Music Production

Music is the heartbeat of creativity, woven into film, games, art, and culture. This course places you in a vibrant creative community where you’ll draw inspiration across disciplines, redefining what music production can achieve.

We welcome aspiring producers, recordists, and beatmakers eager to grow into accomplished music production professionals.

This course sharpens your expertise in studio production, composition, sound design and live sound, and immerses you in recording, mixing, mastering and creating music for diverse media, from video games to film sync.

Purpose-built facilities mirror real-world industry environments, including a Dante-networked performance venue, songwriting and synthesiser room, dedicated mixing room, cutting-edge recording studio and soundproofed live rooms, all linked via our Dante network. Students have access to four individual production rooms, a drum recording room, and two specialist Mac labs. You’ll also have access to industry-standard software and hardware, and a range of University workshops from metalwork to 3D printing and photography.

You’ll master technical skills and gain creative insights for success through hands-on projects, hyper-real simulations, live pitching opportunities, interdisciplinary collaborations, and visits to commercial recording studios in the region. Workshops and guest speakers have included Skin OBE, Jason Bowld (Bullet for My Valentine), Imogen Heap, West End performers, producers, composers, agents, publishers, and industry experts across labels, management, and promotion.

What You'll Study

Year one – You’ll explore music production, studio production, composition, sound design, and live sound. Through workshops and real-world projects, you’ll create original music, collaborate in the studio, and understand the broader context of music production in popular culture, setting the stage for success in the dynamic creative industries.

Year two – You’ll deepen your expertise in studio production, composition, sound design and live sound through real-world briefs and cross-course collaboration, placing your work within a professional creative environment. You’ll build a diverse portfolio by having the opportunity to work with Popular Music Performance, Games Design and Filmmaking students on applied projects such as producing recordings, sound design and music for interactive media. You’ll explore electronic composition, AI skills, artist branding, rights management and networking, while examining music production’s cultural and historical context to broaden your industry understanding.

Year three* – You’ll lead a music production project showcasing your unique style and professional identity. You’ll refine audience engagement, analytical, and problem-solving skills, preparing to monetise your work. By graduation, you’ll be ready to navigate complex, fast-paced environments and collaborate effectively with a diverse range of creatives.

*If you choose to study this course over four years, this will include a placement year (also known as a sandwich year, work placement, industrial placement, or year in industry), which provides a fantastic opportunity to enhance your employability and gain practical experience in your field of study. The placement year typically occurs after year two and before year three. Read our placement year FAQs at www.leeds-art.ac.uk/undergraduate-placement-year-faqs.