This programme equips you with the practical techniques, theoretical knowledge, transferable skills and vocational experience required of a professional practitioner within the broad field of music production on a personal and professional level. As well as production skills, you’ll learn theoretical, compositional and transferable skills that will enhance your future employability within the music industry.

Year 1 (Level 4): The Creative Producer

Year one aims to develop your individual and team-based music production skills, prior to establishing collaborative relationships within the wider faculty. You will complete the year with a high proficiency in industry-standard tools and techniques, generating confidence and professional practice to take forward.

Creative Music Composition & Production – Release your artistic potential as a composer and producer.  From initial song sketches to finished compositions, you will evolve your portfolio through creative desktop production skills and a thorough technical training in both Logic Pro & Pro Tools digital audio workstations (DAWs). 

Critical Listening – Develop your critical and expert listening skills, enabling you to analyse audio like professional engineers and producers. 
Studio Production – Gain an understanding of recording and mixing techniques used in the production of recorded music and understand the role of producer/musician within the recording studio environment to maximise an artist’s potential. 

Music & Sound Essentials – Advance your theoretical knowledge and understanding of how melody, rhythm and harmony relate to popular music creation and analysis, and gain an understanding of the fundamental principles and underlying concepts relating to sound. 

Getting Plugged In – You will work in creative partnership with each other and with performance students on a short 6-week practical project that has a ‘real world’ industrial brief.   

Year 2 (Level 5): The Collaborative Producer

Throughout year two, the course is designed to stimulate interaction with students from other courses and disciplines to master essential collaboration skills required of the successful producer. You will work on projects with musicians, songwriters, singers, filmmakers and gamers.

Advanced Audio Production – Build upon your DAW skills and enhance your understanding of industry-standard software and hardware.  You will study synthesis, sequencing, sampling, editing, processing, mixing and remixing, as well as their creative application. You will also be introduced to immersive audio, and its application across the creative industries.  

Music & Sound for Media – Gain the technical and musical knowledge needed to begin composing music and designing sounds for film, video and related media. 

Artists Liaisons – Prepare yourself for a career in the creative industries through to the principles of effective communication and promotion.  Develop an ethos of professionalism as a music producer and artist.   

Music Industry Practice – Challenge your preconceptions of the producer’s role within the music industry. Learn how the industry functions, tackling royalties, contracts and intellectual copyright law, marketing, distribution and merchandising.  

Learning Through Employment (Option One) – Develop professional generic and subject skills through real world experience in the workplace. 

Minor Project: Working to a Brief (Option Two) – Create music/audio content of your own design to a professional standard, working to an industry-standard client brief.    

Year 3 (Level 6): The Professional Producer

The final year culminates in the development and creation of a unique creative Major Production Project that will generate a market-ready portfolio for you to take into industry. You will be encouraged to work collaboratively both within the faculty and for external clients under the guidance of a specialist USW supervisor.

Major Production Project (Live or Production) – Create a substantial body of high-quality portfolio work that expresses your ability and creative flair in your chosen field of specialism. Focus in on recognised industry-based roles and responsibilities.  Generate and evolve an innovative portfolio that reflects your professional skill and demonstrates this to industry standards.   

Remix Production – Learn and employ the relevant set of creative techniques, both technically and intellectually, to fully engage in the area of remix production. 

Professional Practitioner – Develop an advanced understanding and analysis of the industry practices and specifications involved in digital distribution for music release.  Advance your critical listening skills and foster the technical ability required to master music for release, incorporating a range of advanced production techniques. 

Industry Ready – Identify your responsibilities as a professional practitioner and put into practice the necessary level of research and development of business contacts that will enable the transition from education into the professional marketplace. Create and manage an achievable financial foundation to support a chosen career goal. 

Our teaching team is made up of music industry professionals and technical experts. BA Music Producing is tailored to reflect the realities of the modern music industry and gives you access to regular masterclasses, visits by special guest musicians & producers and industry networking events.

This course is assessed through coursework only, which takes the form of practical assessments, portfolio development, presentations and project work. Assessment is designed to support your learning and help you achieve your goals. There will be no examinations.