BSc (Hons) Entrepreneurial Audio Production.

A unique audio production degree that combines three disciplines: music production, sound for visual media, and games audio. You will learn the skills needed to pursue a career in any area of audio, and acquire the adaptability required to succeed in the ever-changing audio industry.

Audio Production taking place in Spirit Studios' S6 Suite

Overview

This course will teach you the skills you need to be a successful audio engineer in music, film, television, and games. You will learn how to use industry-standard technology to record, edit, mix, and master audio for songs, films, television shows, video games, and other media. You will also learn about the creative and technical aspects of audio engineering, and you will have the opportunity to work on real-world projects.

Whether you want to pursue a career in post-production, mastering, studio recording, or collaborating with other producers and musicians, we can help you achieve your goals through industry-leading instruction. You will develop the skills and confidence to work in a variety of disciplines. We will creatively develop your approach to creating sound for a variety of media, including film, visual performance, games, TV, and streaming services.

This course is designed to help you turn your passion for audio into a thriving career. It will teach you the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in the audio production industry, including entrepreneurial skills. Each module is focused on your professional development, so you can be prepared for the future of audio production.

Key info

  • Qualification: BSc (Hons) Entrepreneurial Audio 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:

    Entrepreneurial Audio Production (Course code: W391)
  • Location:

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

Awarded by

 thumbnail

Have any questions or would like to tour our studios? Get in touch

Features and Benefits

Gain a unique combination of skills icon

Gain a unique combination of skills

Our Entrepreneurial Audio Production course offers a unique combination of skills across a range of disciplines. You’ll develop sound for games, TV, film, and produce tracks in the studio. This course in particular emphasises the need to be multi-skilled and adaptable to a range of opportunities throughout the entirety of your career.

Diverse studio access icon

Diverse studio access

The diversity of our course gives you access to a broad range of facilities. With 10 recording studios, a live venue, and other production suites, we are packed with industry-standard equipment that you will encounter across every stage of your career.

Career based modules icon

Career based modules

During your three years with us, you will be introduced to a variety of pathways into industry through career-focused modules and placements. The course will give you a cross-section of technical and soft skills needed for careers in the studio, games, or sound for film, TV, and visual media. As we are based in the heart of Manchester, you will have easy access to the city’s industry-leading studios, media organisations and games development companies.

Hands-on learning icon

Hands-on learning

You will engage with audio production through practical, hands-on sessions. Whether you are mixing tracks in one of our state-of-the-art studios or working with immersive virtual environments, you will have the opportunity to learn by doing. This approach will give you the skills and experience you need to succeed in the audio production industry.

Hear from our programme leader

Programme leader sat behind a computer on a DAW with a mixing console around them.
Our open days are a great opportunity to find out what life as a Spirit Studios student is like 23 Mar

Our next Open Day

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.

Book your place

BSc (Hons) Entrepreneurial Audio Production course 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 Entrepreneurial Audio Production:

Year 1

This module will introduce you to a professional studio environment and help you develop the key skills essential to recording good quality audio. You will learn about signal flow and gain structure, microphone placement, and using mixing consoles. You will also explore methods of recording different sound sources and the psychology of working effectively with artists in a studio environment. By the end of this module, you will be able to record high-quality audio in a professional setting and collaborate effectively with artists and clients.

Assessment: Signal path test and recording project. 20 credits.

This module will teach you everything you need to know to set up a professional-grade project studio. You will learn about computer specifications, hardware and interfaces, software choices, monitor options and placement, acoustic treatment, compatibility issues, costing, and the essential principles of sound propagation. By the end of this module, you will be able to set up a project studio that meets your needs and budget, and you will have a solid understanding of the principles of audio production.

Assessment: Studio planning portfolio. 20 credits.

This module introduces you to music sequencing software and creative composition techniques. It encourages you to experiment with a range of music technologies to produce a personal portfolio of compositions. The module includes training on virtual instruments, synthesis, and sampling, as well as basic music theory knowledge. This will help you realise your creative potential and develop intellectual property in your own distinctive style.

Assessment: Portfolio and essay. 40 credits.

Through this continuing professional development module, you will develop key entrepreneurial skills, and a professional portfolio or show reel. You will also learn essential academic writing and presentation skills that you will use throughout your studies and in your future career as a creative professional.

Assessment: Group presentation and CPD portfolio. 20 credits.

This module introduces students to the concepts and workflows of audio post-production for visual media. Students will learn about Foley, sound design, synchronisation, encoding formats, and a range of production techniques. They will also learn how to work to a specific brief and within the time constraints and deadlines typical of the industry.

Assessment: Sound design project. 20 credits.

