Course Title: Develop sound designs

Part B: Course Detail

Teaching Period: Term1 2014

Course Code: VART6065C

Course Title: Develop sound designs

School: 345T Media and Communication

Campus: City Campus

Program: C6104 - Advanced Diploma of Sound Production

Course Contact : Program Administration

Course Contact Phone: +61 3 9925 4815

Course Contact Email:mcvet@rmit.edu.au


Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff

Lecturer, Advisor & Mentor
John Phillips
john.phillips@rmit.edu.au
9925 4815


 

Nominal Hours: 50

Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites

There are no pre-requisites or co-requisites for this unit.

Course Description

To enable the learner to gain the technical skills required to create, record and produce original sound effects from scratch using advanced synthesis techniques and basic microphone and field recording techniques.


National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria

National Element Code & Title:

CUSSOU501A Develop sound designs

Element:

1. Interpret and confirm sound design briefs

Performance Criteria:

1.1
Participate in preliminary concept meetings with relevant personnel to discuss creative and technical sound requirements of productions
1.2
Continue liaison with relevant personnel until all sound requirements have been confirmed in the context of overall production requirements
1.3
Identify and confirm additional personnel needed to fulfill the sound design brief

Element:

2. Break down components of sound design briefs

Performance Criteria:

2.1
Identify and document the sound sources specified in the design brief to determine the content, quality and duration of the required sound components
2.2
Determine and where necessary document the creative and resource requirements for each sound component
2.3
Confirm and document the role of personnel required for the process of developing sound design projects

Element:

3. Experiment with sound components to express ideas

Performance Criteria:

3.1
Cultivate and create an energy and environment that will promote the generation of ideas among team members and provide the motivation and incentive to bring ideas to fruition
3.2
Gather information from a variety of sources and generate, explore and record a range of ideas and options as a creative base for developing the required sound design
3.3
Transform and manipulate the ideas generated and select those ideas that have the most potential for technical and creative development of the required sound design

Element:

4. Assess creative ideas

Performance Criteria:

4.1
Contemplate and consider the ideas selected from the creative base, reflecting on and evaluating their viability, cost, technical feasibility and suitability to meet the requirements of the design brief
4.2
Continuously evaluate and verify creative ideas for the components of the design brief based on the overall sound design concept

Element:

5. Design sound elements

Performance Criteria:

5.1
Develop sound design concepts taking into consideration the brief and the ideas generated
5.2
Determine the relevant sound components required to
implement the sound design in line with creative and
technical requirements
5.3
Establish a clear relationship between the use and
integration of sound components and the function, context
and objectives of the work to determine the sound design
5.4
As required, hold ongoing discussions with relevant
personnel to consider, confirm and incorporate additional or changed production requirements and new ideas to achieve best sound design concept
5.5
Present the sound design in a specification that best conveys the concept to relevant personnel, including those responsible for implementing the design
5.6
Confirm final design concept with relevant personnel to ensure that implementation is consistent with the design and that potential difficulties are addressed

Element:

6. Evaluate completed sound designs

Performance Criteria:

6.1
Discuss and obtain agreement from relevant personnel on evaluation techniques to evaluate the completed sound design
Volume 1 of 1, Unit 91 of 98 © Commonwealth of Australia,
6.2
Focus the evaluation on whether the sound design meets all aspects of the design brief, and on the viability of the implementation plan
6.3
Obtain detailed information and opinions from legitimate sources and document results for evaluation
6.4
Communicate results of evaluation to relevant personnel and use results to improve future practice

Learning Outcomes



On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to record, develop, design and mixdown sound effects from development to final implementation. You will be able to create synthesiser patches, set up and utilise various microphone techniques and record in outdoor environments using field recording techniques.


