Music Production Courses.
Whichever one of our creative music production courses you choose, you can expect to gain hands-on experience using the very latest equipment. Our expert tutors will help you build the skills and knowledge to utilise this technology and bring your musical ideas to life.
Browse courses
What is music production?
What defines a music producer and their involvement in the creative process varies from person to person. But generally, music production involves five key principles; composition, capture (recording), editing, mixing and mastering.
Producers are involved in the entire process of creating music and so there are a variety of pathways to choose from. During your studies in music production, you’ll become an expert in harmonisation, synthesis, music theory and sound mixing, as well as business strategy, networking and project management. The possibilities are endless.
Why study music production at Spirit Studios?
Our facilities can’t be beaten. When you embark on one of our music production courses, you’ll have enviable access to a range of recording studios, DJ booths and equipment, allowing you to experiment and push your musical style to its full potential. As a student on one of our music production courses, you’ll get to use some of the most revered audio equipment in the business. From a legendary Neve VR mixing console in an open-plan studio, to racks of hand-picked boutique outboard equipment and monitoring systems.
You’ll also have access to shelves crammed with instruments and sign-out equipment, including the latest Elektron synths, drum machines and samplers, Gibson and Fender guitars, and over 160 microphones.
What is the importance of the music producer?
Music producers play a huge role behind the scenes of the music business. As experts in recording, editing and publishing, they’re critical in overseeing the complete process of creating a track or album. Often considered the “doers”, they realise an artist’s creative vision, guiding their sound and taking their ideas to a whole new level.
Making music is a collaborative process: sharing views, experiences and creative ideas to make a more interesting product. Music producers are not only the technical leaders, but are the creative driving force whom artists turn to for inspiration.
What careers will a music production course prepare me for?
- ADR Mixer
- Artist
- Audio Editor
- Audio-Visual Technician
- Composer
- Compositior for Moving Image
- 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
- Remixer
- Session Musician
- Songwriter
- Sound Artist
- Sound Designer
- Sound Editor
- Sound Engineer
- Sound Technician
- Studio Engineer
Features and Benefits
Flexibility
Innovation and experimentation are our driving force and we celebrate a diverse range of approaches and traditions to making music. You’ll have complete freedom to explore your own creative interests, genres and styles when you choose one of our music production courses.
Enviable studio access
Students enjoy year-round access to purpose-built, state of the art facilities. Our studios, edit suites and live venue will become your second home. Whether you use Pro Tools, Logic Pro or Ableton Live we have all the DAW software you need for audio production, mixing and mastering
We're small in size
This allows us to stay agile, invest in the right kit and quickly reshape our courses to meet the skill needs of the fast-changing industry.
Portfolio led assessments
From your very first lesson right through to assessment hand-ins, your learning is hands-on. You won’t be sat in the back of a lecture hall, nor will you be asked to write essay after essay to achieve your degree in music production.
Our Music Production Courses
We offer a range of music production courses to suit your experience and study preferences, including music production degrees, evening-based industry courses and short courses. You can filter by course level below:
BA (Hons) Music Production
Duration:
3 years full-time or 5 years part-time
Key areas:
Creating, recording, mixing and mastering
BA (Hons) Electronic Music Production and Performance
Duration:
3 years full-time or 5 years part-time
Key areas:
Sequencing, sampling, producing and performing
BSc (Hons) Live Audio Engineering and Music Production
Duration:
3 years full-time or 5 years part-time
Key areas:
Sound-checking, monitoring, mixing and mastering
BSc (Hons) Entrepreneurial Audio Production
Duration:
3 years full-time or 5 years part-time
Key areas:
Composition, acoustic theory and post-production
BA (Hons) Music Production with Foundation Entry
Duration:
1 year full-time foundation course, followed by 3 years full-time degree course
Key areas:
Creating, recording, mixing and mastering
MA Music Production
Duration:
1 year
Key areas:
Research, portfolio creation, advanced mixing and mastering
Creative Music Production
Duration:
12 months
Key areas:
Creating, producing and publishing
Studio Production and Mastering
Duration:
12 months
Key areas:
Advanced recording, mixing and mastering
Sample into Sound
Duration:
5 days (non residential)
Key areas:
Sound engineering, music production and music business
PT101 Pro Tools Fundamentals I
Duration:
2 Days
Key areas:
Audio production, editing and mixing
PT110 Pro Tools Fundamentals II
Duration:
3 days
Key areas:
Recording, clip-based editing and mixing
PT201 Pro Tools Production I
Duration:
2 days
Key areas:
Submixing, automation and auditioning techniques
PT210M Pro Tools Production II (Music Production)
Duration:
3 days
Key areas:
Fine-tune automation, static automation and advanced MIDI production techniques
PT210P Pro Tools Production II (Post Production)
Duration:
3 days
Key areas:
Field recording, dialog editing and mixing audio to picture
PT301S6 Essential Pro Tools | S6 Mixing Techniques
Duration:
1 Day
Key areas:
Session management, system customization and expanded parameter control
PT310P Advanced Post Production Techniques
Duration:
4 days
Key areas:
Post production, sound design and Foley
In-Person One-to-one Tuition
Duration:
2+ hours
Key areas:
Previous students have studied areas such as DJ skills, mixing techniques, building a personal brand and more.
Online One-to-one Tuition
Duration:
2+ hours
Key areas:
Previous students have studied areas such post production techniques, DAW familiarisation, mixing techniques and more.
What to expect
As you progress through one of our music production courses, you can expect to move to a state of independence that is essential when forging your own career path. Our courses are designed to give you hands-on experience to ensure you leave us industry-ready.
Whether you want to create music for moving image, become a studio engineer, the next best DJ or a mixing god, our range of courses give you the freedom to explore these areas of interest within music technology and electronic music production. With a variety of specialist modules, each course covers the core practical skills needed to succeed as a music producer and bring your ideas to life.
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.
You'll cover topics and core modules such as
- Mixing and Mastering
- Composition and Arrangement
- Recording Techniques and Technologies
- Sound, Synthesis & Sampling
- Remixing and DJ performance
- Career Focus
Student successes
Orlagh Dooley
Andy Tomlinson
Holly Lester
Your tutors
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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
- Angy Gangadeen
- Lonelady
- Seafret
Brandon Nightingale
Tutor
Brandon is a music producer with many talents such as DJing, graphic design and occasional filmmaking.
Real opportunities
Our creative partnerships benefit our students by providing work experience and placements within the music production industry along with field trips, guest lectures, educational discounts and, of course, job opportunities
Why study with Spirit Studios?
Outstanding facilities
Industry connections
Proven results
Spirit +
Taught by industry-active experts
Community spirit
Interested in studying with us?
Click below to start your application, register for an open day or get in touch with any questions
News Stories
-
FeaturedFormer student, Zakk, nominated twice in DJ Mag’s ‘Best of British’ Awards 2022
Zakk, AKA Interplanetary Criminal, is in the running for Best Producer and Best Track.
Read more about Former student, Zakk, nominated twice in DJ Mag’s ‘Best of British’ Awards 2022
