Course Title: Develop sound designs
Part B: Course Detail
Teaching Period: Term1 2022
Course Code: VART6416C
Course Title: Develop sound designs
Important Information:
Please note that this course may have compulsory in-person attendance requirements for some teaching activities.
To participate in any RMIT course in-person activities or assessment, you will need to comply with RMIT vaccination requirements which are applicable during the duration of the course. This RMIT requirement includes being vaccinated against COVID-19 or holding a valid medical exemption.
Please read this RMIT Enrolment Procedure as it has important information regarding COVID vaccination and your study at RMIT: https://policies.rmit.edu.au/document/view.php?id=209.
Please read the Student website for additional requirements of in-person attendance: https://www.rmit.edu.au/covid/coming-to-campus
Please check your Canvas course shell closer to when the course starts to see if this course requires mandatory in-person attendance. The delivery method of the course might have to change quickly in response to changes in the local state/national directive regarding in-person course attendance.
School: 515T Creative Industries
Campus: City Campus
Program: C6150 - Advanced Diploma of Music Industry (Sound Production)
Course Contact: John Phillips
Course Contact Phone: +61 3 9925 4913
Course Contact Email: john.phillips@rmit.edu.au
Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff
Teacher: John Phillips
john.phillips@rmit.edu.au
Nominal Hours: 50
Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.
Pre-requisites and Co-requisites
None
Course Description
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to develop an overall sound design from production briefs.
It applies to individuals with a good understanding of the physical nature of sound, along with research and creative thinking skills. They collaborate with other creative personnel to develop the overall sound or musical identity of a wide range productions.
The course will cover building blocks for sound design for screen based media and other sound design applications.
National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria
National Element Code & Title: |
CUASOU503 Develop sound designs |
Element: |
1. Interpret and confirm sound design brief |
Performance Criteria: |
1.1 Participate in concept meetings with relevant people to discuss and determine creative and technical sound requirements for a production 1.2 Confirm sound requirements meet the overall production requirements in liaison with relevant people 1.3 Identify and confirm any additional sound design team members required to fulfil the brief |
Element: |
2. Break down components of sound design brief |
Performance Criteria: |
2.1 Identify types of sounds required, and determine content, quality and duration of each sound component 2.2 Determine and document resource and creative requirements for each sound component 2.3 Document and confirm roles of sound design team members |
Element: |
3. Experiment with sound components to express ideas |
Performance Criteria: |
3.1 Encourage and motivate sound design team members to generate ideas 3.2 Generate, explore and record a range of ideas and options to serve as a creative base for developing the required sound design 3.3 Select ideas with the most potential for technical and creative development of the required sound design |
Element: |
4. Assess creative ideas |
Performance Criteria: |
4.1 Evaluate selected ideas in terms of their viability, cost, technical feasibility and suitability to meet requirements of sound design brief 4.2 Select final ideas for the components of the sound design, based on what is needed to meet the overall requirements of the brief |
Element: |
5. Design sound elements |
Performance Criteria: |
5.1 Develop sound design concept, taking into consideration the brief and the ideas generated by the sound design team 5.2 Determine sound components required to implement sound design in line with creative and technical requirements 5.3 Establish clear relationship between sound components and objectives of sound design 5.4 Liaise with relevant people to incorporate additional requirements and ideas to achieve best sound design 5.5 Present sound design in required format to convey design concept 5.6 Confirm final sound design concept is consistent with brief and that potential difficulties are addressed |
Element: |
6. Evaluate final sound design |
Performance Criteria: |
6.1 Use appropriate techniques to evaluate whether final sound design meets the requirements of the sound design brief 6.2 Seek feedback and opinions from relevant people, and document results of evaluation 6.3 Communicate results of evaluation to relevant people, and use results to improve future practice |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to record, develop, design and mixdown sound effects from development to final implementation. You will be able to create synthesiser patches, set up and utilise various microphone techniques and record in outdoor environments using field recording techniques.
Details of Learning Activities
In class activities will include a range of teacher directed group activities, projects, class exercises, review discussions/lectures and independent project based work.
Out-of-class activities include completion of individual design and pre-production work, preparation for class presentations and production work. Online research and occasional outside of class time group discussions will be required to maintain project work.
