The MFA course is an advanced degree and prepares you for a career as both a video game composer and as a game sound designer, the kind of full-stack game audio professional that is increasingly in demand.
Scoring video games is rewarding and challenging but highly competitive.
Our real-world project based approach, tutored by working professional game composers and sound designers, is designed to help you compete at the highest level.
Being able to provide a complete audio service makes you much more employable.
The course will help you develop as a video games composer, raising your music to a new level, helping you find a voice and distinctive style of your own.
But then you go further and learn the technology and creative skills required to work as a video games sound designer, creating immersive audio worlds.
The course is project focused. We want you to feel like you’re already doing the job.
All your tutors are working professional video game composers and sound designers.
You will work on a inspiring range of games, including commercial releases, provided as part of your course materials. Y
ou will learn not only how to create inspiring interactive music and sound but also how to implement your audio inside the game using industry standard middleware like FMOD and WWise.
Whether you want to learn to compose for video games or are looking for a video game sound design course, our MFA will bring you real-world professional tuition you need to lay the solid foundations of a career in video game music and audio.
You will be uploading and downloading a large quantity of material so you should have access to a reliable broadband with a speed of at least 5Mbs or more.
We have found that the Google Chrome browser is the most compatible with the Adobe Connect webinar software we use which will also be an important part of your course. All your assignments are uploaded through the Student Portal on our website. This can also be accessed with any standard FTP client, for example CuteFTP on a PC or Transmit on a Mac.
You will need a computer, software and ancillary equipment (MIDI keyboard, monitors, hard drives both internal and external), Mac or PC, capable of producing professional quality music and audio, and recording equipment. This is the overriding principle and the following minimum technical specifications are given for guidance.
This is an intensive course with strict deadlines in order to mirror a real-world professional working environment. As such, students must be have acquired and be competent in the use of the minimum technical requirements prior to starting the course to get the most out of it. Students may be eligible for significant educational discounts.
DAW (Digital Audio Workstation):
We expect you to have a good knowledge of one computer based DAW:
Game Software:
You need to have a copy of the following programs but we do not expect you to know how to use them. The exact version number of this software is important, and the version we support may change. Full information on the current approved course software version is available through the VLE.
Recommended Additional Software:
We offer a broad-based MMus programme with three pathways: musicology, performance and composition. All three pathways can be used as professional training for themselves, or as preparation for PhD study. Students in our MMus programme benefit from intensive one-to-one instruction with world-leading experts in music history, cultural studies of music, performance studies and analysis; internationally noted performers with active solo and ensemble careers; and prominent composers of contemporary art music, electronic music, media music (including film, television and video game music) and jazz.
Do you want to know how great film scores were composed? Are you interested in the ideas behind musical performances? Expand your knowledge of the components and aspects of music with the MMus Music (Performance, Composition and Musicology) at the University of Southampton and enhance your musical talents. This broad MMus programme will teach you the elements of musical performance, as well as the different genres of music. Gaining this experience across a variety of categories will prepare you for a successful career in the music industry.
The MMus programme in music provides a flexible course of study. Its goal is a professional research project, recital or composition portfolio. Tutors work with each student from the outset of the course to form a portfolio relevant to the student's specific professional aims, whether further research at doctoral level, a career in the music industry or the wider cultural sector, or work as a teacher or free-lance musician. We recognise that music has increasingly become a 'portfolio career' and aim to provide our MMus students with a platform for success in whatever area of music their aspirations lie. Thus the broad modular structure of our programme allows for cross-over between the pathways.
View the programme specification document for this course
The course has been developed in close consultation with the industry, so we are teaching you the skills your future employers want you to have.
It’s a strongly project focused course and you will develop an effective workflow, remote working and collaboration and a clear understanding of what’s expected of the game composer as a member of the game audio team.
All your tutors are working professional video game composers.
You will work on an inspiring range of games, including commercial releases, provided as part of your course materials.
You will learn not only how to create inspiring interactive music but also how to implement your score inside the game using industry standard middleware like FMOD and WWise.