Year 2

This module will teach you how to enhance compositions and audio productions using a wide range of industry-standard mixing and audio manipulation techniques. You will learn how to use dynamic controllers, EQ, time-based effects, timing and pitch correction tools, as well as arrangement, compilation, and remixing techniques. You will work with a combination of your own compositions and material provided by your tutor to learn how to apply these techniques to achieve a distinctive and genre-appropriate style.

Assessment: Portfolio. 40 credits.

Building on the skills and knowledge you have already acquired, this module will help you develop essential skills for the production of a complete soundscape for a moving image. You will learn about tracklaying, automated dialogue replacement, surround mixing, advanced Foley practices, the use of sound effects, and audio repair techniques.

Assessment: Soundscape project and presentation. 20 credits.

This module will teach you the skills and workflows involved in designing sound for games. You will learn how to create interactive audio that is both engaging and immersive, using cues and loopable audio assets to build mood and suspense in gameplay. You will also learn how to implement your audio in industry-standard game engine platforms, and explore how audio design differs between game genres.

Assessment: Game audio portfolio. 20 credits.

As part of your own career development, you will undertake a period of work placement or professional engagement in the industry, with support from your tutor. Before embarking on your placement, you will learn about professional standards and key skills required for industry success as an audio professional.

Assessment: Work placement and CPD portfolio. 40 credits.

Year 3

In this module, you will take your recording and mixing skills to the next level. You will learn how to use advanced mixing consoles and audio equipment to enhance compositions in a large-format studio environment, record complex sound sources like ensembles and choirs, practice field recording, and develop professional mixing techniques and workflows. You will also improve your analytical skills with critical listening and produce a project that showcases your individual style and innovation.

Assessment: Recording and mixing project. 20 credits.

Through this module you will develop your skills in a wide range of mastering techniques, and help you create professional-sounding masters that are suitable for a variety of listening platforms. You will learn how to use EQ, compression, and limiting to achieve the desired tonal balance, loudness, and impact, without compromising the dynamics of the mix. You will also learn how to compile a complete production master to professional standards.

Assessment: Mastering portfolio. 20 credits.

In this module you will embrace industry standards and conventions for preparing professional audio for visual media. With a focus on new and emerging formats, immersive audio, cinema loudness standards, and broadcast conventions, you will learn how to work on a range of formats and post-production techniques, mixing your project to commercial standards.

Assessment: Project. 20 credits.

In this module you will explore interactive spatial audio in games and the production techniques used to embed and trigger interactive audio content. You will develop further skills in implementing audio for games, including an understanding of middleware, and gain valuable professional experience in managing your workflows, presentations, and creative justifications.

Assessment: Portfolio. 20 credits.

In this module you will expose you to the range of career opportunities in the creative industries, which will help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in your chosen field. You will learn about the different types of businesses that operate in the music and audio industries, and how they function. You will also gain key skills in entrepreneurship, self-employment, professionalism, and employability. By undertaking a personal project, you will have the opportunity to put your skills into practice and prepare for a career in the music and audio industries.

Assessment: CPD project and viva voce. 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 professional.

What careers will BSc (Hons) Entrepreneurial Audio Production prepare me for?

  • ADR Mixer
  • Artist
  • Audio Director
  • Audio Editor
  • Audio-Visual Technician
  • Composer
  • Dubbing Mixer
  • Educator
  • Foley Artist
  • Game Audio Engineer
  • Mastering Engineer
  • Mixing Engineer
  • Music Editor
  • Music Producer
  • Music Production Coordinator
  • Recording Engineer
  • Recording Studio Manager
  • Remixer
  • Sound Designer
  • Sound Editor
  • Sound Engineer
  • Sound Technician
  • Studio Engineer

Your tutors

Steve Boyce-Buckley

Steve Boyce-Buckley

Tutor

Steve is a professional recording engineer, producer, arranger and classically trained musician with over 4 decades of industry experience.

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
Lewis Jones

Lewis Jones

Tutor

As a Spirit Studios veteran, Lewis has taught on a number of our courses and outreach programmes. As a professional sound engineer and producer, his career has seen him travel the world.

Lewis has previously worked with:

  • MIKA
  • Travis
  • Andy Gangadeen
  • Lonelady
  • Seafret
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.

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.

Paul Maunder

Paul Maunder

Tutor

Paul Maunder is a sound engineer who primarily works in making audio for visual media such as corporate videos and TV programmes.

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:

    Entrepreneurial Audio Production (Course code: W391)
  • Location:

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

Any questions? Speak to one of our course advisors

Business man

If you have any questions about this course, your application or if you'd like to arrange a tour of Spirit Studios, please get in touch on: