module specification

In this module you will explore and apply advanced audio mastering and remastering techniques, expanding your knowledge and practices in music technology. By developing these techniques, you will gain insight into the quality control approaches and industry standards needed to ensure music is release-ready and prepared for broadcast.

You will learn about the wider contexts of mastering as a sector and employment path following graduation. As such you will explore the history of mastering, its practices and relation to consumption formats such as vinyl, CD and surround sound.

You will expand the base knowledge and practices developed at Level 4 and 5, allowing you to apply more creative approaches to mastering by using equalisers, dynamic processors, and a range of digital signal processing effects.

In addition to mastering, you will also explore remastering, an important process in the music and media industries that allows for the restoration and preservation of audio. You will explore remastering applications in both music and audio post-production, including spectral repair, expansion and noise reduction.

Fundamental to the role of mastering and remastering engineers, you will also develop further your critical listening skill, and ability to recognise frequencies, compression and distortion in audio and music.

The aims of this module are:
• Enable students to work more effectively and confidently in mastering audio and music projects.
• Introduce advanced approaches to repairing audio, including spectral repair and noise reduction.
• Open career pathways in mastering and remastering.
• Develop further student's critical listening skills and understanding of sound.
• Establish industry standards and requirements for delivering audio projects.

Student's must have completed modules in music production or related subjects at Level 5 or have relevant experience.

• Mastering and remastering approaches. (LO1, 2)
• Frequency equalisation. (LO1, 2)
• Spectral audio repair. (LO1)
• Reference listening approaches. (LO3)
• Critical listening. (LO3)
• Parallel and multiband processing. (LO1, 2)
• Enhancement and excitement. (LO1, 2)
• Deliverables, metadata and industry standards. (LO1, 2)

Students will learn in a series of lectures and seminars and workshops, focussing on the fundamental principles of remastering and mastering. The early sessions will provide deeper contexts of the practices and processes surrounding mastering. As the module progresses, students will engage in workshops in the music studios, taking part in listening and practical exercises.

Student's will have the opportunity to work on a range of projects, made available on the VLE (Weblearn) both in class and through independent study. Blended learning is further achieved through engagement with the VLE, online reading lists and weekly exercises.

Students can make use of the music studios to carry out independent study, which can be booked outside of scheduled teaching. They also have additional learning support from the technical staff and in one-to-one tutorials during lecturers' office hours.

At the end of this module, you should be able to:

LO1. Demonstrate effective professional level working practices in mastering and remastering.
LO2. Apply effective practices in mastering and remastering.

LO3. Evaluate audio and music projects on a range of devices and speaker systems.
LO4. Explain your work critically, giving clear reasoning for your approaches.

https://rl.talis.com/3/londonmet/lists/87C3B95A-FC25-BCF2-252D-4F4D080FBCAE.html?lang=en&login=1

Core Reading:
• Corey, J. (2017). Audio production and critical listening: Technical ear training (Second edition.). Focal Press.
• Göknar, E. (2020). Major label mastering: Professional mastering process. Routledge.
• Huber, D. M., & Runstein, R. E. (2018). Modern recording techniques (Ninth edition.). Routledge.
• Katz, R.A., 2013. Mastering audio: the art and the science. Second edition ed. New York: Focal Press, Taylor & Francis Group.
• Owsinski, B. (2017). The mastering engineer’s handbook (Fourth edition.). Bobby Owsinski Media Group.
• Moylan, W. (2015). Understanding and crafting the mix: The art of recording (Third edition.). Focal Press.