There are plenty of music production schools yet, despite increasing interest in video games soundtracks, almost none who specialize in scoring computer games.
This is currently the only online master’s degree in composing for video games. So if you enjoy working in a vibrant and rapidly evolving area of music production, if you embrace the technical and creative challenges that scoring computer games will involve, then come and join us.
Our MA will bring you the real-world professional tuition you need to lay the solid foundations of a career composing music for video games.
You will be uploading and downloading a large quantity of material so you should have access to a reliable broadband with a speed of at least 5Mbs or more.
We have found that the Google Chrome browser is the most compatible with the Adobe Connect webinar software we use which will also be an important part of your course.
All your assignments are uploaded through the Student Portal on our website. This can also be accessed with any standard FTP client, for example CuteFTP on a PC or Transmit on a Mac.
HARDWARE
You will need a computer, software and ancillary equipment (MIDI keyboard, monitors, hard drives both internal and external), Mac or PC, capable of producing professional quality music and audio, and recording equipment. This is the overriding principle and the following minimum technical specifications are given for guidance.
PC
MAC
SOFTWARE
This is an intensive course with strict deadlines in order to mirror a real-world professional working environment. As such, students must be have acquired and be competent in the use of the minimum technical requirements prior to starting the course to get the most out of it. Students may be eligible for significant educational discounts.
DAW (Digital Audio Workstation):
We expect you to have a good knowledge of one computer based DAW:
Game Software:
You need to have a copy of the following programs but we do not expect you to know how to use them. The exact version number of this software is important, and the version we support may change. Full information on the current approved course software version is available through the VLE.
Recommended Additional Software:
The course has been developed in close consultation with the industry so we know we are teaching you the skills your future employers want you to have.
It’s a strongly project focused course and you will develop an effective workflow, remote working and collaboration and a clear understanding of what’s expected of a professional member of the game audio team.
You need to be technically literate and learn software easily.
This course does not require you to learn to code but you will be developing a powerful combination of creative and technical abilities that are market-focused.
Working in games is all about finding new ways of doing things and creative problem solving. This postgraduate course accurately reflects the working life of a games composer working as part of remote working team.
All your tutors are working professional video game sound designers.
You will work on a inspiring range of games, including commercial releases, provided as part of your course materials.
You will learn not only how to create inspiring interactive sound but also how to implement your audio inside the game using industry standard middleware like FMOD and WWise.
Whether you are a composer looking to increase your chances of employment or an audio professional with a passion a for sound design, our MA will bring you real-world professional tuition you need to lay the solid foundations of a career in video game sound design and audio.
Working specifically on creating great audio for video games, you will be tasked with recording, manipulating and implementing audio using the same tools you will be expected to use in the industry.
Sound Design for Video Games students are trained in the practical audio of games such as foley, dynamic game states and the many technical challenges that face professional sound designers working today.
Whilst you will learn how to edit music for video games, Sound Design for Video Games students won’t be assessed on their own compositional skills.
You will be uploading and downloading a large quantity of material so you should have access to a reliable broadband with a speed of at least 5Mbs or more.
We have found that the Google Chrome browser is the most compatible with the Adobe Connect webinar software we use which will also be an important part of your course.
All your assignments are uploaded through the Student Portal on our website. This can also be accessed with any standard FTP client, for example CuteFTP on a PC or Transmit on a Mac.
HARDWARE
You will need a computer, software and ancillary equipment (MIDI keyboard, monitors, hard drives both internal and external), Mac or PC, capable of producing professional quality music and audio, and recording equipment. This is the overriding principle and the following minimum technical specifications are given for guidance.
PC
MAC
SOFTWARE
This is an intensive course with strict deadlines in order to mirror a real-world professional working environment. As such, students must be have acquired and be competent in the use of the minimum technical requirements prior to starting the course to get the most out of it. Students may be eligible for significant educational discounts.
DAW (Digital Audio Workstation):
We expect you to have a working knowledge of one computer based DAW:
Game Software:
You need to have a copy of the following programs but we do not expect you to know how to use them. The exact version number of this software is important, and the version we support may change. Full information on the current approved course software version is available when on the course. Both Unity and Fmod are able to be downloaded for free.