 


Details of Learning Activities

Demonstration
Lectures
Group Discussion
Brainstorming
Synthesiser programming
Sampler Programming
Programming in Logic Pro
Location Recording
Mixing
Microphone recording
Scoring to Picture




 


Teaching Schedule

Teaching schedule
Please note: While your teacher will cover all the material in this schedule, the weekly order is subject to change depending on class needs and availability of speakers and resources.
 
WEEK

 

CONTENT

 

                 ELEMENTS

 
Week 1
 

Introduction to unit & assessments

The Sound Designers

Cinema Sound
Surround Sound

  LAB Element 1
1.1, 1.2, 1.3
Week 2
 		 Surround Sound Formats
OMF & AAC - Transferring audio between video & audio apps
FCP > OMF > LOGIC / TOOLS Exercise		  LAB Element 1
1.1, 1.2, 1.3
Week 3
 		 Sound Design / roles in film sound production
Sound Design strategies
ADR
Foley		  CLASS Element 2
2.1, 2.2, 2.3
Week 4
 		 Surround Sound in Pro-Tools
Surround Sound in Logic Pro		  CLASS Element 2
2.1, 2.2, 2.3
Element 3
3.1, 3.2, 3.3
Week 5
 		 ADR / Location Recording Assessment
ASSESSMENT S1 BEGINS		  CLASS Element 3
3.1, 3.2, 3.3
Week 6
 		 Logic Pro
Prac Assessment work		  LAB Element 4
4.1, 4.2
Week 7
 		 Logic Pro
Prac Assessment work		  LAB Element 4
4.1, 4.2
Week 8
 		 Interleaved v Multi-Mono Files
File Management
Bass Management
Matrix v Discrete		  CLASS Element 5
5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6
Week 9
 

 Surround Sound demonstration & instruction in Pro Tools
Note:
Class will be divided into two groups for this session

  STUDIO Element 6
6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4
Week 10
 		 Surround setup prac
Note:
Class will be divided into two groups for this session 		 STUDIO Element 2
2,5
Week 11
 		 Logic Pro
Prac Assessment work		  LAB Element 1
1.1, 1.2, 1.3
Element 2
2.1, 2.2, 2.3
Element 3
3.1, 3.2, 3.3
Element 4
4.1, 4.2
Element 5
5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6
Element6
6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4
Week 12
 		 Logic Pro
Prac Assessment work		  LAB Element 1
1.1, 1.2, 1.3
Element 2
2.1, 2.2, 2.3
Element 3
3.1, 3.2, 3.3
Element 4
4.1, 4.2
Element 5
5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6
Element 6
6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4
Week 13
 

 ASSESSMENT F2 DUE

 ASSESSMENT F1 DUE

  STUDIO Element 2
2.1, 2.2, 2.3
Element 3
3.1, 3.2, 3.3
Element 4
4.1, 4.2
Element 5
5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6
Element 6
6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4
Week 14
 		  ASSESSMENT F2 DUE  STUDIO Element 3
3.1, 3.2, 3.3
Element 5
5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6
Element 6
6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4
Week 15
 

ASSESSMENT F1 DUE
ASSESSMENT F3 DUE

  CLASS Element 1
1.1, 1.2, 1.3
Element 3
3.1, 3.2, 3.3
Element 5
5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6
Week 16
 		  Final Prac / Editing session  LAB Element 1
1.1, 1.2, 1.3
Element 2
2.1, 2.2, 2.3
Element 3
3.1, 3.2, 3.3
Element 4
4.1, 4.2
Element 5
5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6
Element 6
6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4
Week 17
 		 Assessment and Review
ASSESSMENT S2 DUE		 LAB Element 6
6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4


Learning Resources

Prescribed Texts

Sound Design for King Kong movie*
Logic Pro 9*
Zoom HR4 Recorder*
* all resources are provided


References


Other Resources

It is recommended that all students bring the following to lab sessions:
* A 2GB+ USB Flash Drive; preferably 8g, ideally an external firewire / Thunderbolt hard drive
* A pair of closed ear headphones with 3.5mm jack + 6.5mm jack adapter


Overview of Assessment

Students will be able to create, record and produce original sound effects from scratch using advanced synthesis techniques and basic microphone and field recording techniques.


