This module introduces essential in-depth technical skills and knowledge that a sound designer must possess. It will provide students with software training in the use of game audio middleware. Students will become acquainted with the essential skills of game audio workflow and implementation, including asset management, memory budgets and version control.

There will be an introduction to the major game engines. Game audio technology is not without its limitations; therefore, it is important that students are aware of what is and is not possible. This is a constantly evolving and fast-moving area of professional practice where, through independent research, students will be equipped with the skills to comfortably progress to more advanced technical aspects in later modules.

Sound design greatly enhances the game world for the player. Game audio needs to be fluid and interactive, responding to non-linear nature of the narrative. In this module, students will learn techniques on how to create interactive sound for a variety of common game situations. They will create suitable sound and implement the audio within middleware or other appropriate technologies.

Students will examine the challenges of creating audio for use in audio middleware and learn possible workflow strategies in a contextual project based environment.

While embracing new ideas, they will continue to develop skills like understanding the game aesthetic and creating a sound world to a brief, further working on developing a distinctive sound signature of their own and improving their sound design and production skills.

This module will include:

• An introduction to game engines.
• Look into audio recording and sound design techniques.
• Delve deeper into mixing and profiling.

This module introduces you to key research skills, methodologies and concepts. The programme is largely practice-based, but this module offers a chance to develop a broader and deeper understanding of the ideas that underpin your work and current academic approaches to issues within the discipline. The lively discussion of ideas and concepts will help you to develop the analytical tools to understand their own creative process, to place it in a wider cultural, social and historical context, and to draw parallels with other disciplines.

This will build a robust theoretical framework, an analytical and self-reflexive approach, that will inform your work throughout the course. The module includes a discussion of the role of practice as research in the academy, academic writing and recent developments within the wider scholarly community.

Composing music for media has come a long way since the golden age of film scoring. The orchestra remains a core tool within a composer’s toolkit, but the reality of contemporary media scoring is such that almost any sound is a potential addition to the sonic pallet. “Hybrid scoring” is a term that is often used to describe blending the traditional orchestral score with a sound set that would not normally be part of the orchestra. It is this style of scoring that students will explore in this module, combining different genres and instrumentation, larger than life percussion, synthesis, musical sound design with the orchestra, which may well be processed in a hyper realistic way itself.

In order to achieve this creatively, students will gain an understanding of important technical techniques, such as split recording sessions, recording soloists and advanced audio manipulation techniques.

This module provides students with not just a technical skill set, but also a way of thinking that encourages exploration, research, and the inevitable conclusion that almost anything is sonically possible when it comes to contemporary scoring.

This module covers:

• Recording vehicle sounds and creating audio for racing games.
• Case study examples of working in racing games
• Learn more about advanced loop editing.

The biggest challenge facing game music is technology. The rapidly shifting landscape of software and middleware means that technical requirements are a central part of the creation process for composers. In this module, we will be training you in game audio middleware, as well as taking a look at other topics such as Game Engines. Furthermore, in this module, we will be pushing you down the road of integration and exploring the possibilities of creating adaptive music assets in video games.

We will be walking you through the technical and creative challenges with professional sound designer’s and composers. You will be introduced to using a game engine, navigating projects, implementing events, and creating adaptive music.

This module will include:

• A guide to the mixing in a game audio context.
• Learn how to create convincing audio environments which respond to the player’s movement and location.
• Deep-dive into dynamic mixing.

This module explores knowledge previously built on in the course and engages the students to research ways to combine previous techniques creatively in more detailed developing audio. At this stage, students are encouraged to develop a distinctive interpretative style of their own. Developing their sounds to be subtler, more artistic, and interpretative to the game by an effective and well thought out score.

Students at this stage will also be expected to accept and implement notes on their work quickly and effectively, a key personal and professional skill.

Furthering your work in adaptive music, you’ll start tackling branching, and developing compositional skills to allow you to move from passage to passage, according to the needs of the game.

You will be using middleware to game engine integration to test your work in game to enable you to experiment with your music and how it’s constructed.

In this module, you will:

• Learn how to adapt your music as the game progresses and changes
• Understand the how to use and the benefits of Stingers.
• Delve into more advanced techniques that combine both horizontal and vertical systems together.

Here students will have the option of tailoring the course to their own needs. You can pick one module from the following:

- Unreal and Blueprint
- FMOD
- Sampled Orchestration
- Composition: Telling Stories
- Musical Sound Design
- Career Development for Musicians
- Career Development for Sound Designers
- 3D Audio Environments
- Audio Post Production for Film & Television

For more information on these modules, please see the Video Game Music and Audio Module Descriptors and Handbook inside the 'Postgraduate Application Pack'.

Please note, the availability of MA elective modules may be subject to a minimum enrolment. The choice of electives is provisional and may be subject to change.

Here students will have the option of tailoring the course to their own needs. You can pick one module from the following:

- Unreal and Blueprint
- FMOD
- Sampled Orchestration
- Composition: Telling Stories
- Musical Sound Design
- Career Development for Musicians
- Career Development for Sound Designers
- 3D Audio Environments
- Audio Post Production for Film & Television

For more information on these modules, please see the Video Game Music and Audio Module Descriptors and Handbook inside the 'Postgraduate Application Pack'.

Please note, the availability of MA elective modules may be subject to a minimum enrolment. The choice of electives is provisional and may be subject to change.

This is your opportunity to take stock and think about what your plan is for your final major project. On the VLE you will find a list of Unity projects that you can download and have a look through to find something that inspires you.

We are also open to you suggesting your own material, but this must be discussed with your Course Manager.

No matter what project you decide to use, you should be highlighting all your best work. From composition, orchestration, sound design and implementation, we are looking to see how you have implemented what you have learned over your course into a single final project.

You also have the option of completing a written dissertation if you prefer. The dissertation will represent your research into an area of music intended for or in relation to games. The dissertation is an extended piece of scholarly written work.

You will be asked to write a essay of 12,000 words (+/- 10%), including footnotes, but excluding bibliography. This is a substantially longer than any of your other work so far. You will undertake the work as an individual, under the guidance of a supervisor, with whom you will meet regularly in one-to-one sessions.