Music Technology Foundations

Week 1: Introduction to sound

• Understand what Music Technology is and how it’s evolved throughout history
• Understand how sound waves travel and how sound can be measured and recorded
• Explore the differences between the perception of sound and the physical properties of sound
• Apply techniques and processes to record sounds using common digital recording devices.

Week 2: Digital Audio

• Understand what audio is and the differences between analogue and digital audio
• Understand the basic elements of digital audio: storage media, file formats, bit depth, sample rates and how they affect audio quality
• Explore the use of digital audio editing software to clean up and edit digital audio samples.

Week 3: MIDI - The Musical Instrument Digital Interface

• Understand the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), its history and how MIDI is still used today
• Explore how MIDI represents music and the differences between MIDI sequencing and digital audio
• Learn how to create audio loops from sounds produced by a web-based drum machine.

Week 4: Synthesis

• Understand what synthesis is and who the pioneers were responsible for its creation
• Compare and understand the differences of Subtractive, Additive and Modulation Synthesis
• Develop techniques and processes to create new synthesised sounds using a web-based synthesiser.

Week 5: Effects and processing

• Understand how effects and processing can be used to change the qualities and attributes of sound
• Understand how audio effects were inspired by natural sound effects
• Explore the differences between analogue and digital effects
• Experiment with some of the built in effects found in digital audio editing software
• Develop and apply techniques to transform existing sounds into larger segments.

Week 6: Pulling it all together

• Explore a range of methods and techniques used to create different styles of music
• Develop skills to perform multi-tracking using digital audio editing software
• Apply methods and techniques learnt throughout the course to create a 1 – 2 minute audio track.