BSc (Hons) Music Composition and Sound for Film and Games

Meet Jamal Green, a music composer and part of the team that won Best Debut Game at the BAFTA Games Awards 2022.

Meet Robin McGovern who has worked as an audio tester on some amazing projects since graduating, like Jurassic World for Frontier Developments. Robin is currently working as an Audio Designer for Ubisoft.

University experience and opportunities

Robin ascribes a lot of his career success to the skills he learnt throughout his studies. He says, 'My studies provided me with the skills and ability to be able to recognise and create high quality audio. Straight after finishing my studies I got a job at Frontier Developments as an Audio Tester, working on Jurassic world and Elite dangerous. I was then promoted to Audio Test Engineer, at which point Ubisoft contacted me asking if I was interested in a job audio testing with them.'

Robin speaks fondly of the University of Hertfordshire and how his studies helped him develop professionally. He says, 'The University had a great reputation for it’s facilities, particularly audio and animation. My course helped me to develop my work ethic and creative voice. I really learnt how to work hard, to make my own work, that I loved.'

However, Robin does stress that hard work is important and that students should take advantage of the opportunities given to them during their studies. He says 'Work doesn’t get done by not doing it. Though this is blatantly obvious, if I had really known what this meant when I started everything would have been far easier.'

Aspirations for the future

Still wanting to develop himself further, Robin is looking to progress within Audio Design for games. He notes, 'One day I would love to work on the audio of a feature-length film.'

As music is a creative subject, many of your assignments will be completing practical, composition tasks while showing your identity through your work. The more original thought you have in a piece the better you will stand out from your classmates and your lecturer can help you gain contacts with companies🎶
The first year is about figuring out student’s strengths and weaknesses. For example, highlighting if you are more classically trained but a beginner with technology or vice versa. Your lecturer’s aim is by the end of the year, every student will be on the same level. When I started university, I was a beginner at technology. I didn't know how to mix pieces or even use a DAW. My advice would be if you are like me, you may benefit from perhaps downloading logic on your laptop before you start university. If you are able to. Experiment with it so you are more comfortable when you start to use it in class. If you are unable to download logic, you could try to find a free DAW software to even watch logic tutorials on YouTube and write notes. This was a lifesaver for me! It saved me loads of time so I could focus more on what I wanted to write, rather than how to write it🎧

The course is divided up into two semesters: Semester A (September to December) and Semester B (January to April). The music composition and technology group works closely alongside the song writing classes, so you can also work together on some assignments🎤
The main format of our classes is that you start the semester receiving your assignments in the first few weeks. You will have around 6 for the first year. I found this beneficial as I was able to plan my deadlines over a month ahead. Your classes at the start of the semester will start by working with your whole class. Understanding the assignment and learning about the module. Later, when you have started your assignment, there will be tutorials with your lecturer and smaller groups to show your work and ask questions. Your lectures and tutorials are designed to help you complete each lecturer’s assignment. So, there is plenty of time to ask questions, show your progress on assignments and receive detailed and helpful feedback.

Your assignments will range from theory, instrumentation and technology tests. Composing to films, adverts and games. Collaborative compositions, conducting or singing course and an essay from time to time. If you struggle with essay work, you can contact your course leader or student support. They will be happy to help you. After these two semesters, the university hosts a “Sonic Herts Festival” where you can work with a range of students within the Creative Arts school. This is a time to show off your talent in a non-graded way and make contacts for future collaborations.

I wish you the best of luck starting university. It will feel daunting at first, but the experience will be rewarding. The Creative Arts School at Hertfordshire is a friendly and encouraging environment. We look forward to seeing you in September!😊💫

The film, music and media building is specially designed to support your learning and creativity💫 The building includes multiple labs where you can compose music and work around other students. You will spend a lot of time here. Your classes will be held here and you are encouraged to use these facilities outside of class for independent study🎶They are designed so you can complete your assignment to industry standard. The computers contain multiple DAWs and plug-ins so you will find one that suits your style! The software available includes Logic Pro X, Reason, Ableton Live Suite, Sibelius, Adobe CC and many more🖥

The recording studios include a Solid State Logic AWS 900+ mixing desk with Quested and JBL 5.1 surround sound monitoring. They also have a large selection of hardware outboard gear and plug-ins. The studios are fully equipped so students can change acoustics to suit their music🔈. Due to the pandemic, I haven’t been able to use the studios as it's hard to practice social distancing in a small space. But when restrictions ease we have been promised that we will have plenty of classes showing us how to use the studios to an industry-standard so we can do independent work there also🌟

In addition, the FMM block includes control rooms and sound booths. The acoustically isolated booths help to reduce sound transmission, making it easier to mix your music🎧 The monitoring space can be used as a control room. It includes an Apple Mac and multiple software including Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Reason, and Waves etc. These spaces make the University of Hertfordshire stand out as they are crucial for music student’s knowledge, development and confidence as they help to prepare students for working in the music industry🎹

If you enjoy performing, there are plenty of opportunities for students to get involved! There is a room on the ground floor that includes a stage and multiple pianos where you can perform work and take part in masterclasses. In first year, we used this room for our performance module. We learnt how to conduct an orchestra. You can take part in this or singing🎵 This room is used as a lecture theatre but has been designed to be used as a creative space too as it also includes a PA system, holdback monitors, stage lighting rig and projector. The space feels more like a professional venue and will help prepare students for life after university. Also, there is a room where you can experiment with gamelan instruments and steel pans along with other interesting instruments to help broaden students' imagination and use of instrumentation in their work. There are also opportunities to work in ensembles. You can also perform your work in the forum which is the university’s entertainment venue🎤

At the University of Hertfordshire, you are encouraged to use these facilities to help you produce outstanding assignments and build a varied portfolio to help you apply for jobs after university!🤩