MUSC13418 - Music Technology 3: Mixing, Mastering and Distribution

General Information

Unit Synopsis

In this unit, you will study the art of audio mixing and mastering, with a focus on the historical, technical and aesthetic aspects of the production process. You will apply concepts of mixing and mastering in the preparation of two production portfolios for digital distribution. You will explore and analyse current and historical industry trends in the distribution of popular music and how these have impacted the listening behaviour of consumers. You will also explore the mechanics of current distribution platforms and examine the copyright, licensing and financial implications of each including sync licensing, publishing and sample libraries.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 3
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Pre-requisite: Completion of 72 credit points in CG51. Students outside of CG51 may seek approval from the CG51 Head of Course to undertake this unit.

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).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 3 - 2024

Term 1 - 2025 Profile
Cairns
Online

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).

Assessment Overview

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.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Portfolio 40%
2. Portfolio 40%
3. Written Assessment 20%

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

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2024 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 100.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 25% response rate.

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.

Source: Student feedback
Feedback
Include more perspectives on the music industry from guest speakers.
Recommendation
The unit learning design will include a wider range of guest speakers to address music industry diversity.
Action Taken
This year, we successfully integrated master classes from an industry mastering engineer and an industry performer. These additions provide students with valuable insights from professionals with diverse expertise, enriching their learning experience and better preparing them for various aspects of the music industry.
Source: Student Feedback
Feedback
Review Moodle resources to include more links to relevant articles and supplementary materials.
Recommendation
Update the Moodle site to include additional links to relevant articles and supplementary materials. Ensure that these resources are highlighted during lectures and tutorials to help students effectively integrate them into their studies.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Apply audio mixing techniques in the production of a portfolio of audio works in contemporary popular music styles
  2. Apply audio mastering techniques in the production of a portfolio of audio works in contemporary popular music styles
  3. Analyse current and historical technological trends in the music industry and their impact upon music distribution.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3
1 - Portfolio •
2 - Portfolio •
3 - Written Assessment •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3
1 - Communication •
2 - Problem Solving • •
3 - Critical Thinking •
6 - Information Technology Competence • •
8 - Ethical practice • •
9 - Social Innovation •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10