College

When I got to college the A-Levels I decided to do were an A-Level in Computer Science and a Level 3 Music Technology Diploma. As well as this I also took part in an extra curricular, the Music Practitioners Certificate Level 3.

Grades Achieved:

A-levels:

  • Computer Science
    – A

BTEC Level 3 National Diploma:

  • Music Technology
    – Distinction* Distinction

Music Practitioners Certificate Level 3 :

  • Music Technology

      - Distinction*

College Projects

Computer Science - NEA

The only project done in Computer Science, the Non-Exam-Assessment required the creation of a simple system using Visual Studio.
For my project, I ended up creating a stock and checkout system, which included a stock page detailing all items in stock in a fictionally shop, with different access levels on the system. The access levels meant a login password system for customers, employees and admins each with separate levels of what they could do, with employees able to edit stock levels and put through a transaction, whereas admins could also alter or add user information.
The project was done in Visual Studio using the vb.net language.
Looking back, the most useful parts of the project that I took forward with me was the importance of code optimization, normalizing data bases using MS Access and how to make use of external code libraries and documentation, which I had used to create an email forgot password system. The code optimization was a big struggle I needed to overcome for the project, as I was attempting to create a several databases of users and stock with no real foresight on how I was supposed to do it. Learning MS Access and SQL with 3rd normal form being a requirement was very useful being made to do it properly.

Music Technology

The main software used on this course was Logic Pro X.
There were lots of units done in this, not all of which will be gone into detail here, however some that I think are important will be.
All units done were:

A recording module having to record 2 covers ; A business module along with the recording for budgeting and roles in the industry ; Mixing and mastering module on the 2 recorded covers ; Film sound & foley module ; A long form dissertation-esque module - I researched about wars influence on music ;  A live sound module having to produce and live mix a small performance ; A deep dive into synthesizers & samplers and how they work ; an exam broken into 3 hours of research on a specific song and 3 hours of writing all about the history and production of the song.

Film Audio & Foley

This unit entailed selecting a scene from a film that lasted for around a minute and a half and replacing all Foley and sound effects used for that clip, as well as creating a soundtrack.
I think that this unit was very useful moving into university as many of the skills gained are transferable to other areas, like serious time management and organisation due to the amount of time Foley and the editing would take. Other important things were the importance of microphone selection for the correct scenario, whether that be a large diaphragm to capture a booming sound or a pointed hyper cardioid mic to capture a quiet metal flick.

Synthesizers & Samplers

This unit consisted of learning all about the history of synths and samplers, as well all about how they work. With synths I learnt about subtractive, additive and FM, as well as how to actually use the ones built into Logic Pro X. We were tasked with creating our owns synths and using a sampler to create a piece of music. Unfortunately I've lost the piece of music itself, but I still have screenshots explaining the process.

Recording & Post Production

This section includes 2 units combined into one, the recording and the mixing & mastering using Logic Pro X
The recording included a group of 4 of us selecting two songs to create a cover of. I personally chose the song "Lady, Hear me Tonight - Modjo" and another member of the group chose "My House - Flo Rida".
We first created a bed track of each section using MIDI, to then go back and record the proper recording over the bed track using the appropriate techniques and equipment.
Once recorded, the two track had to be mixed and mastered. This helped me to work on my critical listening skills and to be able to properly decipher what is needed to be done, whether that be gates, specific EQ, compression etc.

These two covers can be found on soundcloud. https://soundcloud.com/mattywilde/sets/college-covers

The two major things that I would change if I went back and did this now would be using a different singer as the voice doesn't fit the songs, and reducing the loudness of the bass and changing how it is EQ'd as it sounds muddy and unclear.

Live Sound

In this unit I learnt all about the basics of live sound and mixing desks. We started by learning things like health and safety and the correct way to carry things and set up equipment. We learnt the fundamentals of the signal chain and how to locate errors within the setup.
Our assessment involved working together in a 4 man team to set up a stage with equipment on it for a single performer using vocals and a guitar. We then had 10 minutes to apply all needed FX using the mixing desk and record a take of a song through it into a DAW.
This module gave me many valuable skills that I took through to university, with the signal chain, health and safety and how to effectively work as a team under pressure.