Sound Recording and Production

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In this microcredential students take two fundamental courses in sound recording and production that equip them with basic skills needed by audio professionals. After finishing these courses, students complete an independent study, composition lessons, or music internship that allows them to specialize and gain more advanced knowledge in the area of sound recording and production that most interests them. Finally, students in this microcredential produce a recorded project representing the skills they have gained that can showcase those skills to potential employers.

Admissions Criteria

Open to all majors. Students interested should fill out the application form on the department’s website: https://arts-sciences.buffalo.edu/content/arts-sciences/music/undergraduate/piano-technical-services.html

Course Requirements

Required Courses (6 credits)

MUS 301LEC - Sound Recording and Production 1 Credits: 3
MUS 302LEC - Sound Recording and Prduction 2 Credits: 3

Additional Courses (2-4 credits)

Students will select one of:

MUS 400SEM - Composition Seminar Credits: 4
MUS 407STU - Composition Credits: 4
MUS 496TUT - Music Internship Credits: 2-4
MUS 499TUT - Independent Study Credits: 1-4

Additional Requirements

Students in the program will produce a polished recording and/or original work in consultation with department faculty.

We are intentionally leaving the details of these final projects vague so that students can work on a project that reflects their personal interests, but a possible path includes:

(1) Create an original composition;

(2) Coordinate the production, including organizing musicians and collaborators;

(3) Capture and mix audio;

(4) Master it to some degree;

(5) Prepare the audio for release.

Example recorded projects could also include, but aren’t limited to: a department recital, local concert, podcast, a studio session.

To remain in the micro-credential, students must maintain a 2.0 GPA

Total Credits Required: 8-10 credits

Learning Outcomes

1. Competently record high-quality audio by effectively setting up, operating, and applying appropriate techniques for various microphones and recording equipment in diverse sound environments.

2. Proficiently edit, arrange, and mix digital audio recordings using professional workstation software, incorporating appropriate effects and processing techniques.

3. For students interested in Music Production primarily: Compose and arrange multi-track music productions.

4. For students interested in Post-Production primarily: Perform sound editing, foley recording, and dialogue cleanup for film/video.

5. For students interested in Live Sound primarily: Mix live performances, manage feedback, and operate sound reinforcement systems.

6. Critically analyze audio recordings to evaluate their technical and artistic qualities, recognizing genre characteristics, production techniques, and arrangement approaches.

7. Understand significant emerging technologies and their applications, including machine learning, Music Information Retrieval (MIR), and Artificial Intelligence tools that are applicable to the music production process.