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Students

MMCC3000 – Music Production: The Recording Studio

2026 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Co convenor
Daniel Denholm
daniel.denholm@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
Hub 191, 10HA
Email for appointment
Co Convenor
Andrew Robson
andrew.robson@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
Rm 191J, Hub 191, 10HA
Email for appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above including MUS203 or MMCC2033
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit examines techniques for music production. Moving beyond desktop music production and software tools, students learn about the recording studio environment by using studio hardware and production tools. Students produce original creative music works using a fully-equipped music studio, gaining practical studio experience. Further aspects of this course include the establishment of critical listening skills, research of specific musical genres, and the development of an understanding of audio production concepts in a recording studio environment. Students obtain a knowledge base which may be applied to many areas of music production in real-world contexts, and create recordings that incorporate a practical and theoretical understanding of contemporary music production.

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: apply advanced music production techniques and digital audio concepts.
  • ULO2: create and arrange musical works.
  • ULO3: research a range of contextually relevant production and recording practices.
  • ULO4: analyse sonic texts in terms of production techniques, composition, and context.
  • ULO5: critique and evaluate the creative process of music production.
  • ULO6: research contemporary production practices and technologies.

General Assessment Information

Assessment

1. Rubrics are used for all assessments and will be available on iLearn.

2. Assessment standards in this unit align with the University's grade descriptors.

3. A computer and Internet access are required. Music playback facility is also required.

Assessment Submissions

No student work that has been performed, analysed or submitted for assessments in other units may be used for assessment tasks in this unit.

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

Assessment tasks

  • Due to copyright, no practical assessments may be recorded or posted to social media or any online platform.

Referencing Style

For all written work, students are required to use the APA 7th referencing style for all in-text referencing, reference lists and spoken introductions. This also includes references for recorded material as appropriate.

Please use the Library databases for your own research purposes and do not use Wikipedia as a reference.

Return of marked work

Work will be marked and returned with feedback in order for students to incorporate feedback in subsequent assessments.

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 written reports and recordings only. Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs will be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application.

Important to note:

  • Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs) will be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application.
  • Students should not request an informal arrangement from their tutor, lecturer or Unit Convenor (or equivalent).
  • Where an application for Special Consideration is approved and the outcome is an extension to the due date of a task, submissions that are received after the new due date will be subject to late penalties that are calculated from the new due date. This only applies where the outcome is an extension to the due date – see the Special Consideration Policy for a schedule of all possible outcomes.

Use of AI

Please refer to iLearn for information about GenAI policies and expectations.

 

 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI assisted?
Studio recording theory 20% No Week 5 in Workshop + Week 11 in Lecture Individual No Open AI
Guided recording tasks 35% No 22/5/2026 Week 11 Individual No Open AI
Production project 45% No 5/6/2026 Week 13 Individual No Open AI

Studio recording theory

Assessment Type 1: Problem-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 12 hours
Due: Week 5 in Workshop + Week 11 in Lecture
Weighting: 20%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?: Open AI

Students will undertake a series of quizzes to build and assess essential contextual and theoretical knowledge. Refer to iLearn for further information.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • apply advanced music production techniques and digital audio concepts.
  • research a range of contextually relevant production and recording practices.

Guided recording tasks

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: 22/5/2026 Week 11
Weighting: 35%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?: Open AI

Students will undertake a series of guided recording tasks in the studio. Refer to iLearn for further information.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • apply advanced music production techniques and digital audio concepts.
  • analyse sonic texts in terms of production techniques, composition, and context.
  • research contemporary production practices and technologies.

Production project

Assessment Type 1: Creative task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: 5/6/2026 Week 13
Weighting: 45%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?: Open AI

Students will produce a multitrack recording in any style, delivered as a project file conforming to professional standards. The recording must demonstrate advanced recording and production techniques, including multiple (at least 8) tracks, at least 2 tracks of recorded material from live performers using Recording Studio 2, group tracks, send/FX/aux busses, automation, full track naming, and track notes. Refer to iLearn for further information.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • apply advanced music production techniques and digital audio concepts.
  • create and arrange musical works.
  • analyse sonic texts in terms of production techniques, composition, and context.
  • critique and evaluate the creative process of music production.
  • research contemporary production practices and technologies.

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.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

Please note:

Lectures & Tutorials (workshops) commence in Week 1.

Please see the timetable (https://publish.mq.edu.au/) for details.

Lectures and tutorials will be delivered on campus.

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 connect.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/

Academic Success

Academic Success 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 the Service Connect Portal, 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
09/02/2026 Correction to assessment information

Unit information based on version 2026.01R of the Handbook