MUSC3603: Advanced Digital Music Techniques

High distinction

85-100

Demonstrates high level of initiative in researching technical methods. Compelling, elegant artistic vision.  Sophisticated critical analysis of own creative work; high level engagement with quality production, sound sources and considered workflows and drafting. Innovative composing: music expressed with originality and precision. A sophisticated application of creative and technical methods; engaging musicality and underlying understanding of communication with an audience. Final products are highly professional and of a professional broadcast standard. Documentation is informative and gives deep insights into creative and other processes. Supporting documentation of workings are detailed and relevant. A strong personal ‘voice’ apparent in the musical expression.

Distinction

75 - 84

Demonstrates initiative in research and technical methods. Clear artistic vision. Good critical analysis of own creative work; engagement with quality production, bespoke sound sources and regular drafting. Well crafted composing: music expressed with emotion and conviction. Careful application of methods with musicality and underlying understanding of communication with an audience. Final products are near professional and of a near broadcast standard. Documentation is informative and gives insights into creative and other processes. A sense of an emerging personal ‘voice’ apparent in the musical expression.

Credit

65 - 74

Some independent research into technical methods. Artistic vision is present but not full focused. Reflection on own creative work; clear and mostly well made production. Thoughtful composing: music expressed solidly though lacking genuine emotion. Demonstration of methods learned in class, good and possibly inconsistent musicality. Good craft with some sense of communication with an audience. Final products are clean and transparent with certain inconsistencies in production standard. Documentation is informative without being genuinely insightful. Competent reproduction of established styles or genres.

Pass

50 - 64

Work meets basic requirements of research, composing, structure and musical presentation. Mixing is well presented but rudimentary with moments of poor clarity or disfunctional sound quality. Heavy relliance on pre-existing loops. Tendency to reproduction of models rather than invention and adaptation. Inconsistency in mixing and sound sources are largely drawn from libraries rather than being bespoke. Documentation is brief and not giving a full impression of the creative process.

Fail

0 - 49

Work may fail for any or all of the following reasons: incomplete or missing compositions; large sections of music incomplete or cut and paste from other artist’s work without any creative adaptation on the part of the student. Unbalanced mixing, or lack of mixing so that the music is muddy and difficult to hear. Lack of genuine engagement with the creative process. Lack of application of techniques from class. No artistic vision. Absent of very brief and superficial documentation with no screenshots of working.