Electronic Music and Sound Production BA (Hons)

This unit will focus on developing your fundamental skills in sound recording in the studio and on location. Through hands-on sessions, students will learn the fundamentals of music theory, sound creation, field recording, and editing techniques using industry-standard tools like Pro Tools and Ableton Live. This unit offers a comprehensive foundation, blending technical and critical skills, to prepare students for their further study and work in the evolving landscape of electronic music and sound. Group critiques and listening exercises will sharpen your feedback and evaluation skills, while seminars in sound theory and reflective learning will build a deeper understanding of music’s role within cultural contexts.

40 credits

In this unit, you will explore and experiment with a wide range of techniques, materials, and media. You will explore the intricacies of sound and music for film, electronic composition, and advanced audio methods. You’ll engage with film sound workflows—such as location sound, foley, ADR, and SFX design—and develop expertise in composition techniques, including synthesis, sound editing, and 5.1 mixing. Hands-on workshops in Pro Tools and Ableton Live will enhance your digital audio workstation skills, with a focus on MIDI integration and intermediate production techniques. Lectures will deepen your understanding of ethical representation and diversity in electronic music and sound production, exploring socially engaged and sustainable practices across historical and contemporary contexts.

80 credits

The first week of each academic year is called Wayfinding week. It’s an opportunity get your bearings, establish new connections and, after your first year at Norwich, re-establish old ones. Your course team will talk you through the year ahead and explain the expectations for the year. We’ll help you navigate new encounters and identify areas to focus on as you progress through your course.

An important element of Wayfinding Week is taking part in our annual ‘Make it Manifest(o)’ project. Your course team will introduce the project in which we’ll ask you to consider your hopes and vision of the year ahead at Norwich and work with students in other year groups to bring your ideas to life. The project culminates in a celebratory display of work across the campus. The project will help you to develop your critical creativity through different approaches, concepts, and mediums. You’ll encounter diverse perspectives and build friendships and networks within our university community.

Interchange weeks are opportunities to step away from your disciplinary studies and engage in projects, workshops, visits and talks that extend your knowledge and understanding of the world. Whether you learn a new skill or take part in a global challenge project with students from other courses, you will come away with new insights to take back to your course. Interchange is part of the schedule for all Norwich students with sessions held across and beyond the campus led by university staff, visiting lecturers and students.

This unit will enable you to expand your specialist knowledge and skills and help you to identify areas for personal development. You will learn to apply your skills and knowledge to cutting-edge immersive spaces and develop sound designs and compositions tailored for those interested in sound environments, interactive media, and creative installations. Through practical workshops, you will learn to create and diffuse sound in immersive spaces, using tools like WWise, Unreal Engine, Dolby Atmos, and MAX/MSP. Emphasis is placed on hardware hacking, microcontrollers, and sensors, empowering you to design sound work for varied contexts such as games, film, and gallery spaces. With a strong focus on personal and professional growth, you’ll gain valuable insight into creative risk, well-being, and safe practices and exhibit your sound installations in a group gallery show, ensuring real-world experience in sound art presentation.

80 credits

This unit focuses on helping you to understand your practice in a wider context through collaboration and interdisciplinary working, with the opportunity to test different working practices. Students will develop the skills needed for collaborative, interdisciplinary audio and visual production, focusing on live sound, realtime generative music, improvisation, and sonic branding. Through hands-on workshops and collaborative projects, students will engage in professional practices across three briefs: a group performance event, a sonic branding client project, and an audio-visual collaboration. Students will learn about event planning, production, and team management, enabling you to apply your knowledge and skills to a broad range of contemporary industry and cultural practices.

40 credits

The first week of each academic year is called Wayfinding week. It’s an opportunity get your bearings, establish new connections and, after your first year at Norwich, re-establish old ones. Your course team will talk you through the year ahead and explain the expectations for the year. We’ll help you navigate new encounters and identify areas to focus on as you progress through your course.

An important element of Wayfinding Week is taking part in our annual ‘Make it Manifest(o)’ project. Your course team will introduce the project in which we’ll ask you to consider your hopes and vision of the year ahead at Norwich and work with students in other year groups to bring your ideas to life. The project culminates in a celebratory display of work across the campus. The project will help you to develop your critical creativity through different approaches, concepts, and mediums. You’ll encounter diverse perspectives and build friendships and networks within our university community.

Interchange weeks are opportunities to step away from your disciplinary studies and engage in projects, workshops, visits and talks that extend your knowledge and understanding of the world. Whether you learn a new skill or take part in a global challenge project with students from other courses, you will come away with new insights to take back to your course. Interchange is part of the schedule for all Norwich students with sessions held across and beyond the campus led by university staff, visiting lecturers and students.

This is the first and shorter of the two units that make up your final year of undergraduate study. You will participate in a diverse range of weekly teaching events designed to enhance your experimental practice in Electronic Music and Sound. Advanced workshops, including Electronic Music and Sound Design Masterclasses, will encourage experimentation with new technologies and materials. Working from your research report proposal, you will enhance your critical thinking through research, analysis, and critical writing of an in-depth research report related to electronic music and sound, technology, industry, culture, or audiences that reflect your interests. At the end of the unit, you will submit a final project proposal that outlines a detailed plan for your specialist major project in your final unit of study.

40 credits

Your final unit allows you to resolve your creative practice, working from the project proposal developed in the previous unit. This could include wide and diverse possibilities from recorded compositions to Realtime improvisation, multichannel sound arts, and immersive sound experiences. You may choose to specialize in film sound or design the sound and music for a game. Opportunities to collaborate with peers on a wider range of courses will enable you to operate in any context, creating many potential spaces or niches for your electronic music compositions and sound design practices. This unit prepares you for a career after graduation, with support to develop a five-year employability plan, including seeking industry placements, internships, mentors, and employment, and building your final film for festival submission.

80 credits

The first week of each academic year is called Wayfinding week. It’s an opportunity get your bearings, establish new connections and, after your first year at Norwich, re-establish old ones. Your course team will talk you through the year ahead and explain the expectations for the year. We’ll help you navigate new encounters and identify areas to focus on as you progress through your course.

An important element of Wayfinding Week is taking part in our annual ‘Make it Manifest(o)’ project. Your course team will introduce the project in which we’ll ask you to consider your hopes and vision of the year ahead at Norwich and work with students in other year groups to bring your ideas to life. The project culminates in a celebratory display of work across the campus. The project will help you to develop your critical creativity through different approaches, concepts, and mediums. You’ll encounter diverse perspectives and build friendships and networks within our university community.

Interchange weeks are opportunities to step away from your disciplinary studies and engage in projects, workshops, visits and talks that extend your knowledge and understanding of the world. Whether you learn a new skill or take part in a global challenge project with students from other courses, you will come away with new insights to take back to your course. Interchange is part of the schedule for all Norwich students with sessions held across and beyond the campus led by university staff, visiting lecturers and students.