BA (Hons) Music Production.

With our music production degree, you'll learn the art of composing, arranging, recording and mixing tracks for a range of different media. You'll also develop a clear and professional presence for yourself as a music producer. With unrivalled industry expertise, studio access, and the freedom to explore your favourite music genres, Spirit Studios is a great option to achieve your degree in Music Production.

Music production student using the Neve VR console in Spirit Studio

Music Production Degree Overview

BA (Hons) Music Production will provide you with the tools and expertise to become an invaluable music producer in every studio you encounter. From composing and arranging, to mixing and mastering, you’ll cover all the creative and technical aspects of the music production process. Working to industry standard briefs in our state-of-the-art studios, you’ll gain the skills to bring your creative ideas to life.

Whatever your preferred style, you’ll have the freedom to experiment, refine your skills, and grow as a producer. Creating tracks for a range of different media, you’ll graduate with a fully developed portfolio that demonstrates your distinct sound and expertise. Benefiting from industry focused teaching, you’ll also learn how the music business works and refine a clear professional presence for yourself. 

If you have a passion for making music – and overseeing its complete creative process – then this music production degree is right for you.

Key info

  • Qualification: BA (Hons) Music Production
  • Duration: 3 years full-time or 5 years part-time
  • Start date: 16 September 2024
  • Fees: £9,250 per year
  • Entry Requirements: A minimum of 64 UCAS points at A2 or equivalent. Find out more

UCAS info for this course

  • University/college name:

    University of Central Lancashire (Institute code: C30)
  • Course:

    Music Production (Course code: W37W)
  • Location:

    Spirit Studios (Campus code: Z)
View course on ucas.com More info for applicants

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Benefits of studying a BA Music Production Degree with Spirit Studios

A versatile approach to your learning icon

A versatile approach to your learning

You’ll gain both analogue and digital expertise, allowing you to comfortably adapt to any studio you encounter. This ensures you leave us with a clear and professional presence as a music producer, with a well-established creative voice.

Work across all styles and genres icon

Work across all styles and genres

Whether you make acoustic or electronic music, house, folk or metal, this course offers opportunities to learn creative and technical skills to take your craft to the next level.

Freedom to let your creativity flourish icon

Freedom to let your creativity flourish

You’ll have enviable access to a range of recording studios and equipment, allowing you to experiment and push your musical style to its full potential. Distinct from other disciplines, this programme focuses upon the studio as a creative environment. Not only are you provided with technical insights into sound production and engineering, you’ll explore the artistry of creating music in the studio.

You'll apply your skills to film and game icon

You'll apply your skills to film and game

With modules dedicated to sound design and composition for moving image, you’re given the opportunity to develop skills applicable across the music industry and beyond. Career focused skills are integrated into all levels of the programme to give you the building blocks to launch a successful career.

Hear from our programme leader

Video thumbnail of video of course leader describing the BA Hons Music Production Course
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Saturday 23 March 12PM-4PM

Open Days are a great opportunity to find out more about our courses, meet our expert tutors and see our facilities in action. They're the perfect introduction to student life.

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BA (Hons) Music Production details

All of our courses are constantly evolving to ensure teaching and learning remain relevant and up to date. Here is the latest example of the curriculum for Music Production:

Year 1

Through the study of a diverse range of practitioners and their work, you’ll explore creative techniques used in both composition and arrangement across different styles and genres of music. This module will allow you to gain inspiration from established producers, encourage you to explore alternative methods of creating sound, and help you to build up a portfolio of original and professional compositions.

Assessment: Portfolios of original compositions for a range of songwriting and composition styles. 40 credits.

Developing your skills in recording, editing, and mixing, this module will give you a key understanding of different microphone types and techniques. You’ll also be introduced to factors affecting the recording process in either a live or location based setting. Through practical experimentation in the studios, you’ll then learn to assess the needs of individual recording sessions and how to use your skills to your advantage.