Assessment Tasks

Overview of assessment

Course assessment tasks will include class based practical exercises and project work undertaken in the computer lab for submission.

You must submit all pieces of assessment in order for your competency to be assessed in this course.

Assessment tasks in this course are either formative or summative. Formative tasks provide the basis for ongoing feedback and can be considered as essential building blocks for the more substantial summative assessment tasks. Summative assessment tasks in this unit are graded.

For further information on the assessments and grading criteria, please refer to the course Blackboard site.

To demonstrate competency in this course, you will need to complete each one of the following pieces of assessment to a satisfactory standard. You will receive feedback on all assessments and a grade for the summative assessment.

You will be assessed using the following methods:

Formative assessment

* Assessment F1 - OMF PRAC A (Due Week 4)

* Assessment F2 - Pro Tools Surround Session set-up (Due Week 14)

* Assessment F3 - Knowledge Test (>= 50% correct required) (Due / Sat Week 15)

Summative Assessment

* Assessment S1 - ADR & FOLEY ASSESSMENT (Due Week 13)

* Assessment S2 - OMF TRANSFER ASSESSMENT (Due Week 17)

For further information on the grading system and criteria used, please refer to the course blackboard site.

Grades used in this unit are as follows:

Grades which apply to courses delivered in accordance with competency-based assessment, but which also use graded assessment:

CHD Competent with High Distinction
CDI Competent with Distinction
CC Competent with Credit
CAG Competetancy Achieved-Graded
DNS Did Not Submit for Assessment


Assessment Matrix

The assessment matrix demonstrates alignment of assessment tasks with the
relevant Unit of Competency. These are available through the course contact in
Program administration

Other Information   
 
Special consideration Policy (Late Submission)   
All asssesment tasks are required to be completed to a satisfactory level. f you are unable to complete any piece of assesment by the due date, you will need to apply for an extension.

Please refer to the following URL for extwnsions and special consideration:

http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=qkssnx1c5r0y;STATUS=A;PAGE_AUTHOR=Andrea%20Syers;SECTION= 1;   
     

Other Information

Attendance
The major learning experience involves studio based exercises, demonstration and production. It is strongly advised that students attend all sessions in order to engage in the required learning activities, ensuring the maximum opportunity to gain the competency.

Cover Sheet for Submissions
You must complete a submission cover sheet for every piece of submitted work. This signed sheet acknowledges that you are aware of the plagiarism implications.

Feedback
You will receive spoken and written feedback from teachers on your work. Where appropriate, this feedback will also include suggestions on how you can proceed to the next stage of developing your projects.
Student feedback at RMIT http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=9pp3ic9obks7

Student Progress
Monitoring academic progress is an important enabling and proactive strategy to assist you to achieve your learning potential. Student progress policy http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=vj2g89cve4uj1

Special consideration Policy (Late Submission)
All assessment tasks are required to be completed to a satisfactory level. If you are unable to complete any piece of assessment by the due date, you will need to apply for an extension. You can apply in writing for up to a week’s extension from your course teacher. If you need a longer extension, you wil need to apply for special consideration. Special consideration, appeals and discipline http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=qkssnx1c5r0y

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
RMIT University has a strict policy on plagiarism and academic integrity. Please refer to the website for more information on this policy go to Academic Integrity
http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=kw02ylsd8z3n

Work Placement
It is a requirement of this program that all students participate in authentic work related tasks. These may be either simulated or in a real work environment. On occasion, we are approached by industry and given opportunities for students to apply for short term placements. When these placement opportunities arise, students are required to negotiate the specific details with the relevant program coordinator or teacher. All industry placements require students, RMIT staff and host organisations to sign a written agreement prior to the commencement of the placement.

Course Overview: Access Course Overview