Undergraduate BA(hons) or BSc (Hons) Creative Industries Futures (Music) Music Production

Modules 

MIF – 401 Music Industry Futures 

This module gives students an overview of the music industry, past, present, and future. Students learn about the mechanisms, structures, and practices that drive the music industry and where their specialism sits within it, whilst gaining an understanding of key fundamentals of music business, structure, market, and areas of specialism. 

MIF-411 Specialist Creative Practice 1

Build the practical skills that form the foundation of your future career in music production. This module is taught through hands-on Skills Labs where you will develop confidence using industry-standard studios, software and equipment whilst exploring the creative and technical techniques used by professional producers and engineers. From composing and arranging music in Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) to recording artists and instruments using professional microphones, mixing consoles and studio workflows, you’ll gain the essential skills needed to begin developing your professional practice.

MIF-412 Specialist Creative Practice 2

As you build on the foundations established in Specialist Creative Practice 1, you’ll refine your technical approach, strengthen your creative decision-making and explore sound design using synthesis and sampling, alongside the core principles of professional audio mixing, including signal flow, routing and gain staging. Through your practical Skills Labs, you’ll develop more advanced technical techniques that support your ongoing growth as a music producer.

MIF-413 Music Culture & Communities

Music shapes cultures, communities and influences the world around us. In this module, you’ll study alongside other pathways across music and explore how the music industry connects with society, identity and creative communities. Through discussion, research and shared perspectives, you’ll gain a broader understanding of the cultural impact of music whilst developing valuable research skills that will inform your own practice as a producer and help you create work that connects with your clients and audiences.

MIF-407 Music Industry Futures

Studying alongside students from every music pathway, you’ll explore the people, organisations and processes that shape today’s music business, from recording and publishing to live events and emerging technologies. You’ll gain an understanding of how producers collaborate with artists and industry professionals, whilst developing a broad awareness of the opportunities, challenges and career paths that define the modern music industry.

CIF – 405 Preparing for Collaborative Projects

During this module you’ll develop the skills needed to prepare you for working with peers across the music degree to apply your production skills to an interdisciplinary creative project.

CIF – 406 – Engaging in Collaborative Projects

Following on from CIF-405, you’ll work collaboratively on a shared project brief with students from other disciplines. You’ll build upon your skills to support larger projects with the creative industry and contribute your production skills to fulfilling a creative brief.

Skills Units

SKU-PRO-01 DAW Composition & Arrangement 

This Skills Unit reinforces the underlying skills required to produce music within a Digital Audio Workstation. Introducing students to other DAWs and focusing on how arrangement skills can assist the role of the producer.

SKU-PRO-02 Sound Recording Techniques 

This Skills Unit introduces the students to Large Format Mixing Consoles, a wide range of microphones and associated techniques, and how to record and process a range of instruments commonly found in Contemporary Music.

SKU-PRO-03 Sound Design 1: Synthesis & Sampling

Synthesis and Sampling techniques are not only used within Electronic Music but also commonplace across most modern music genres. Looking at different synthesis types from Subtractive, Granular, and Wavetable, but also including FM, physical modelling, and Spectral and the wide and varied ways that Sampling can be incorporated into Production styles.

SKU-PRO-04 Audio Mixing Essentials

Understanding the fundamentals of audio is vital for any Producer to be able to problem-solve and adapt their workflow. Digital Audio principles and correct routing, signal flow, and gain staging will help the students to take their mixes to the next level by comprehending why and where problems may occur.

Modules 

CIF – 501 – Specialist Collaborative Work

This module allows you to apply your production skills within ambitious, cross-disciplinary creative projects. Working alongside students from across the music degree, you’ll respond to industry-inspired briefs, taking on the role of the producer to shape recordings and contribute your technical expertise to collaborative outcomes. Along the way, you’ll be strengthening your project management, communication and creative problem-solving skills.

CIF – 502 – Professional Collaborative Work

You’ll take your collaborative experience into a professional context by delivering a major project that reflects the realities of the music industry. Working with students across the course, you’ll apply your production expertise to help realise ambitious creative work, managing technical and creative challenges and developing the confidence, adaptability and professional mindset needed to succeed as a producer in today’s collaborative creative industries.

