Live Sound

Ready to turn up the volume? Dive into the exciting world of live sound and events with our Live Sound degree. This isn't your average course, it's your backstage pass to the heart of the music and events industry. Whether you live for a festival packed summer, geek out over sound systems, or dream of engineering sold-out arena shows, this three-year degree in Live Sound will give you the skills to make it.

This cutting-edge, industry-focused course has been designed to shape the next generation of live sound engineers, combining rigorous technical training with hands-on experience. Over the three years you’ll become confident in areas such as Front of House (FOH) mixing, digital audio networking, advanced system optimisation, and audio console operations. But we're not just about pushing faders, you'll dive deep into the science of sound, acoustics, and sound systems design.

As you progress, you'll gain experience in a wide range of live events, from club gigs, theatre productions, commercial events to festival stages. By your final year, you'll be planning and delivering major live productions and thanks to our industry connections, you'll have opportunities to work at real festivals, shadow pros at live events, and build a network that'll kickstart your career before you graduate.

What really makes this course special - all practical elements take place in our specially designed teaching and performance spaces, in Bristol this is our Live Sound Hall and in Manchester this includes the 1,300 capacity working venue New Century.

Why Choose This Course?

• Professional Grade Equipment: You'll be using professional-grade equipment from respected manufacturers such as LÁcousitcs, Allen & Heath, Martin Audio, Midas, Avid, Yamaha and d&b Audiotechnik.

• Industry Connections: You’ll gain extensive practical experience and build your network through our strong links with production companies, venues, events and festivals. This is real-world experience that will make you stand out as a live sound specialist.

• Thriving Industry: The UK Events Industry is a global leader, reaching a value of £34.3bn in 2023 and this degree will see you develop a versatile skillset from live music, theatre, commercial events to immersive audio experiences and installations that will open doors across the entire industry.

Throughout your studies you’ll also have access to a substantial guest lecture programme with topics ranging from demonstrations in new technology to personal experiences from professional practitioners who are at the very top of the UK Live Sound industry.

This course is taught by dBs Institute and awarded by Falmouth University.

Modules

Year 1

• Front of House & Signal Flow

• Applied Acoustics

• Loudspeaker Design

• Sound Culture

• Digital Mixing Techniques

• Live Sound & Pre-Production

Year 2

• Digital Audio Fundamentals

• Sound System Theory & Application

• Audio Networking

• Digital Production Implementation

• Advanced Mixing Techniques

• Research Practice

Year 3

• Investigation

• Live Sound Production: Planning

• Live sound Production: Delivery

• Advanced System Design & Optimisation

• Monitoring

• Research Project

Full course details and module information can be found on our website. Programme structures and modules can change as part of our curriculum enhancement and review processes.

Learning in both dBs' purpose-built spaces and public venues, you will become adept in live sound engineering; growing your skills in live sound production, system design, acoustics and more. You’ll get hands-on with a multitude of mixing consoles, working with some of the best speaker systems in the industry.

In addition, your learning will be supported by practical workshops, lectures, seminars, group and individual tutorials, and tutor and peer feedback on your work.

Assessment Methods
Assessments are 100% coursework.
Written assignments.
Presentations.
Portfolio development of creative, practical and/or technical work.