Assessment: Ensemble recording and report, Location recording and report. 40 credits.

Through the analysis of online presence throughout the industry, this module will introduce you to the importance of effective self-representation and the creation of both original and targeted content to build a significant following. You’ll also gain skills in branding, social media marketing and web-design, allowing you to develop a clear presence for yourself as a producer.

Assessment: Essay, a marketing presentation and website portfolio. 40 credits.

Year 2

Through further experimentation in the studios, you’ll build on your recording skills while also learning to effectively use both analogue and digital methods at different stages during the production process to enhance your final mix. You’ll also study mastering and editing techniques, whilst continuously reflecting on your work to develop a deeper understanding of your role as an engineer and producer.

Assessment: Recording project and report as well as both an analogue and digital mix. 40 credits.

Introducing you to the world of sound design, you’ll develop your creative skills in composition and learn to create music for a range of media before presenting your work as an installation of both audio and video assets. Through the research of standard industry practices in this field, practical experimentation with synthesis, Foley, and sound effects creation, you’ll build up a significant library of assets suitable for use in music, film, and games applications.

Assessment: Sound design and installation presentation. 40 credits.

By developing original compositions and working with existing materials to create an effective remix, this module encourages you to blur the lines between composer and producer while taking both a creative and functional view of your work.

Assessment: Original compositions that highlight different core skills such as production and remixing. 20 credits.

Working to a real-world client brief, you’ll develop a clear strategy to achieve the goals and requirements of the commissioning client. Assignments in this module will encourage you to think critically about your work, and use the skills and knowledge you’ve gained across other modules to create a professional product that meets specific criteria.

Assessment: Client based production and follow-up presentation. 20 credits.

Year 3

Guided by your individual tastes and interests, this module will inspire you to think about your approach to composition differently. Focusing on synthesis and innovative techniques, you’ll apply creative strategies to generate original tracks, evaluate their success, and present them as a finished piece, thinking critically about your techniques throughout.

Assessment: Creative composition and follow-up presentation. 20 credits.

Now confident in the running of recording and mixing sessions in the studios, you’ll have the freedom to fit the content of this module to your specific working needs. Focusing on the further development of your skills and the refinement of your workflows, you’ll produce recordings to a professional standard, applying advanced mixing and mastering techniques in our state-of-the-art studios.

Assessment: Recording and report. 20 credits.

Exposing you to a variety of career opportunities, you’ll gain a range of key skills relevant to entrepreneurship and self-employment. Concentrating on preparing you for work as soon as you graduate, this module will help you understand how different businesses function in the music and audio industries, and how you can find your place within it.

Assessment: Proposal and portfolio. 40 credits.

This is when you test out everything you’ve learned over the course of your degree as you take your work to the public. Throughout this module, you’ll create an original project to a high professional standard, whilst planning and managing its launch into the public domain. Focusing purely on your own creative goals, you can take your work in this module to a whole new level, making your first steps into the industry as a professional producer/engineer.

Assessment: Major project and archive. 40 credits.

Teaching and Learning

Teaching takes place in a variety of formats including lectures, workshops, demonstrations, peer reviews and one-to-one tutorial support. Our aim throughout is to encourage your creative exploration and hone your technical skills, all so you’ll leave us as a confident, independent and practically minded professional.

What careers will BA (Hons) Music Production prepare me for?

  • ADR Mixer
  • Artist
  • Audio Editor
  • Audio-Visual Technician
  • Boom Operator
  • Composer
  • Digital Content Creator
  • DIY Label Manager
  • DJ
  • Dubbing Mixer
  • Educator
  • Foley Artist
  • Game Audio Engineer
  • Mastering Engineer
  • Mixing Engineer
  • Music Editor
  • Music Journalist
  • Music Producer
  • Music Production Coordinator
  • Radio Broadcast Engineer
  • Radio DJ
  • Recording Engineer
  • Recording Studio Manager
  • Session Musician
  • Songwriter
  • Sound Artist
  • Sound Designer
  • Sound Editor
  • Sound Engineer
  • Sound Technician
  • Studio Engineer
  • Composer for Moving Image

Your tutors

Jonathan Radford

Jonathan Radford

Programme Leader

Jon is a producer, label manager, DJ and promoter who has over a decade of experience within the industry and has released five albums under the alias Diesler.