CIF – 503 – Specialist Route Skills 

Develop a distinctive creative identity as an electronic music producer. Through specialist skills labs, you’ll explore advanced sound design by creating and customising your own virtual instruments, experiment with innovative mixing techniques and gain a deeper understanding of acoustics to optimise your listening and production environments. Alongside these practical skills, you’ll critically evaluate your work within wider cultural and creative contexts, helping you produce professional-quality music with both technical confidence and artistic originality.

CIF – 504 – Professional Route Skills 

Building on your Specialist Route Skills, you’ll continue to develop skills that prepare you for a career in today’s electronic music industry. Through your advanced skills labs, you’ll explore composition for film, television and other media, alongside the creative and technical techniques behind DJing and remixing using industry-standard hardware and software. As you build a portfolio of professional work, you’ll apply your skills across a range of real-world contexts and develop the critical understanding needed to thrive as a versatile electronic music producer.

Skills Units

SKU-PRO-05 Sound Design 2: Instrument Design 

This Skills Unit allows students to design and/or adapt their own instruments with a focus on Sound Design. Looking at virtual software instrument development platforms such as Reaktor and circuit bending within hardware.

SKU-PRO-07 Creative Mixing

Building on skills and knowledge gained in the Mixing Fundamentals Skills Unit, this course explores the creativity that emerges from breaking the rules and pushing recording and mixing equipment beyond its sensible limits. Here, you can explore creative approaches and processes as applied to mixing and begin to develop a unique sound as a producer.

SKU-PRO-08 Acoustics

Description: Acoustics crosses over into many audio applications and industries. Getting the best out of your control room, monitoring, live room recording, and other acoustic spaces is one of the many ways that a deeper understanding of acoustics can help.

SKU-CAC-07 Composition For Film, TV & Media

This skills unit will allow students to explore advanced songwriting techniques across different musical styles and genres. Topics such as free writing, melodic math, song-mapping & advanced arrangement techniques will be covered.

SKU-PRO-11 DJ & Remixing

With electronic music dominating the commercial charts and artists relying heavily on live performances for financial stability, DJing is a great way for electronic producers to get a handle on live performance. This unit will cover all the essential and fundamental information needed in order to successfully incorporate DJing on industry-standard equipment into a live performance scenario.

This Skills Unit looks at DJs and remixers within production. Utilising both hardware and software to develop DJ mixing skills and how the use of cue points, loops and stem mixing can link to the production techniques used within remix production.

Modules 

CIF – 501 – Specialist Collaborative Work

This module allows you to apply your production skills within ambitious, cross-disciplinary creative projects. Working alongside students from across the music degree, you’ll respond to industry-inspired briefs, taking on the role of the producer to shape recordings and contribute your technical expertise to collaborative outcomes. Along the way, you’ll be strengthening your project management, communication and creative problem-solving skills.

CIF – 502 – Professional Collaborative Work

You’ll take your collaborative experience into a professional context by delivering a major project that reflects the realities of the music industry. Working with students across the course, you’ll apply your production expertise to help realise ambitious creative work, managing technical and creative challenges and developing the confidence, adaptability and professional mindset needed to succeed as a producer in today’s collaborative creative industries.

CIF – 503 – Specialist Route Skills 

Refine the skills needed to produce professional recordings in collaborative studio environments. Through specialist skills labs, you’ll develop your ability to direct artists and musicians in the studio, strengthen your creative mixing techniques and explore the principles of acoustics to achieve the best recording and mixing results. Combining advanced technical practice with critical reflection, you’ll build the confidence, creativity and professional understanding required to deliver industry-ready productions.

CIF – 504 – Professional Route Skills 

Building on your Specialist Route Skills, you’ll expand your production expertise by applying your skills to a range of professional recording and live sound environments. Through advanced skills labs, you’ll gain experience in live sound engineering, learning how to adapt studio techniques for front-of-house and monitoring mixing, whilst developing advanced ensemble recording skills across a variety of musical settings. Through building a portfolio of professional work, you’ll demonstrate the technical ability, adaptability and critical thinking needed to succeed across the modern music production industry.

Skills Units

SKU-PRO-06 Musical Directing and Studio Craft

Every Producer working in a studio environment at some stage will work with other Artists. This Skills Unit links Production students to Musicians with a focus on communication & collaboration. Getting the best performance from an Artist, while also managing the technical responsibilities in the studio, is a skill set that prepares the students for the Industry.

