Area of study 1:

Recording and production techniques for both corrective and creative purposes

Component 1: Recording Component 2: Technology Component 3: Listening Component 4: Production

Based Composition and Analysing and Analysing

1.1 Software and 1.1 Software and 1.1 Software and

hardware hardware hardware
1.2 Capture of sound 1.2 Capture of sound 1.1 Capture of sound 1.2 Capture of sound
(may be required for
some briefs)
1.3 Synthesis 1.2 Synthesis 1.3 Synthesis
1.4 Sampling 1.3 Sampling 1.4 Sampling
1.5 Sequencing 1.4 Sequencing 1.5 Sequencing
1.3 Audio editing 1.6 Audio editing 1.5 Audio editing 1.6 Audio editing
1.4 Pitch and rhythm 1.7 Pitch and rhythm 1.6 Pitch and rhythm 1.7 Pitch and rhythm
correction and correction and correction and correction and
manipulation manipulation manipulation manipulation
1.5 Automation 1.8 Automation 1.7 Automation 1.8 Automation
1.6 Dynamic processing 1.9 Dynamic processing 1.8 Dynamic processing 1.9 Dynamic processing
1.7 Stereo 1.10 Stereo 1.9 Stereo 1.10 Stereo
1.8 EQ 1.11 EQ 1.10 EQ 1.11 EQ
1.9 Effects 1.12 Effects 1.11 Effects 1.12 Effects
1.10 Balance and blend 1.13 Balance and blend 1.12 Balance and blend 1.13 Balance and blend
1.11 Mastering 1.14 Mastering 1.13 Mastering 1.14 Mastering

Area of study 1: Task list

Topics Content Skills, knowledge and understanding S C M

Software The core and Functions are detailed below in this table
and advanced
hardware functions of a
digital audio
workstation
(DAW) (1,2,4)

A range of Microphones; audio interfaces; microphone pre-amps; DI boxes; mixing

hardware (1,2,4) desks; outboard effects; guitar pedals

controller keyboard (4)

musictechstudent.co.uk
 Other MIDI, OSC or any other programming environments may be used (2,4)

programming
environments Awareness of new, alternative software

and new and environments used in music

emerging production*(4)

software (2,4)

The impact of The contribution of new technology to

new and
music production practices* (4)
emerging
software on
music

production (4)

1.2 Capture Gain structure Setting gain to maximise signal-to noise-ratio (1,2,3,4)

of sound and how it

affects noise Avoiding clipping, interference and hiss (1,2,3,4)

and distortion
(1,2,3,4) Pre-amp controls: phantom power; gain; pad; high pass filter; polarity; clip/
activity LED (1,2,4)

Checking input and output levels when several effects/pieces of hardware

are chained together (1,3,4)

Characteristics Dynamic, condenser

and suitability
of microphones Directional microphones; (cardioid, hypercardioid and figure of eight polar
(1,2) patterns): omnidirectional microphones

Proximity effect

Microphone frequency responses

Sensitivity

The Dynamic; condenser; ribbon

characteristics
and

suitability of
microphone

types (3,4)

Microphone Single and multiple microphone techniques

techniques (1,2)
Placement distance and angle

Managing spill and background noise

Eliminating plosives

The suitability Suitable distances and angles

of microphone
placement Recording instruments using a single microphone

techniques (3,4)
Recording instruments using multiple microphones, e.g. drum kit

On-axis and off-axis frequency responses (4)

musictechstudent.co.uk
 The advantages Advantages and disadvantages of different polar patterns (4)

and
disadvantages
of microphone Directional: cardioid; hyper cardioid; figure of 8

types in terms Proximity effect

of polar pattern
Omnidirectional

and frequency
response (3,4)
Frequency response and transient response

Advanced Understanding phase relationships between multiple microphones (4)

microphone
techniques (3,4) Coincident and spaced stereo pairs

How Sensitivity

microphones
work (3,4) Microphone switches: pad;

high pass filter; polar pattern

switch

Microphone accessories:

pop shield;

elastic suspension/cradle

electromagnetic induction; (4)

capacitance Diaphragms; (4)

moving coil; (4)

plates (4)

Phantom power (4)

1.3 How synthesis Selecting and mixing sine, triangle, pulse, square and saw waveforms;
Synthesis is used to white noise; low frequency oscillator (LFO); filters (low pass and high pass);
create sounds envelopes
(2,3,4)

How timbre is How timbre is affected by cut-off frequency resonance, attack, decay,
affected by a sustain and release (amplitude envelope)

wider range of
parameters Mapping envelope and LFO to filter cut-off and pitch

(2,3,4)
Oscillator octave, coarse and fine tuning

Pitch bend range

Monophonic; polyphonic (4)

Portamento; arpeggiator

1.4 Editing samples Cutting/trimming ● Tuning

Sampling (2,3,4)

musictechstudent.co.uk
 Looping (2,3,4) Loop points

Crossfades

Zero crossings; cross-fade looping (4)

Pitch mapping Transposing

(2,3,4)

Advanced Sample rate and bit depth

Parameters
(3,4) Reversing samples

Using synthesis parameters on

samples, e.g. filter and envelope (4)

Setting pitch key zones (4)

Velocity layering (4)

Time-stretch (4)

Other sampling Reversing samples; stuttering

parameters (2)
Using synthesis parameters on samples, e.g. filter and envelope

Setting pitch key zones

Velocity layering

Context (2) Use of samples in new contexts to create new meanings or effects

1.5 Real-time input Using a MIDI controller keyboard

Sequencin (2,4)
g

Non real-time Step grid (drum editor)

input (2,4)
Using a pencil tool to draw in notes

Quantise (2,3) Hard quantise values e.g.8,12,16, 24, 32 (and note length equivalents)