Teaching Schedule
WEEKLY OUTLINE - subject to change
| WEEK | CONTENT | PRACS | Location | ASSESSMENTS COMMENCE | ASSESSMENTS DUE |
| Week 1 | Introduction to unit & assessments | LAB | |||
| The Sound Designers | |||||
| Cinema Sound / Surround Sound | |||||
| LOGIC PRO | |||||
| Week 2 | Surround Sound Formats | OMF PRAC | LAB | Assessment 1 | |
| Pro Tools I/O | |||||
| OMF & AAF | |||||
| FCP > OMF > LOGIC / PRO TOOLS - IN CLASS PRAC | |||||
| Week 3 | Surround Sound in Pro-Tools | STUDIO | STUDIO | Assessment 1 | |
| Pro Tools I/O | |||||
| STUDIO BASED CLASS | |||||
| Class will be divided into two groups for this session | |||||
| Week 4 | Studio Prac | STUDIO | STUDIO | ||
|
Surround Sound in Pro-Tools | |||||
| Pro Tools I/O | |||||
| Week 5 | OMF prac review | LAB | Assessment 2 | ||
| Fight Club allocations | |||||
| ASSESSMENT 2 COMMENCES | |||||
|
Remix demonstration / instruction Review examples of genres and consider production approaches | |||||
| Week 6 | LAB | Assessment 3 | |||
| ASSESSMENT 3 COMMENCES | |||||
| Sound Design / roles in film sound production (KK) - ADR / Foley Fight Club process explained | |||||
| Week 7 | LAB | ||||
| Prac work time | |||||
| Week 8 |
LOGIC PRO PRAC Look at "Nothing to See" Logic PRAC (Sik-O) |
LAB | |||
| Remix review - review process and listen to previous examples | |||||
| Sound for games (Vegetables) / Wilhelm / Foley | |||||
| Bass Management / Matrix v Discrete / File Management | |||||
| Week 9 |
LOGIC PRO Simple Logic Pracs "American Pie", "Of God" and others |
LAB | Assessment 2 | ||
CHRIS HILL :PRAC (Optional) | |||||
| FOLEY - Walter Murch - Gunshot compression | |||||
| GLE: Introduction to CHICAGO requirements | |||||
| Review Previous remixes & Idiot Boxes - ASSESSMENT 2 DUE | |||||
| Week 10 | LAB | ||||
| Theramin / Strymon project brief (Analog project Ass 5) | |||||
| Producer Kits | |||||
| Week 11 | STUDIO | Assessment 5 | |||
| Assessment 5 - Analog Recording Project | |||||
| STUDIO SESSIONS | |||||
| (No Class) | |||||
| Week 12 | STUDIO | Assessment 5 | |||
| Assessment 4 - Analog Recording Project | |||||
| STUDIO SESSIONS | |||||
| (No Class) | |||||
| Week 13 | LAB | Assessment 3 | |||
| Guest Lecture EMMA BORTINGON | |||||
| Sound Design master class | |||||
|
Exporting LOGIC PRO sessions to PRO TOOLS Exporting sessions from week 9 + | |||||
| Week 14 | ASSESSMENT 3 & 5 DUE | LAB | Assessment 5 | ||
| GUEST LECTURE - DAVID CHAKMAN | |||||
| FINAL REVIEW | |||||
| Week 15 | ASSESSMENT 4 | LAB | Assessment 4 | ||
| Assessment and Review | |||||
| Look at a selection of back catalogue music productions | |||||
| Week 16 | COMPLETE REVIEW ASSESSMENTS IN CLASS | LAB | Assessment 4 | ||
| Assessment and Review | |||||
| ASSESSMENT 4 DUE | |||||
| Complete Ass 4 in class, plus Ass 1 & documents for Ass 2 & 3 | |||||
Learning Resources
Prescribed Texts
References
Other Resources
You are advised to look at myRMIT for ongoing updated information.
It is recommended that you bring materials to classes to make notes, for example;
a pen and notepaper or a laptop computer. You will need to have either a USB thumb drive or a USB/Thunderbolt Harddrive (or both) to store and manage your media. Your teacher will advise you what to get when classes commence.
