Music Production

Prepare for a career as a commercial music producer, equipped with the latest techniques and crucial experience in recording, mixing, editing and producing.

This course is your path to a future in sound. It’s not just about making music but mastering tech, understanding your audience, making connections and gaining the right skills to stand out in a crowded industry.

Whether you’re into hip-hop, electronic, rock, or cinematic sound, you’ll build a portfolio and get real-world experience that sets you apart in the fast-moving world of music and media.

Learn from expert academics and industry-active practitioners.

Collaborate with others to develop all-important skills for your professional life.

Get full training in our industry-standard music facilities, including five recording studios, a spacious recital hall, and practice rooms.

Take an optional work placement, or internships with our industry partners and practitioners.

Make the most of Cambridge’s music scene with our links to local networks, venues and arts groups.

Create a diverse portfolio of work relevant to films, games, podcasts, live broadcasts, and DJing.

Careers

Our Music Production degree will give you the skills, experience, and network to step into the music industry or keep building your own sounds and connections.

We'll support you to grow into a confident, creative professional who values lifelong learning and ongoing personal and career development.

By the time you graduate, you’ll have built a diverse portfolio of music production work designed to showcase your abilities to future employers and clients.

Whether you want to make soundtracks for films and games, manage sound for podcasts and live broadcasts, or perform as a DJ, the diverse portfolio of work you create will prepare you for the modern collaborative creative industries.

Graduation doesn’t have to be the end of your time with us. You might decide to stay at ARU and study for a Masters, such as our MA Music Therapy. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and get 20% off your fees.

Teaching

From Year 1, you’ll work with other music students to develop your collaboration and project skills.

You’ll also be able to collaborate with film and game students to produce soundtracks, sound effects, and immersive experiences.

In Year 2, you’ll develop your understanding of the modern music industry and learn how to build your brand. You’ll choose from a range of optional modules to suit your interests and ambitions.

Finally, you’ll put everything you’ve learned into practice and prepare for your future career with independent and collaborative projects, and the opportunity to build up a portfolio.

*=optional.

Year 1: Music in Context; Electronic Music Composition; Studio Techniques; Music Production; Into ARU.

Year 2: Music Business; Mixing and Mastering; Ruskin Module; Interactive Sound Design for Games*; Production Sound for Film and Media*; Music Marketing and Promotion*; Post-Production Sound for Film and Media*; From Performance to Therapy: Arts Therapies In Action*; Chords, Contours and Grooves - Songwriting Practice*; Live Event Production*; Synthesis and Sound Design*.

Year 3: Creative Industries Major Project; Collaborative Project; Portfolio.

Our open assessment tasks will challenge you to come up with your own creative responses, giving you space for active and creative rehearsals, collaborative experimentation and the development of your own independent work.

You’ll also be assessed using different methods and strategies that reflect the wide variety of activities involved in music-making. As well as creative projects, these might include presentations/performance; essays; analytical work; portfolio development; and written and practical exams.