BA (Hons) Electronic Music Production and Performance.

With our electronic music production course, you'll learn creative composition, artist collaboration, recording, mixing, branding and promotion. Build your career as an electronic music producer and performer.

Electronic Music Production student performing at Deaf Institute, Manchester

Course overview

From composition and artist collaborations, to recording, mixing, branding and promotion, this electronic music production degree covers all you need to build a career as an electronic music producer and performer.

During the course you’ll learn a variety of creative techniques, exploring current and emerging approaches within electronic music practice and performance. To help you become the artist and producer you want to be, you’ll investigate a wide variety of production values to ensure you’re able to confidently predict, control and maintain the momentum of every crowd you play to.

Whatever your preferred style, genre and digital audio workstation (DAW) you’ll have the freedom to develop your own sound under the guidance of our expert tutors. With access to a wide range of music technology and software – from Ableton, Elektron, iZotope, Native Instruments and more – you have the potential to experiment with your tracks like never before. 

If you’re excited about studying electronic music production, performing live sets and have the drive to take it full-time, this course is for you.

Key info

  • Qualification: BA (Hons) Electronic Music Production and Performance
  • Duration: 3 years full-time or 5 years part-time
  • Start date: 18 September 2023
  • 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:

    Electronic Music Production and Performance (Course code: W383)
  • Location:

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

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Features and Benefits

Live performance modules icon

Live performance modules

As part of your final project, you’ll have the opportunity to perform your sets in some of Manchester’s most iconic venues. Thanks to our city centre location and local connections, 2022 graduates performed in The Deaf Institute and Chapeltown Picture House.

Unrivalled studio time icon

Unrivalled studio time

As an electronic music production student you’ll be able to book studio time between 9am-10pm Monday to Friday, and 10am-6pm Saturday and Sunday. Our in-house technical support team are on hand throughout the day to provide one-to-one support should you need it.

Learn in our on-site venue icon

Learn in our on-site venue

Our 100 capacity venue is at your disposal. You’ll have lessons here, perform live and practice your sets ready for life as a professional electronic music producer and/or DJ.

Access to purpose-built DJ booths icon

Access to purpose-built DJ booths

Like all our other facilities, you can access the DJ booths throughout the academic year. These have pre-installed filming equipment ready for you to stream or record your sets.

Hear from our programme leader

Dan Valentine provides an overview of BA (Hons) Electronic Music Production and Performance:

Tutor at Spirit Studios showing how to edit a track channel in Logic.

BA (Hons) Electronic Music Production and Performance course details

The course module details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course to study.

Year 1

Introducing you to a range of music sequencing software and developing your creative skills across platforms, this module encourages you to experiment using a range of electronic music technologies. You’ll produce a personal portfolio of compositions that promotes your individual style and abilities.

Assessment: Portfolio of compositions and report. 40 credits.

Focusing on creative electronic music techniques using a range of performance tools, you’ll experiment to create original compositions before showcasing your work in our dedicated venue. Sessions will give you experience using Ableton Live along with a range of hardware, teaching you the skills needed to take your music live.

Assessment: Composition and performance. 40 credits

Introducing you to a professional studio environment, this module will help you to develop key skills in studio techniques and procedures using a wide range of equipment, while also helping you to gain an understanding of signal flow and gain structure in recording. This module will also help develop interpersonal and collaborative skills.

Assessment: Signal path test and portfolio. 20 credits.

Through the development of your critical listening and production skills, and focusing on relevant debates and issues surrounding electronic music & DJ culture, this module will give you both a practical and contextual insight into key changes, events and practitioners in the industry throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. This will help to develop your own understanding of the music you create while also advancing your research, analytical and practical skills, as well as your own career development.

Assessment: Presentation and essay. 20 credits.

Year 2

Introducing you to more advanced creative and technical skills in electronic music production, this module will help to develop your editing, mixing and remixing skills across various projects. Collaborating directly with a client or colleague, you’ll develop a portfolio of work that integrates audio processing hardware and software. You’ll showcase both pre and post-production skills as well as your ability to collaborate effectively.

Assessment: Portfolio and presentation. 40 credits.

Providing you with skills to create a sound library and software sampler collection, this module highlights the range of technical processes involved, considering the end user at all times. Through these sessions you’ll produce patches for pro-audio applications, gaining a clear understanding of the workflows involved and the process of developing encoded and compressed audio files for a sound library.

Assessment: Portfolio and presentation. 20 credits.

Encouraging you to collaborate with other musicians, this module explores your potential as an electronic musician within a larger composition and performance piece. You’ll develop technical and creative skills using controller technology and are encouraged to work independently in the studios, sourcing your own collaborative partners.

Assessment: A collaborative music performance and presentation. 20 credits.

In this module, you’ll have the freedom to explore an area of personal research which is relevant to your own interests and practice.

Assessment: Essay. 20 credits.

Working to an external 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 have gained across other modules to create a product that meets specific criteria.

Assessment: Portfolio and report. 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. You’ll be encouraged to think critically about your techniques throughout to further your technical abilities in electronic music production and mastering.

Assessment: Composition and presentation. 20 credits.

This is the time where you’ll test out everything you’ve learned during your degree as you take your work to the public. With tutor support, you’ll devise your own creative project to a highly 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, taking your first steps into the industry as a professional producer or engineer.

Assessment: Major project and archive. 40 credits.

Exposing you to the range of career opportunities across the creative industries, 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, portfolio and report. 40 credits.

Considering all performance aspects – from the audio and sound reinforcement, to the lighting and live projections – you’ll create, prepare and perform a live electronic music/DJ set, considering a range of approaches within emerging electronic music practice. Through this module, you’ll gain key practical skills in the preparation for creative sets that effectively represent your capabilities.

Assessment: Technical specification and live performance. 20 credits.

Teaching and learning

Teaching on this electronic music production course 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 BA (Hons) Electronic Music Production and Performance prepare me for?

  • ADR Mixer
  • Artist
  • Audio Editor
  • Audio-Visual Technician
  • Composer
  • Compositior for Moving Image
  • DJ
  • Event Manager
  • Mastering Engineer
  • Mixing Engineer
  • Music Editor
  • Music Producer
  • Music Production Coordinator
  • Radio Broadcast Engineer
  • Radio DJ
  • Recording Engineer
  • Recording Studio Manager
  • Songwriter
  • Sound Artist
  • Sound Designer
  • Sound Editor
  • Sound Engineer
  • Sound Technician
  • Studio Engineer

Your tutors

Tutors on our electronic music production course have a wealth of experience, with releases featured in MixMag and Resident Advisor and tracks being played live by the likes of Bicep and Bjork.  They’ll inspire and support you on your journey with us.

Josh Cullen

Josh Cullen

Tutor

Josh is a producer and musician who has toured extensively and produced audio for some high profile clients.

Josh has previously worked with:

  • Jagwar
  • Ray Lewis
  • Dom Major
  • Ravenface
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
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.

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.

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
Brandon Nightingale

Brandon Nightingale

Tutor

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

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.

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 electronic music production 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:

    Electronic Music Production and Performance (Course code: W383)
  • 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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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: