Overview
Through foundation studies in music and production, you will gain knowledge of how music is created, rehearsed, recorded and performed. You will specialise in genres such as jazz, rock, pop, rhythm and blues, country funk and soul. Using industry recognised software, you will gain experience with multi-track recording, editing and audio mixing. The study of practical and theoretical principles gives you the opportunity to establish various performance, technical and creative skills.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Students must be enrolled in CG51 Bachelor of Music or the CC41 Diploma of Music.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2022
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Personal communication / staff reflection
Production Assessment Item
Consideration will be given to the timing of the delivery of the production classes, to encourage more consistent student engagement in the sessions.
- Implement at a foundation level, a range of music and production techniques pertinent to your specialisation within various live or recorded music and production contexts
- Apply, at a foundation level, a range of technical and creative skills pertinent to your specialisation, specific to music and production within various live or recorded contexts
- Develop, to a foundation level, musical skills of stylistic authenticity pertinent to your specialisation within a range of live or recorded music and production contexts.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Practical Assessment - 35% | |||
| 2 - Practical Assessment - 35% | |||
| 3 - Practical Assessment - 30% | |||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||
| 5 - Team Work | |||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Practical Assessment - 35% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Practical Assessment - 35% | ||||||||||
| 3 - Practical Assessment - 30% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Ableton Live software
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
p.preece@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Unit and assessment overview
Introduction to digital audio workstations (DAW)
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Digital Audio
Audio Editing
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Harmonics and amplitude
Creative editing techniques
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Draft edit assessment due
Module/Topic
Creating balance in a mix
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
EQ and dynamics
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Time based effects
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Draft mix assessment due
Module/Topic
Recording plans
Recording in Live
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Microphones and placement
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Recording plan due
Module/Topic
Guide tracks, click tracks, live recording and overdubbing.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Draft recording due – guide tracks
Module/Topic
Project week - Recording feedback sessions
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Draft recording due
Module/Topic
Project week - Recording feedback sessions
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Draft recording due
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Equipment Requirements for Recording Projects
Production Fundamentals students require some very specific equipment to facilitate the recording requirements of this unit. This unit provides training in performing recording and mixing music. Because of this, you will need to have access to the following:
- Ableton Live software
- An audio interface
- Your instrument
- A quick stable internet connection (preferable ethernet)
- Microphone or instrument lead
- Studio headphones and your computer / webcam
About Ableton Live
Ableton Live is an industry standard DAW (digital audio workstation) and learning how to use it is extremely beneficial. You will be required to submit Ableton Live sessions as part of your assessments and therefore need to have access to a copy of Ableton software. As the production classes are based on the Ableton software, no other DAWs are acceptable for this unit. A free 90 day full use trial version of the Ableton Live software is available for download from the Ableton Live website (https://www.ableton.com/en/trial/).
If you have any questions regarding these requirements, please contact the Unit Coordinator, Patty Preece (p.preece@cqu.edu.au).
1 Practical Assessment
Assessment task
In this assessment, you will be required to perform a series of edit tasks. To complete this assessment, download the 'project brief' document from Moodle as well as the Abelton Live set. You will be required to use the edit functions of Ableton Live including but not limited to:
- Copy
- Paste
- Cut
- Duplicate
- Fade
- Trim
Once you have finished your edit and you are happy that it closely matches the reference track, “collect all and save” your session. Navigate to the location on your computer where you saved your session. Right-click on the top level project folder to compress/zip the Ableton Live project. Name the folder: Edit assessment_YourName. This will create a .zip file that you can upload to Moodle as your submission.
Week 4 Friday (1 Apr 2022) 11:59 pm AEST
Week 6 Friday (22 Apr 2022)
Audio edits meet the requirements of the brief - 50%
Audio fades are applied effectively to all edits - 30%
Ableton Live session handling - 20%
- Implement at a foundation level, a range of music and production techniques pertinent to your specialisation within various live or recorded music and production contexts
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Information Technology Competence
2 Practical Assessment
As a musician, it is important to be able to capture and mix music, so that you can disseminate your work on a multitude of platforms (Soundcloud, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube).
In this assessment task, you will be asked to perform a basic sound mix on a pre-recorded song using Ableton Live software. In performing the mix, you will be asked to create a balanced mix using levels, pans, and signal processing. You should reference other songs from a similar genre as you make decisions about the relative level of each instrument and their position in the stereo image.
- Create a relative balance in your mix (Level)
- Create width (Pan)
- Control the dynamic of instruments where required (Compression)
- Add depth to your mix (Reverb, chorus and delay)
- Shape or enhance the spectral content of the instruments (EQ)
Your final graded submission will be the delivery of the final music product. Your submission will include:
• A stereo ‘bounce’ of your mix
• A link to your DAW session at the final stage of the mix
Week 8 Friday (6 May 2022) 11:59 pm AEST
Week 10 Friday (20 May 2022)
Level balance and pan are implemented effectively – 40%
Signal processing implemented effectively – 40%
Ableton Live session handling - 20%
- Apply, at a foundation level, a range of technical and creative skills pertinent to your specialisation, specific to music and production within various live or recorded contexts
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Information Technology Competence
3 Practical Assessment
Task Description
As a musician, it is important to be able to capture music at a high quality, so that you may capture your ideas, share them with collaborators and reflect upon your performance. This assessment will ask you to record and mix a piece of music. The artist you record may be someone from your cohort or someone outside the University. It is also possible to record yourself. You may seek assistance from your lecturer to identify a suitable artist for your project.
Pre-production and planning are essential steps in ensuring your recording project runs smoothly and meets all deadlines. As part of this assessment, you are required to write a brief recording plan for the song you intend to record as part of your recording assessment and is worth 10% of your final grade. Your recording plan should address the following:
- Outline the goals of the recording project
- Recording timeline
- Equipment requirements
- WHS considerations
The song should be at least 3 minutes in length and should contain at least 2 acoustic instruments; Eg Strings, Guitar, Bass, Vocals, Percussion, Keys. Alternatively, the song may contain two different parts using the same instrument.
Equipment you will need to complete this assessment includes:
- Ableton Live Software
- Audio interface
- Microphone
- Microphone lead
- Headphones
The recording should be mixed and 'bounced' according to the submission guidelines (see Moodle for details). Feedback is an essential part of the recording and mixing process. Your recording and mix will be shared with your cohort in each phase of the production process. You will participate in feedback sessions during class time to develop your work.
The following are your milestone draft submissions:
- Submit recording plan - week 9
- Draft recording due: guide tracks - week 10
- Draft recording due: week 11
- Draft recording due: week 12
Assessment Requirements
Your final graded submission will be the delivery of the final music product. Your submission will include:
A stereo bounce – ready for mastering. 24 bit 48kHz
An mp3 ‘listener’ for the artist. 320kbp/s
An Ableton Live set at the final stage of the mix
Review/Exam Week Wednesday (8 June 2022) 11:55 pm AEST
Exam Week Friday (17 June 2022)
Recordings comply with the requirements of the task – 20%
Recordings should be free from extraneous noise and distortion – 20%
Mixing: level balance, pan, EQ, compression and effects are implemented effectively – 10%
Recordings should be saved and exported according to the submission guidelines - 10%
Ableton Live Set should not contain any missing audio files - 10%
Recording plan clearly identifies realistic and achievable recording goals– 10%
Milestone submissions - 20%
- Develop, to a foundation level, musical skills of stylistic authenticity pertinent to your specialisation within a range of live or recorded music and production contexts.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