The University Library has extensive resources. The Library has produced a number of subject guides that includes quality online and print resources for your studies. Lynda.com is available via your Library login.
The Library provides guides and subject specialist help via your Liaison Librarians.
Overview of Assessment
Students will be able to create, record and produce original sound effects from scratch using advanced synthesis techniques and basic microphone and field recording techniques.
Assessment Tasks
To demonstrate competency in this course you will need to complete the following assessment tasks to a satisfactory standard. You will receive feedback on all assessments and once you have demonstrated competency you will also receive a result after your final assessment task.
Assessment Tasks
Assessment Task 1: Research Assignment / knowledge questions. The purpose of this assessment is for you to demonstrate underpinning knowledge that is required in order to conceptualise, produce and evaluate sound designs as per industry standards. Due by Week 12, Semester 1.
Assessment Task 2: Genre Remix. For this assessment you will undertake a remix for a commercially released song supplied by your teacher. This assessment will allow you to work in production/sound teams to creatively rework/remix a song according to the song brief specifications provided. Due by Week 9, Semester 1.
Assessment Task 3: Idiot Box. Demonstrate your ability to work in a group to conceive of, break down, experiment with, finalise and evaluate a sound design in response to a client/sound brief. Due by Week 14, Semester 1.
Assessment Task 4: Review. You will complete a review questionnaire. Due by Week 16, Semester 1.
Assessment Task 5: Theramin/Strymon Project. For this assessment you will be required to complete a five (5) minute cohesive sound design piece (soundscape) using specific audio equipment which includes, a theremin (your sole sound source) and three (3) analogue signal processing units - a modulation processor, a delay processor and a reverb processor. Due by Week 14, Semester 1.
You should refer to the assessment brief which is available on myRMIT for full assessment criteria. Results that apply to Ungraded courses that are delivered and assessed in accordance with competency-based assessment are:
CA Competency Achieved
NYC Not Yet Competent
DNS Did Not Submit for Assessment
Assessment Matrix
The assessment matrix demonstrates alignment of assessment tasks with the relevant unit of competency. These matrices are available through Program Administration.
Other Information
Please refer to the RMIT student page for extensive information about study support, assessment, extensions, appeals and a range of other matters: http://www1.rmit.edu.au/students
Cover Sheet for Submissions:
You must complete and sign a submission cover sheet for every piece of submitted work, including online submissions.
http://mams.rmit.edu.au/s1llva641yxuz.pdf
Attendance:
Your learning experience will involve class-based teaching, discussion, demonstration and practical exercises
It is strongly advised that you attend all timetabled sessions. This will allow you to engage in the required learning activities, ensuring you the maximum opportunity to complete this course successfully.
Assessment Feedback:
You will receive spoken and written feedback on all your work. Where relevant, this feedback will also include suggestions on how you can proceed to the next stage of developing your projects.
http://www1.rmit.edu.au/policies/assessment-policy
Student Progress:
Monitoring academic progress is an important enabling and proactive strategy designed to assist you in achieving your learning potential.
http://www1.rmit.edu.au/students/acadprogress
Adjustments to Assessment (eg. applying for an extension of time):
If you are unable to complete any piece of assessment satisfactorily by the due date, you can choose to apply for an adjustment to your assessment. RMIT University offers a range of adjustments designed to support you in your studies, including an extension of time to complete the assessment.
http://www1.rmit.edu.au/students/assessment/adjustment
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism:
RMIT University has a strict policy on plagiarism and academic integrity. Please refer to the website for more information on this policy.
http://www1.rmit.edu.au/students/academic-integrity
Credit Transfer and Recognition of Prior Learning:
Credit transfer is the recognition of previously completed formal learning (an officially accredited qualification).
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is an assessment process that allows you to demonstrate competence using the skills you have gained through experience in the workplace, voluntary work, informal or formal training or other life experiences.
Recognition of Current Competency (RCC) RCC applies only if you have previously successfully demonstrated competence in a unit of competency, and now require to be reassessed to ensure that the competence is being maintained.
Please speak to your teacher if you wish to discuss applying for Credit Transfer, RPL, or RCC for the unit(s) of competency addressed in this course.
http://www1.rmit.edu.au/students/enrolment/credit
Course Overview: Access Course Overview