Course overview

Audio and Music Technology is an incredibly dynamic field whose frontiers are expanding daily. Our outstanding on-campus facilities will allow you to get to grips with the very latest hardware and software, and to gain the kind of skills currently used within the industry.

Our course has been running at Anglia Ruskin University since 1997, it's central aim is to provide students with a course that will lead to gainful employment.

Our course has a firm backbone of Maths, Physics, Electronics and Computing, as well as a thorough grounding in all aspects of sound engineering and music production. You will have the opportunity to study studio and recording techniques, live sound engineering, live sound recording, creating and editing sound for video, film and games, acoustics and psychoacoustics, signal processing, analogue and digital electronics, maths, physics, acoustics and computing.

As part of your final year studies, you will also develop a fully professional portfolio, and are shown how you can embark on profitable freelance work and promote yourself using modern marketing techniques via a real-life case study.

We have recently invested £1.2 million in updating our studio facilities. Our new studios boast fully soundproofed and acoustically treated rooms, and state of the art equipment and software.

You will also find plenty of opportunity to develop your performance skills or get involved in live productions, at the Student Union venue where weekly free live sound training is offered throughout your course, at Anglia Ruskin' s renowned Mumford Theatre, or at one of numerous live music venues in Cambridge itself.

Additional course information

The aims of our degree are:

• to provide you with a comprehensive grounding in all aspects of audio technology that a future practitioner is likely to encounter either in industrial or commercial environments, or in further academic study.
• to provide sufficient theoretical knowledge and practical experience for you to make a realistic assessment of system properties and limitations, via quantitative and qualitative analysis, and to inculcate an engineering approach to problem solving for system design purposes.
• to expose you to a range of technologies that you are likely to encounter in a working environment and provide the opportunity for you to analyse, experiment with, and explore the options offered by a variety of audio and music technology systems.
• to develop your working knowledge and confidence in the implementation and application of software and hardware in the field of audio technology.
• to offer you a range of vocationally useful modules which you will find interesting, stimulating and relevant to a wide range of scientific activities, and to provide you with a range of transferable skills relevant to a wide variety of careers.

Our graduates our highly employable and their employment record is excellent. Recent graduates have found employment in recording studios, acoustic consultancies electronics and other high-tech and engineering industries, education, marketing and retail, research, and as freelancers.

Our course gained a 91% overall satisfaction rating in the 2010-11 National Student Survey and 100% in 2011-12, making it one of the best Music Technology courses offered anywhere in the UK.

Upon completion of our course you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• essential facts, concepts, theories and principles of audio technology
• the wider multidisciplinary engineering context and its underlying principles
• the social, environmental, ethical, economic and commercial considerations affecting the exercise of their engineering judgement
• solutions for audio technology problems, often on the basis of limited and possibly contradictory information
• creative and innovative ability in the synthesis of solutions and in formulating designs
• analysing and interpreting data and, when necessary, designing experiments to gain new data
• designing a system, component or process to meet a need
• evaluating designs, processes and products, and making improvements
• how to apply appropriate quantitative science and engineering tools to the analysis of problems
• how to maintain a sound theoretical approach in enabling the introduction of new and advancing technology to enhance current practice
• taking a holistic approach, applying professional judgements, balancing costs, benefits, safety, quality, reliability, appearance and environmental impact
• assessing risks, and taking appropriate steps to manage those risks
• how to use a wide range of tools, techniques and equipment, including software
• using laboratory studio and workshop equipment to generate valuable data
• developing, promoting and applying safe systems of work
• how to communicate effectively with colleagues and others, using both written and oral methods
• using IT effectively
• managing resources and time
• how to undertake lifelong learning, particularly for continuing professional development.

Our course is certainly intellectually challenging, but more than that, it's about giving you the opportunity to develop both your technical skills and your creative talents. It's a combination that's bound to prove attractive to a range of potential employers.

Our course has professional accreditation by the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) and the Joint Audio Media Education Services (JAMES).

In their accreditation report in October 2011, the JAMES accreditation panel issued a glowing review of BSc (Hons) Audio and Music Technology. Here are some excerpts from their report:

"The assessors were highly complimentary about this course and found it to be highly relevant to current industry practice. They were particularly impressed with the attention to quality teaching and learning, technical detail and to the emphasis on quality of sound signals both in the analogue and digital domains. The dedication of the staff was very evident."

"The course structure is highly relevant to employment in all sectors of a rapidly changing industry."

"The students were particularly complimentary about the care given to them individually by the staff and the very personal approach to learning. Several stated that they decided to join this particular course having experienced this very personal attention at opening days and subsequent interviews."

"The structure of these courses is excellent and provide up-to-date pathways to success in the Sound and Music Industries.?

"The assessors were delighted to hear that the University is investing considerable sums to update the facilities for this excellent course. This investment, with appropriate marketing, will enable this course
to be placed with the best available in Europe."