SKU-PRO-07 Creative Mixing

Building on skills and knowledge gained in the Mixing Fundamentals Skills Unit, this course explores the creativity that emerges from breaking the rules and pushing recording and mixing equipment beyond its sensible limits. Here, you can explore creative approaches and processes as applied to mixing and begin to develop a unique sound as a producer.

SKU-PRO-08 Acoustics

Acoustics crosses over into many audio applications and industries. Getting the best out of your control room, monitoring, live room recording, and other acoustic spaces is one of the many ways that a deeper understanding of acoustics can help.

SKU-PRO-10 Live Sound Engineering

The Live Sound industry is directly linked to Music Production. This Skills Unit will enable students to understand how their mixes can translate across to venues’ PA systems. Giving the opportunities to learn new skills used by Live Sound Engineers within setup, monitors, and Front of House, and previous technical knowledge can be adapted from Studio Production to work in a live environment.

SKU-PRO-12 Ensemble Recording

Recording an ensemble of instruments is a skill used across numerous genres. Working with the acoustic space and how this interacts with the musicians, this Skills Unit enables students to enhance their recording skills by working with instruments within ensembles such as String Quartets, Jazz bands, and grouped or choir vocals.

Modules

CIF – 601 – Critical Review Preparation

Prepare for your dissertation by developing the research, analysis and critical thinking skills needed to investigate contemporary issues in music production. You’ll explore current debates, technologies and professional practice whilst learning how to evaluate sources, develop research questions and construct evidence-based arguments. This module will provide the foundation for independent research, helping you identify a topic that reflects your interests and future career ambitions.

CIF – 601 – Critical Review 

Undertake an independent research project exploring an area of music production that matters to you. Whether investigating emerging production technologies, creative practice, industry trends, studio workflows, or the wider social and cultural impact of music, you’ll critically evaluate contemporary issues using academic research and professional evidence. You’ll produce a substantial piece of work that demonstrates your ability to think critically, conduct independent research and contribute to conversations shaping the future of music production.

CIF – 603 – Leadership and CPD

Prepare for life beyond your studies by developing the advanced technical skills and professional mindset expected of today’s electronic music producers. Through specialist Skills Labs, you’ll explore merging performance technologies and how they are transforming live electronic music, whilst mastering the techniques used to prepare music for commercial release across digital, streaming and physical formats. Alongside building a personal development plan, you’ll reflect on your strengths and develop your leadership skills.

CIF – 602 – Leading a Professional Collaborative Project

Bring together everything you’ve learned throughout your degree in your final major collaborative project that showcases your skills as an electronic music producer. Taking a leading role within an interdisciplinary team, you’ll manage the creative and technical demands of delivering a professional standard body of work. Supported by specialised Skills Labs in immersive audio and industry practice, you’ll explore cutting-edge production formats and the professional knowledge to support the launch of your career in the music industry.

CIF – 604 – Professional Portfolio 

You’ll prepare to launch your career by creating a professional portfolio that showcases your skills, creativity and technical expertise as a music producer. In this module, you’ll curate your best work to develop a strong digital presence that reflects your creative identity.

Skills Units

SKU-PRO-13 Performance & Technology

Through case studies and hands-on demonstrations, this Skills Unit explores cutting-edge technologies, their application within live music performance, and technology’s ability to enhance the music production process.

SKU-PRO-15 Mastering

Mastering is the final stage of any audio production. This Skills Unit allows students to advance their mastering skills, using both software & hardware. As Digital Distribution continually evolves, keeping up to date with the latest formats and specifications is important. From vinyl, CD, and digital mastering, the students will learn the skills to finalise their own music within Industry standards.

SKU-PRO-20 Immersive Audio

Immersive sound and music have been a staple of digital media for decades, experienced mostly in modern cinemas. As the wider music industry begins to embrace immersive formats offered across all major music streaming platforms, this skills unit offers students the opportunity to learn about immersive recording and mixing. The course covers contemporary formats such as Dolby Atmos and Ambisonics and teaches the techniques and processes associated with building immersive listening experiences.

SKU-PRO-21 Navigating Industry

This Skills Unit is designed to link students to the working Industry, preparing them for their chosen areas of expertise and how to adapt and use their specialism within the workplace.

Modules

CIF – 601 – Critical Review Preparation

Prepare for your dissertation by developing the research, analysis and critical thinking skills needed to investigate contemporary issues in music production. You’ll explore current debates, technologies and professional practice whilst learning how to evaluate sources, develop research questions and construct evidence-based arguments. This module will provide the foundation for independent research, helping you identify a topic that reflects your interests and future career ambitions.

