What is music technology? Music Technology is the study of both the scientific and creative elements involved in the production of recorded sound. The role of Music Technologists is constantly evolving with new developments in equipment and ever-increasing standards demanded by an industry driven by innovation. You will gain experience through completing projects to professional standards in studio environments, using and maintaining a variety of industry standard software & hardware; learning techniques for producing music using both audio and MIDI sequencing; manipulating and correcting audio using digital effects processors; and generating your own sounds through synthesis and sampling. Overview of the course By studying a BTEC in Music Technology you will gain skills and experience from a vocational course that is centred around practical project work. You will have the opportunity to be hands-on from the very start of the course and build a diverse portfolio of skills development that includes producing music using industry standard software such as Logic Pro and a suite of Native Instruments software, the use of outboard equipment such as mixers, signal processors and effects, as well as studying the theory that underpins these skills such as acoustics, psychoacoustics and digital signal processing techniques. In the first year you will study Unit 6: DAW Production: The digital audio workstation (DAW) has become the primary tool of much of contemporary modern music. With the right skills and knowledge, its power and accessibility allows you to create recordings of a similar standard to those heard in commercial studios, the quality and originality of which is only limited by your imagination. As well as its creative musical possibilities, a DAW can also be used for audio restoration and repair as well as for a wide range of multimedia sound work. This unit is externally assessed by a set task provided by the exam board and completed under supervised conditions. The supervised assessment period is 15 hours and arranged over three consecutive days. Unit 8: Creative Synthesis and Sampling: From behind banks of keyboards and tangles of cables, musicians have often explored the fundamentals of sound through electronic means. Stepping up from using pre-set sounds and tweaking and improving what you hear is a sure-fire way to help make your music stand out. Understanding the parameters that can be controlled and changed with the buttons and faders that feature on synthesisers and samplers opens up exciting possibilities of sound creation and manipulation. You will learn how to use synthesisers and samplers along with the language used to describe sound. From physical experiments on strings and pipes, through to analogue and digital electronics, you will look at how sound can be created, changed, bent and manufactured into anything a creative musician could hope for. Unit 10: Remixing and Reworking: The art of the remix is now firmly established in the musical mainstream, as well as continuing to be the favoured form of musical expression for the underground music scene. An effective remix can launch the career of a singer or band by capturing new audiences, broaden the career options for a talented DJ and provide the soundtrack to countless club nights around the world. In this unit, you will experiment with unique, creative digital audio workstation (DAW)-based techniques associated with remixing. The skills learned will enable you to manipulate music in highly technical and innovative ways, and you will create a portfolio of contrasting remixes and reworks using a wide range of creative audio and musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) sequencing techniques. In the second year you will study Unit 13: Mixing and Mastering Techniques: The audio mixing and mastering process is the crucial gateway between music creation and the end listener. It is the process by which raw recordings and song arrangements acquire their power and sheen to deliver the greatest impact to the consumer. The mixdown and mastering element of the music production process is where the sonic direction of a recorded performance is realised. In this unit, you will gain experience in mixing down and mastering multitrack digital audio workstation (DAW) projects. Unit 3 Music and Sound For Media: In this unit, you will explore a range of music and sound creation scenarios that might exist in a typical portfolio for someone working in the music industry. You will create and produce music for games, films and apps, as well as create original sounds, noises and effects to support interactivity and action. As the online media industry emerges, sound skills and roles are becoming increasingly important and in demand, for example audio engineers, foley artists and music editors. The skills you develop in this unit will help you to progress to employment in the music industry and to higher education.