Module guide

Assessment

For some modules, the assessment consists of a piece of coursework and an exam. For other modules the assessment is coursework only.

For practical modules such as Basic Recording and Production Techniques, Advanced Studio Practice, Live Recording Practice, Final Studio Practice, the assessment is usually coursework only, e.g. for Final Studio Practice the coursework is completion of a portfolio of finished recordings. For modules with more theoretical content such as Acoustics, assessment is a piece of coursework and a final exam. The coursework element is usually worth 60% of the final mark, the exam 40%. The pass mark for a module is 40% overall, the pass mark for the assessment elements is 30%.

Facilities

In September 2012 we opened our redeveloped audio studios, this £1.2m facility has revolutionized the learning experience for our audio music technology students.

Our 162 sq meters of studio space rivals that of many commercially run operations, and incorporates five fully soundproofed, climate-controlled recording studios equipped with Apple Mac Pro and G5 computers.

Supporting study and research, our fully soundproofed, air-conditioned and acoustically treated recording studios have been carefully filled with a great selection of industry standard equipment and software from the likes of: Audient, Apple, Solid State Logic (SSL), M-Audio, Novation, RME, Universal Audio, Lexicon, Coles, Rode, Shure, Beyerdynamic, Audio Technica, Moog, Yamaha, Ludwig, Ampeg, Vox, TC Electronic, Mackie and TL Audio to name but a few. We also have a wide selection of microphones, video cameras and portable recording devices to allow for all manner of field-work.

With students' learning at the forefront of the studios design, the equipment has been chosen and distributed so that each studio becomes successively more complex. This allows students to start at a point that suits their current knowledge and abilities before moving on to the more complex rooms, until finally being able to confidently operate the flagship main studio, which is large enough to accommodate ensembles such as choirs, orchestral groups and bands.

In addition to the studio facility we have an extensive AV lab with 20 iMacs loaded with a wide variety of Music and other software. All computers are networked and have UPS power supplies. You will be allocated server space on one of the studio servers, and a unique password giving you sole access and control of your work.

We also operate a portable 16-channel studio rig with a Fostex HD recorder, which you can book out along with mics, stands and leads, for location recordings etc in the evenings or over the weekend. We have a wide range of high quality microphones, two studio drum kits and lots of other instruments including some classics, e.g. Roland Juno 60, Akai S3000 XL and much more.

Underpinning all of this, the studios themselves are maintained and administered by a dedicated team of professionals who are on hand to offer advice and support.

Special features

Free Live Sound Engineering Training organised throughout your course in the SU Venue. Organised by the AMT Student Society. The AMT Society is amongst the most active and popular in the University. See http://www.amtsociety.co.uk/

This course provides the option of taking a sandwich year placement in industry between years two and three. Sandwich placements are taken with an employer working in a field related to your study and can be accommodated when matching positions become available, or when organised by the student. Sandwich year placements are managed by the Faculty of Science and Technology.

Associated careers

Our course provides the ideal basis for a wide range of career opportunities including academic and industrial research, studio recording, live sound engineering, music system design for television, film or Internet distribution, multimedia design, product design, marketing, electronic systems engineering and education.

Our employment record for graduates from this course is excellent. Graduates have found employment as acoustic consultants, studio mix and production engineers, freelance sound and video producers, technical support, live sound engineers, audio electronics and loudspeaker designers, researchers, lecturers, teachers and TV production assistants.

Unlike most music technology courses which are solely media production or creative in nature, the science and technology slant to audio and music technology at our University opens a very wide range of career paths unavailable to graduates from more media or creative driven courses.

Links with industry

Students have obtained valuable work experience through links with companies and events including BMN Studios, Junction CDC, Cambridge Corn Exchange, Smyle Productions, Strawberry Fair, Glastonbury Festival, Egglab Media, Linea Research, SRL Acoustics, Cass Allen Acoustics, Jagex, Darkelf Productions and numerous others.

Our course has professional accreditation by the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) and the Joint Audio Media Education Services (JAMES).

Work placements

The course has an optional sandwich year which students may take between their second and third year studies for industrial placement.Short term work placements are also available via the Independent Learning Module in year 3.

UCAS Tariff points:	200
Additional Requirements:	Preferred subject(s): GCE A-level Mathematics or Physical Sciences or Technology, VCE AS-level Mathematics or Physical Science or Technology GCSE(s) Required: Mathematics and Science grade C (or equivalent)

Extended Degree route

We offer an extended degree route to this course that requires 40 UCAS tariff points.

This extended route to a degree in Computing & Technology requires the study of an additional foundation year.

After successful completion of this foundation year you may transfer to this degree programme.

Please refer to: BSc Computer Gaming Technology (Extended)

Entry requirements listed are for September 2013 entry. Entry requirements for other intakes may differ.

Please note AS levels are acceptable only when combined with other qualifications.

Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.

We welcome applications from International and EU students. Please select one of the links below for English language and country-specific entry requirement information.

• International students
• EU students
• English language requirements