CIF – 601 – Critical Review 

Undertake an independent research project exploring an area of music production that matters to you. Whether investigating emerging production technologies, creative practice, industry trends, studio workflows, or the wider social and cultural impact of music, you’ll critically evaluate contemporary issues using academic research and professional evidence. You’ll produce a substantial piece of work that demonstrates your ability to think critically, conduct independent research and contribute to conversations shaping the future of music production.

CIF – 603 – Leadership and CPD

Prepare for life beyond your studies by developing the advanced technical skills and professional mindset expected of today’s contemporary music producers. Through specialist Skills Labs, you’ll explore arrangement and orchestration techniques to epand your productions, alongside advanced mastering skills that prepare music for release across today’s distribution platforms. As you refine your technical expertise, you’ll reflect on your strengths and develop your leadership skills.

CIF – 602 – Leading a Professional Collaborative Project

Bring together everything you’ve learned throughout your degree in your final major collaborative project that showcases your skills as a contemporary music producer. Taking a leading role within an interdisciplinary team, you’ll manage the creative and technical demands of delivering a professional standard body of work. Supported by specialised Skills Labs in immersive audio and industry practice, you’ll explore cutting-edge production formats and the professional knowledge to support the launch of your career in the music industry.

CIF – 604 – Professional Portfolio 

You’ll prepare to launch your career by creating a professional portfolio that showcases your skills, creativity and technical expertise as a music producer. In this module, you’ll curate your best work to develop a strong digital presence that reflects your creative identity.

Skills Units

SKU-PRO-14 Arrangement & Orchestration

This Skills Unit focuses on the arrangement & orchestration techniques used by Producers. Taking a song in its basic format and being able to expand its instrumentation is a valuable skill. Linking to previous work with Ensembles, the students will work with a variety of music & instruments to understand how they can be arranged within their productions.

SKU-PRO-15 Mastering

Mastering is the final stage of any audio production. This Skills Unit allows students to advance their mastering skills, using both software & hardware. As Digital Distribution continually evolves, keeping up to date with the latest formats and specifications is important. From vinyl, CD, and digital mastering, the students will learn the skills to finalise their own music within Industry standards.

SKU-PRO-20 Immersive Audio

Immersive sound and music have been a staple of digital media for decades, experienced mostly in modern cinemas. As the wider music industry begins to embrace immersive formats offered across all major music streaming platforms, this skills unit offers students the opportunity to learn about immersive recording and mixing. The course covers contemporary formats such as Dolby Atmos and Ambisonics and teaches the techniques and processes associated with building immersive listening experiences.

SKU-PRO-21 Navigating Industry

This Skills Unit is designed to link students to the working Industry, preparing them for their chosen areas of expertise and how to adapt and use their specialism within the workplace.

CIF – 701 – Professional Practice Frameworks

Develop the professional expertise expected of senior practitioners in the music production industry. You’ll critically evaluate your own creative practice, reflect on your professional experiences and benchmark your skills against recognised industry standards. This module helps you strengthen your credentials and prepare for leadership roles within the evolving music industry.

CIF – 702 – Applied research 

Undertake an in-depth research project centred on an area of music production that aligns with your professional ambitions. Whether developing an advanced creative portfolio, investigating emerging production technologies or exploring innovative studio practice, you’ll combine rigorous academic research with specialist practice to produce a substantial body of work that reflects your expertise and individual interests.

CIF – 703 – Ideas into action 

Transform ambitious ideas into professionally realised projects. From initial concept through to delivery, you’ll refine your practice whilst building the organisational and entrepreneurial skills required to deliver projects in professional environments.

CIF – 704 – Making connections 

Success in the music industry is built on relationships as much as talent. This module helps you expand your professional network by connecting with industry practitioners, creative organisations, community partners and potential collaborators. You’ll develop the confidence to build meaningful professional relationships, identify new opportunities and position yourself within the wider music industry.

Advanced Music Production Skills Labs

Alongside your postgraduate studies, you’ll have access to advanced Music Production Skills Labs each term, allowing you to further develop your specialist technical expertise. These practical sessions allow you to explore emerging production techniques, refine your creative practice and encourage you to experiment with new technologies, ensuring your skills remain aligned with the latest developments in the music industry.