project (MA/MSc only)

Dissertation (Diploma only)

Projects (MA/MSc)

This project, to be submitted during September, is one proposed by the student and is likely to fall into one or more of the following areas: 1. A musical interfacing project: a piece of hardware designed, built and fully documented by the student. 2. A software package designed for musical purposes, written and implemented by the student with appropriate documentation. 3. A musical composition using any one or more of the applications covered during the course.

English Language Requirements The University's absolute minimum English language requirements are: * IELTS: 6.0 (in the 'Academic' test) * TOEFL: paper-based 550/ computer-based (CBT): 213/ internet-based (iBT): 79 * Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English: A, B, C * Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English: A English Language Requirements IELTS band: 6.5 CAE score: (read more) Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) is part of the Cambridge English suite and is targeted at a high level (IETLS 6.5-8.0). It is an international English language exam set at the right level for academic and professional success. Developed by Cambridge English Language Assessment - part of the University of Cambridge - it helps you stand out from the crowd as a high achiever. 80 (Grade A) TOEFL paper-based test score : 550 TOEFL iBT® test: 79 IMPORTANT NOTE: Since April 2014 the ETS tests (including TOEFL and TOEIC) are no longer accepted for Tier 4 visa applications to the United Kingdom. The university might still accept these tests to admit you to the university, but if you require a Tier 4 visa to enter the UK and begin your degree programme, these tests will not be sufficient to obtain your Visa. The IELTS test is most widely accepted by universities and is also accepted for Tier 4 visas to the UK- learn more.