Recommended Additional Software:
Video games continue to be big business, and the demand for 'Hollywood' quality soundtracks to match the increasingly impressive visuals in games has never been greater. If you are a sound designer or composer, this course will enable you to explore the opportunities that interactive games present.
Your course has been designed by a teaching team with extensive professional experience and links to the games industry, ensuring your studies will reflect the latest developments in games audio. You will gain up-to-date skills in sound design and interactive composition, and you will explore the importance of music and sound in other media.
You will have access to a suite of high-quality professional music studios, and you will develop your expertise using real-world game engines, middleware and prototyping tools to implement sound and music into games.
Research Excellence Framework 2014
Research Excellence Framework 2014: our University demonstrated strength in five emerging areas of research which it entered into the assessment for the first time, including in music, drama, dance and performing arts.
You will have access to a suite of high quality, professional music studios, approved by JAMES, the accrediting body of the Music Producers' Guild and the Association of Professional Recording Studios. You will also benefit from our links with local and national music, arts and festival organisations.
Our music facilities include 10 recording studios, complete with control rooms, live areas, instruments, amps, mixing facilities and editing suites.
Artist in Residence Programme
The Artist in Residence programme gives our students an opportunity to work with professional artists and gives them a taste of what is it like to work on a professional music project. So far we have welcomed artists Chris T-T, Ian Prowse, I Monster, Tom Williams and Utah Saints.
The games industry is thriving and you will be well placed to take advantage of this growing area. As well as mainstream games-industry roles, such as audio director, sound designer or composer, your course could help unlock opportunities in the media and the film and television industries.
Film and Television develops technical skills in compositional techniques and studio-based work. Designed for advanced composers, it provides an in-depth specialist training. Contextual knowledge of mainstream repertoire and significant previous experience of composition and orchestration are required.
The MMus in Composition for Film and Television at London College of Music (LCM) is one of the longest-established qualifications of its kind. The course provides an ideal opportunity for in-depth examination of specific techniques (both historical and current) employed in the creation of music for modern media, and for drawing upon these procedures in a practical context by composing music for a diverse range of genres, including…
• television thrillers
• animation
• video game trailers
• science fiction
• dramatic cinema
• silent film
• costume drama
• documentary and…
• …horror!
In addition, you will hone and refine your skills as orchestrators by writing for a variety of specified ensembles. You will also expand your musical and dramatic vocabulary via an imaginative series of compositional pastiche exercises (an integral feature of the portfolio submission during Semester 1).
You will undertake further assessments in film score analysis (taking the form of an extended contextual essay, based upon a score/composer of your own choice) and in-studio ensemble conducting, working 'to click' with a group of 'live' performing musicians.
The course is taught mainly through individual tutorials, but may include group work, workshops, seminars and lectures.
We assess written portfolio work through portfolios of compositions responding to verbal briefs, and in the second semester (or second year for part-time students), composing direct to picture. There is also a practical assessment in the Film and Television Score Production module and an extended essay project for the Business of Music module. There is a viva voce exam as part of the portfolio submissions in both semesters (or both years for part-time students).
Course alumni have gone on to compose music for an excitingly diverse range of projects and for an impressive list of clients, including the BBC, BBC Worldwide, BBC Three, The National Theatre, Youth Music Theatre UK, Projection Pictures, The National Theatre, Sky, Channel 4 and the British Film Institute.
Also, in addition to orchestrating their own music, many specialise in orchestrating and conducting the music of other (notable) film composers.
While most students progress directly into the industry after completing this course, graduates may alternatively choose to undertake a PhD or further their compositional studies with a DMus.
Click the following link for information on how to apply to this course.
Information about scholarships and bursaries can be found here.
Music Technology is a rapidly evolving field of study with a diverse and expanding range of possibilities.
The MSc in Audio Technology is designed to go beyond the simple provision of training, and to instead enable you to engage with current debates and actively participate in some of the most vibrant areas of contemporary research.
