Students

MMCC8038 – The Art of Recording

2024 – Session 2, Online-scheduled-weekday

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Co-convenor; Seminar Coordinator
Daniel Denholm
daniel.denholm@mq.edu.au
Contact via By email
N/A
By appointment; Please email
Diane Hughes
diane.hughes@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MCrInd or MMediaComm
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit examines recorded sound and its relation to society. Areas of investigation include changes in technology and cultural context, expectations of fidelity, remote and field recording issues and practice, production values, media and distribution, recording ethics and relevant legal issues. These are explored through projects implementing essential audio production skills.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: evaluate the history of recorded sound and technology.
  • ULO2: analyse scholarship on recording and its relationship to society.
  • ULO3: investigate changes in technology use in the field of sound recording.
  • ULO4: implement essential production skills to accompany theoretical exploration.
  • ULO5: synthesize recording strategies to explore relationships between sound and society.

General Assessment Information

Assessment

  • Rubrics are used for all assessments and will be available on iLearn.
  • Assessment standards in this unit align with the University's grade descriptors.
  • A computer and Internet access are required. Music playback and headphones are also required.

Written components for assessment tasks must be submitted through Turnitin by the due date/time shown. 

Late Assessment Submission Penalty  

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue.    

This late penalty will apply to non-timed sensitive assessment (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc). Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic. 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Guided recording tasks 30% No Practical and Written due Thursday 5/09/24 at 23:55pm
Production portfolio 40% No P.folio Thurs. 17/10/24 by 23:55; present in seminars Week11
Exegesis 30% No Sunday 27/10/24 by 23:55pm

Guided recording tasks

Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: Practical and Written due Thursday 5/09/24 at 23:55pm
Weighting: 30%

 

Students are to undertake a number of guided recording tasks as specified on iLearn. These may be carried out using university facilities and/ or private setups. Recordings must be submitted along with full software project folders and related files. A 500 word written description of the process will also be provided.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • investigate changes in technology use in the field of sound recording.
  • implement essential production skills to accompany theoretical exploration.

Production portfolio

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 52 hours
Due: P.folio Thurs. 17/10/24 by 23:55; present in seminars Week11
Weighting: 40%

 

A final recorded portfolio containing completed recorded works based on production research. Submission via iLearn. Final stereo mixdowns and all working software folders and files are to be provided. Refer to iLearn for further information.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • implement essential production skills to accompany theoretical exploration.
  • synthesize recording strategies to explore relationships between sound and society.

Exegesis

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: Sunday 27/10/24 by 23:55pm
Weighting: 30%

 

Students will submit an exegesis which describes their production research and clearly outlines how they have translated that research into practice in producing their project. Incorporation of concepts from course readings should be included in the document. The exegesis should include a description of the recording process undertaken (with technical details), and a reflection on the strengths and weaknesses of the final result. Refer to iLearn for further information.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • evaluate the history of recorded sound and technology.
  • analyse scholarship on recording and its relationship to society.
  • investigate changes in technology use in the field of sound recording.
  • implement essential production skills to accompany theoretical exploration.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Seminars begin in Week 2. 

Required Equipment You will need to bring a suitable pair of headphones to seminars each week. In-ear (iPod-style) headphones are not recommended, as their sound reproduction quality is generally inadequate and may jeopardise the quality of your work. Consider your headphones an investment. 

Data backup Students must make safety backups of all assignment work in the cloud or on removable devices. Loss of data due to lost storage devices (without backups) is not suitable grounds for an extension. Data backup and project safety copies are core requirements in all music production.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Changes since First Published

Date Description
15/07/2024 Assessment dates corrected

Unit information based on version 2024.03 of the Handbook