Swing/percentage quantise

Groove templates (2)

Snap / grid (4)

Editing skills Piano roll and list editor

(2,3,4)
Velocity and note length

Cutting, looping and duplicating

How MIDI Note on/off; pitch; controllers; pitch bend; LSB and MSB; tempo data in
works by bpm

studying

data bytes (4) Setting a fixed tempo and applying tempo changes

musictechstudent.co.uk
1.6 Audio Truncating Scissor tool/split

editing (1,2,4)
Lead-in and lead-out times (4)

How to remove Fades and cross fades

clicks and noise

(1,2,3,4) Removing hiss, hum and plosives(3,4)

How and why For example, discontinuous waveforms

clicks and
and plosives
other noises
occur (4)

Audio editing Normalising and inverting waveforms

functions (1,2,4)

1.7 Pitch How to correct For example, re-tuning a vocal part with automatic tuning

and rhythm inaccuracies in

correction pitch (1,2,3,4) Manually tuning individual notes using pitch shift (1,3)

and
manipulatio Manually tuning individual notes by drawing in pitch, playing via MIDI or
n offline pitch shift process (2,4)

Replacing small errors with material from elsewhere in the song (1)

How to correct Replacing small errors with material from elsewhere in the song (1,3)

inaccuracies in
rhythm (1,2,3,4) Manually cutting and moving notes that are out of time

For example, tightening drum parts using audio quantise (2,3,4)

Parameters that Pitch: use of automatic tuning as a creative effect; response time; fine
allow greater tuning in cents

control and
creativity Pitch: selecting notes / scales

(1,2,3,4) (3)

Pitch: formant shifts (2)

Rhythm: groove templates; time stretching (2,3)

selecting different algorithms; formant shifts; fine tuning in cents;

polyphonic re-tuning (4)

Rhythm: transient detection threshold; groove templates; selecting different

algorithms; time-stretch (4)

1.8 Volume and Fades and movement in the stereo field

Automation pan automation
(1,2,3)

How to use
volume and pan

automation
(3,4)

musictechstudent.co.uk
 Automating For example, cut-off frequency and delay feedback
parameters of
plugins (1,2,3,4)

1.9 Uses of Situations when you would use a compressor and or/gate

Dynamic compression
processing and gating Limiting; expansion; de-essing

(1,2,3,4)
Pumping

Core and Compressor threshold, ratio and make-up gain, attack, release, knee

advanced
parameters of a side-chain

compressor
and gate Gate threshold, attack, release, reduction/range

(1,2,3,4)
Gate threshold, reduction/range attack, release, hold and side-chain (4)

Drawing graphs of compression and gating (4)

1.10 Stereo Pan (1,2,3,4) Setting pan positions for individual parts (tracks, instruments and/or vocals)
in a recording (1,2,4)

How to identify pan positions of individual parts (tracks

instruments and/or vocals) in a recording (3)

Panning law, Stereo widening

mono-summing
and mid-side Mono compatibility
processing (1)

1.11 EQ Different types Low shelf; high shelf; band; low pass filter; high pass filter; band pass filter

of EQ in a
recording Correcting problems including sibilance, noise and resonances

(1,2,3,4)
Parametric EQ; graphic EQ (4)

How different Gain; frequency/cut off; resonance; Q; slope

parameters
affect sound Drawing graphs of EQ (4)
(1,2,3,4)

1.12 Core and Wet/dry and bypass settings

Effects advanced
parameters Core and advanced parameters as listed for each effect

(1,2,3,4)
Using inserts and effects (4)

Reverb (1,2,3,4) Room; hall; plate; spring, gated; reversed

Reverb time pre-delay time; high frequency damping

Delay (1,2,3,4) Single and multi-tap; slapback; timed; ping pong

Delay time; feedback; number of repeats; delay pan and EQ

Automatic double tracking (ADT)

musictechstudent.co.uk
 Modulated Flange; chorus; phaser

delay (1,2,3,4)
LFO rate; LFO depth; feedback

Comb filtering

Wah wah pedal Band pass filter

(1,2,3,4)
How the pedal controls the centre frequency (4)

Distortion Overdrive; fuzz

(1,2,3,4) Gain/drive; tone

Amp modelling parameters: amps and speaker types; virtual mic type/
placement (1,2,4)

Tremolo LFO rate; LFO depth

(1,2,3,4)

Tremolo (3,4) Identify tremolo in a recording(3)

LFO rate(4)

Vocal effects Vocoder; Talk Box

(1,2,3,4)

Vocal effects (4) Vocoder

Lo-fi (3,4) Bit-crushing; vinyl surface noise/crackle effects; telephone effect; vocal
distortion; ambient/found sound

1.13 Balance The relative balance of parts (tracks, instruments and/or vocals)
Balance (1,2,3,4)
and blend

Blend (1,2,3,4) How blend is affected by compression, EQ and effects

1.14 Perceived Limiting

Mastering volume (1,2,3,4)

Understanding Master EQ, e.g. high shelf boost and rumble (high pass) filter
how EQ is used
in the mastering
process
(1,2,3,4)

Mastering Stereo width; master reverb wet/dry mix (3)

parameters
(3,4) Limiter gain (4)

Fade in/fade out (4)

musictechstudent.co.uk