Audio Design

Mediating between musicians and electronic media

The FHNW Master of Arts in Composition/Music Theory with an Audio Design Major offers students the possibility to specialise in one of three fields:

realisation/performance of electroacoustic music
recording/production
hardware and software development.

Each of these specialist fields provide students with the requisite skills to pursue a career which requires them to mediate between musicians and electronic media.

Overview

The FHNW Master of Arts in Composition/Music Theory with an Audio Design Major also affords students the space for their own extensive work within large-scale projects, both on and off campus. In doing so, they engage to a significant degree in the overarching and transdisciplinary discourse between different classes. Consequently, the programme opens up a broad spectrum of career prospects that range from teaching music theory as a principal subject at university level to music journalism and research in music practice or theory.

This study programme is geared as closely as possible to practice and dovetails with the production and research activities of the Electronic Studio. From the outset, students are involved in projects of the Electronic Studio in cooperation with other faculties of the Music Academy (Performance, Composition, Improvisation) and external partners. In this environment, the audio design students configure and realize their own projects.

Holders of a FHNW Master of Arts in Composition/Music Theory with an Audio Design Major should be able to carry out the following activities to the highest professional standard:

realise electroacoustic music and deliver live electronic music;
perform electronic music, in particular deliver live performances of electronic music in the context of concerts, installations etc.;
compose and design film/video audio tracks (incl. music, sound effects, speech);
devise, design and develop sound installations, electronic game interfaces and interactive environments;
record and produce both serious and light music in a professional recording studio;
devise and develop music software to generate, transform and analyse sound.

The FHNW Master of Arts in Composition/Music Theory with an Audio Design Major is a consecutive graduate programme that builds on the skills acquired during the Bachelor programme with an Audio Design Major offered by the Basel School of Music. Applicants who hold a qualification from a different school of music will be required to sit an entrance examination.

Applicants must not only pass this entrance examination but also win a place on the programme (numbers are limited). Only applicants who have submitted the required registration documentation duly completed and on time will be invited to take the entrance examination.

General information about the entrance exam, aptitude test and exam dates can be found on the Entrance Exams page.

Admission criteria

Sound knowledge of recording, mixing and sound engineering technologies.
Familiarity with a range of editing software (ProTools, Logic, Nuendo etc.).
Basic knowledge of environment and programming language (PD, Max/MSP, Supercollider or Csound).

Entrance examination

The Master’s entrance examination is the same as the entrance examination for the Bachelor programme. However, the standards expected of the applicants are much more exacting. Applicants will also be required to give a 10-minute presentation of a project that they have already completed. They should also enclose with their application form the outline of two projects that they wish to carry out during their Master’s studies.

More information on the entrance examination for the Bachelor Programme.

Regulation during the Covid 19 pandemic:

Main subject examination

Audition prepared piece: to be video recorded and sent via Dropbox (or similar). Must be reviewed by the jury in advance.
Practical examination (working on a task on site): The candidates are sent the tasks in advance, they work on them at their own studio and send the results back (e.g. via Dropbox) after the end of the working time (one hour).
On the following day: Examination discussion between candidate and Volker Böhm/Uli Fussenegger via Zoom

Entrance Exam (Regular examination procedure before Covid-19)

The entrance exam is divided into three parts: two one-hour practical exercises and one 30-minute presentation:

Assembly: based on the completed questionnaire and after consultation with the head lecturer, applicants will be invited to the Electronic Studio on the day of the exam. There, they will be given one hour to assemble and set up the hardware they require for the subsequent exam.
Preparation: applicants will be given one hour to carry out a sound design, sound production or sound recording task set by the examiners.
Oral exam & audition: presentation of the completed task, performance of a piece of music and a discussion with the interview panel.

Theory

Test of the musical ear, the ability to realise musical progressions non-instrumentally and the knowledge of a foundation of music theory: listening, singing and determining intervals, tone sequences, chords and rhythms; sight-singing a chromatic melody and a free tone sequence; realising a rhythm from the page; improvising in the singing of melodies; simple melody dictation.

Explanation of the aural test

Piano skills

All non-pianists must demonstrate a minimum knowledge of piano playing.

Compulsory subject Piano