BA (Hons) Creative Music for Games and Interactive Media

Program Overview

The Creative Music Technology (Games and Interactive Media) BA (Hons) degree at Bath Spa University equips students with industry-standard skills in sound, music, and audio production for gaming and interactive media content. The program emphasizes sound design, music composition, dialogue recording and editing, and audio post-production, providing graduates with the necessary technical skills and creative freedom to succeed in the gaming audio industry.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

This degree is designed to equip students with industry-standard skills and confidence in sound, music, and audio production for gaming and interactive media content. The program focuses on developing skills in:

• Sound Design: Creating innovative sound effects, including Foley-studio style recording, synthesis, and location-specific sound capture.
• Music Composition: Exploring composition techniques ranging from traditional orchestration and arranging to more abstract, electronic, or urban production styles.
• Dialogue Recording and Editing: Learning voice recording and editing techniques, often used in conjunction with music composition.
• Audio Post-Production: Mastering skills in editing, processing, producing, and mixing audio content, with a strong emphasis on implementing this content into interactive game environments using industry-standard software (Middleware).

Outline:

Year One (Level 4):

• Foundation Building: Students explore and develop their existing creative activities alongside essential practical and interpretive skills.
• Core Topics: Modules cover audio recording and production, sound design, critical listening, and the relationship between music/sound and game/moving image.

Year Two (Level 5):

• Professional Development: Students attend high-level industry guest lectures, engage in collaborative opportunities with external professionals, and participate in an internship or industry placement.
• Technical Proficiency: Focus on developing technical competence in sound design and critical listening.
• Collaborative Project: Students work on a collaborative project with game designers from the Creative Computing (Games) course.

Year Three (Level 6):

• Specialization: Students choose specialized modules to align with their creative and professional aspirations.
• Interactive Audio and Game Design: Dedicated projects combine interactive audio and professional game design.
• Capstone Project: Students design, develop, and present a large-scale project, replacing the traditional dissertation.
• Professional Portfolio: Third-year assignments are designed to form the foundation of a professional portfolio, potentially used for public promotion.

Modules:

Year One (Level 4):

• Audio Recording: Fundamentals of audio recording techniques.
• Sound Design Exploration: Exploring various sound design approaches and techniques.
• Creative Practice: Developing creative skills and processes.
• Audio Production: Mastering audio production techniques.
• Applied Sound Design: Practical application of sound design principles.

Year Two (Level 5):

• Foundations of Audio Processing: Understanding the principles of audio processing.
• Sonic Art: Exploring the artistic potential of sound.
• Hyper Production Techniques: Advanced audio production techniques.
• Sound and Music Industries: Exploring the business and industry aspects of sound and music.
• Extended Realities: Exploring the use of sound in virtual and augmented reality.
• Experimental Audio Processing: Advanced experimental audio processing techniques.
• Professional Placement Year: Optional year for gaining professional experience.

Year Three (Level 6):

• Research Project: In-depth research and exploration of a specific topic.
• Interactive and Procedural Audio: Creating interactive and dynamic audio experiences.
• Sonic Signatures: Developing unique sonic identities.
• Independent Study: In-depth study of a chosen topic.
• Games Studio Sound: Specialized skills for creating sound for game studios.
• AudioVisual Performance: Exploring the intersection of sound and visual performance.
• Sonic Performance: Developing sonic performance skills.

Assessment:

• Coursework-Based: The majority of assessment is through coursework, with most assignments contributing to the development of a professional portfolio.
• Communication Skills: Emphasis on developing communication skills to discuss one's own work and the work of others.

Teaching:

• Diverse Methods: Teaching methods include lectures, music lab workshops, large and small group seminars, individual tutorials, online delivery, and self-directed study.
• Specialized Facilities: The majority of taught sessions take place in specialized music studios, audio suites, and fully-equipped computer labs, providing individual access to workstations with relevant software and audio materials.
• Additional Resources: Access to recording studios, comprehensive equipment hire system, and other facilities like the Commons building, Virtual Learning Environment, Newton Park library, Writing and Learning Centre, specialist resources, and subject librarian.
• Software and Technology: The program utilizes a wide range of industry-standard software and hardware, including ProTools, Logic Audio Pro, Ableton Live, Max/MSP, Waves bundles, Native Instrument suites, GRM tools, Lexicon reverbs, surround-sound encoders, modular synth components, and multimedia software.
• Equipment Loan System: Students can access a comprehensive equipment loan system for extended project work, including microphones, pre-amps, field recorders, monitors, and professional cameras with lighting.
• Focus on Transferable Skills: The program emphasizes transferable techniques, artistic approaches, and working practices to ensure students remain adaptable and competitive throughout their careers.

Careers:

• Industry Landscape: The industry landscape and opportunities are constantly evolving, with self-employment and entrepreneurship playing a significant role.
• Potential Career Paths:
• Audio Production
• Composition
• Sound Design
• Game Audio
• Audio Post Production
• Teaching/Education
• Audio/Mix Engineering
• Sound Recording/Foley-Studio Style Recording

Other:

• Adobe Creative Campus: Bath Spa University is one of only three Adobe Creative Campuses in the UK, providing students with access to the full Adobe Creative Suite.
• Global Citizenship Certificate: Full-time undergraduate students can apply for the Certificate in Global Citizenship, which provides global awareness and an international dimension to their student experience.
• Professional Placement Year: An optional placement year allows students to gain professional experience, typically comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months.
• Placement Portfolio: Upon returning from the placement year, students submit a Placement Portfolio detailing their development during the placement.

2024 entry Student Annual tuition fee UK full time £9,250 UK part time £4,625 International full time £16,905 Professional Placement Year During the placement year, the fee is reduced to 20% of the full time fee. This applies to UK and EU/International students. UK: £1,850 International: £3,381