Throughout the course you will be encouraged to demonstrate self-direction and autonomy as you critically explore and define your position within the wider field. One overarching aim is that you should leave the course as not only an adept user of various hardware and software technologies, but as someone able to actively shape and develop their own, responding as necessary to future developments.
Thus, in addition to developing your theoretical and methodological understanding, the MSc in Audio Technology features a strong emphasis on practical work in a number of different (but related) areas. For example, you will study modules in Advanced Studio Practice, Sound on Screen, Music Computing and Musical Human-Computer Interaction. These are supported by a technology-orientated Research and Development module that provides robust foundation for the final Audio Technology Project.
Acting as summary of all that you have learned and a portfolio going forward, the Audio Technology Project provides an opportunity to plan and execute a substantial project in an area of personal specialism or interest. Innovative projects are encouraged, and there exists the potential for interdisciplinary and/or collaboration with practitioners in other fields.
Advanced Studio Practice
This module explores various methodologies employed in the planning, recording, editing, mix down and mastering stages of audio production. You will conduct research into genre and equipment-specific working practices, which will lead to the development of innovative engineering concepts and techniques. You will evaluate and use a variety of software and hardware tools and produce work in both stereo and surround sound.
Sound on Screen
The module aims to investigate the relationship between sound and the moving image in contexts such as film, television, advertising and video games. Throughout the module you will develop your understanding of theories, practices and techniques used in the production of music intended to be experienced in conjunction with other media. This will initially involve analysing and deconstructing a range of audio-visual media, examining their aims and how effectively these aims are met. You will then use your understanding of the work of others in the field to critically inform and evolve your own approaches. Using a variety of techniques and technologies, you will create a number of short practical pieces to accompany a variety of linear and non-linear media.
Music Computing
In this module you will explore the relationship between theories of music and computing and creative practice. More specifically, you will study perception and cognition of sound, the ways in which computers can analyse music and audio, generative musical structures, and how these compositional processes can be applied to the generation and transformation of audio. In carrying out the practical assignment, you will critically evaluate, understand the differences between, and demonstrate mastery of common musical programming languages in the realisation of your ideas.
Musical Human-Computer Interaction
Musical interaction is a vibrant area of contemporary research with considerable crossover into more established areas such as Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Physical/Ubiquitous Computing. In the first part of the module you will look at recent work by the New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME) community, using these examples to examine and explore a range of pertinent design issues. These include: novice versus virtuoso users (i.e. ease of use versus the potential for mastery), single versus multi-user, discrete versus continuous data control, the provision of haptic feedback, and causality of sound. Using appropriate Physical Computing technologies (e.g. Arduino, Beagleboard, sensors, actuators, basic electronics), you will then design and implement a musical interface for a chosen real-time application (i.e. analysis, composition, or performance). Finally, you will consider how HCI-inspired evaluation methods may be applied to your work, and document your design (online) in such a way that it can be recreated and developed further by interested others.
Research and Development
The Research and Development module initially explores the nature of innovation, then moves on to examine research process including design and development, fundamentals of both quantitative and qualitative traditions, and HCI-inspired methodologies for the evaluation of audio software, musical interfaces and other technologies. Towards the end of the module the emphasis then shifts to the development of an individual research design/proposal that may form the basis of your final Audio Technology Project.
Audio Technology Project
The Audio Technology Project is an opportunity for students to pursue a substantial, self-directed project in a chosen area of audio or musical technology.
The course will actively equip both graduates and those already in industry with a diverse range of skills to enhance their career prospects. It will also develop a range of opportunities for experience and employment in areas such as studio recording, media production and content creation, video game and software development, education (FE/HE), research assistantships/studentships, and employment in HE institutions.
In addition to subject-specific practical skills, you will also acquire a range of transferable skills relevant for pursuing a research degree. These include critical, analytical, project management and research skills from the study of a broad spectrum of literature, research, and external projects.
Create your own story at the University of Hertfordshire’s School of Creative Arts!
