Module overview
Interactive music and sound can be found in diverse forms, from video games and interactive installations through to data driven sonic art and works with audience/performer interventions. Such situations provide composers and sound artists with both exciting creative opportunities and technical challenges. This module provides you with an opportunity to explore non-linear sonic scenarios, introducing a range of software systems and hardware controllers with which to engage.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Subject Specific Practical Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Combine software and hardware tools to achieve a specific creative and technical goal.
- Compose within a sophisticated software environment.
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Develop creative solutions in complex technological situations.
- Reflect critically on your own work
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- A range of exemplars of non-linear music and sound experiences across different media and art forms.
- Tools and techniques for the creation of non-linear music and sound experiences.
- Challenges, issues and strategies in non-linear music and sound scenarios
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Evaluate and select appropriate software and/or hardware for a given interactive music or sound experience.
- Critically evaluate interactive music or sound experiences.
- Develop technical solutions to specific compositional problems in the design and realisation of an interactive music or sound experience.
Syllabus
Topics studied will typically include:
- A variety of non-linear sound/music case studies such as video games and sound installations.
- Terminology and concepts relevant to non-linear sound tools, including spatialisation.
- Technical skills in the deployment of a range of relevant software packages and hardware tools such as game engines and controllers.
- Compositional strategies in non-linear audio scenarios including video games.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching and learning methods include:
Lectures and demonstration/workshops.
Practical tasks (both in-class and in independent study),
Studying feedback on assessed work,
Small group tutorials.
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Practical classes and workshops | 24 |
| Independent Study | 126 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Internet Resources
Textbooks
Winifred Phillips (2017). A Composer's Guide to Game Music. MIT Press.
Duncan Williams, Newton Lee (eds) (2018). Emotion in Video Game Soundtracking. Springer International Publishing AG.
Karen Collins (2008). Game Sound: An Introduction to the History, Theory, and Practice of Video Game Music and Sound Design. MIT Press.
Assessment
Assessment strategy
- Formative tasks designed to provide informal, on-module feedback.
- Non-linear composition assignments to allow students to demonstrate the practical and technical skills covered.
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Composition | 60% |
| Group project | 20% |
| Group project | 20% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Composition | 100% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Composition | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External