Dan Valentine

Dan Valentine

Programme Leader

Dan is an electronic musician and producer whose work has seen him release music on Manchester's Modern Love imprint, receiving support from the likes of Mixmag, RA, Björk and Bicep.

He has performed at:

  • Berghain
  • Boiler Room
  • Village Underground
  • NTS Radio
  • Golden Pudel
  • Cafe Oto
Mark Winterburn

Mark Winterburn

Tutor

Mark is producer and sound engineer who has worked on UK number one and Mercury nominated singles. He joined Spirit as a student and has returned as a tutor after a successful commercial career.

He has worked with:

  • Sylvia Massy
  • Plan B
  • James Arthur
  • 5 Seconds Of Summer
  • Cassia
Josh Horsley

Josh Horsley

Programme Leader

Josh is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer whose work explores temporality within music. His main focus is the sonic arts, and often uses architecture, film and design for inspiration.

Rob Mullender-Ross

Rob Mullender-Ross

Tutor

Rob is an industry professional and well experienced lecturer, teaching the subject of sonic art around the country.

Al Atcheson

Al Atcheson

Tutor

Al is a producer and sound engineer who teaches a wide variety of modules here at Spirit, allowing him to share his expertise with his students.

Liam Peacock

Liam Peacock

Tutor

Liam is a soundtrack composer who has worked on creating music for film, television, games and animation.

He has previously worked with:

  • Orb Soundwerx
  • The BBC
Stuart Avery

Stuart Avery

Tutor

Stuart is a studio/mastering engineer who is heavily involved in the Manchester scene. As an experienced producer, promoter and events organiser, he's been a key player in the city's cultural output.

Stuart has worked with:

  • Blossoms
  • Badly Drawn Boy
  • KiD BRiTiSH
  • Orchids
  • The Irrepressibles
Brandon Nightingale

Brandon Nightingale

Tutor

Brandon is a music producer with many talents such as DJing, graphic design and occasional filmmaking.

Rick Jupp

Rick Jupp

Tutor

As a former member for the band Elbow, Rick has spent many years touring the world as a professional musician.

Our studios are your classroom

With ten recording and mixing studios, a live venue, DJ booths, edit suites and more, our facilities are one of the main reasons students choose to study with us year after year.

Take a tour
Native Instrument and Avid controllers in S3 Suite

Entry requirements

  • 64 UCAS points at A2 or equivalent
  • Grade 4 or above in GCSE Maths and English

A minimum of 64 UCAS points at A2 or equivalent. You should also have achieved Grade 4 or above in GCSE Maths and English, or an equivalent (UK equivalents include key skills level 3 or functional skills level 2). If you are an international applicant you must have UK settled status in order to study on our degree courses. Non-native English speakers require IELTS: 6.0 with no component lower than 5.5.

Fees and funding

  • £9,250 per year (full-time)
  • £1,540 per 20 credit module (part-time)

Tuition fees for all our undergraduate courses are eligible for government funding through Student Finance England, subject to a successful application.

More info on fees and finance

How to apply

UK-based university applications are made through UCAS. You’ll need to register via ucas.com to create an application. You can then add this course as a choice to your application using the following information:

  • University/college name:

    University of Central Lancashire (Institute code: C30)
  • Course:

    Music Production (Course code: W37W)
  • Location:

    Spirit Studios (Campus code: Z)
View course on ucas.com More info for applicants

Any questions? Speak to one of our course advisors

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