Module: Audio

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	Audio
Module Code	ICT1020 (ITS: CM243)
Faculty	Humanities & Social Sciences	School	Communications
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	10

Description

The aims of the module are: 1. Develop a critical understanding of the use of sound and music in emerging media. 2. Critique influential producers and makers in the audio field. 3. Enable students to advance their skills to the planning and implementation of audio and music components time based and responsive mixed media projects. 4. Plan, design and deliver soundtracks for time based media and responsive systems.

Learning Outcomes

1. Analyse the role of sound and music in mixed media environments.
2. Conduct recording sessions for music, voiceover, foley and ADR.
3. Show proficiency in the use of location recording technologies.
4. Mix sound from both musical and environmental sources.
5. Appraise creative recording practices.
6. Appraise the work of sound artists
7. Produce a major sound work for integration into a mixed media environment.
8. Design and produce sound for linear and responsive media
9. Communicate effectively in written or other non-oral formats, adapting to the audience profile as required. (Communicative Competence DACS)
10. Demonstrate awareness of one's communication abilities, including areas for development. (Communicative Competence DACS)

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Lecture	24	Lecture - Demonstrations
Seminars	24	Lecture/Seminars/Studio Workshops
Assignment Completion	20	Assignments 1-Portfolio
Class Presentation	34	Assignment 2 - preparation and presentation
Assignment Completion	45	Final Assignment Completion
Fieldwork	20	Location Recording
Directed learning	23	Directed recording and mixing tasks
Independent Study	60	No Description
Total Workload: 250

Section Breakdown
CRN	10820	Part of Term	Semester 1
Coursework	100%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale	40PASS	Pass Both Elements	N
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Declan Tuite	Module Teacher

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Project	Analyse an influential maker and present a remix or reworking of audio in a mixed media environment	30%	Week 8
Project	To produce a major sound work or sound installation	50%	Week 12
Portfolio	Set of 4 directed technical tasks -	20%	Week 11

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Module Delivery
This module is delivered through a series of lectures, workshops, seminars, demonstrations, resource-based learning exercises and discussions

Technical: Studio
Advanced recording techniques, stereo microphone placement, creative recording, live radio broadcast, MIDI and music software.

Technical: Editing and Mixing
Advanced editing techniques, manipulation and mixing. Sound for film and multimedia projects.

Project Development
Research, interpretation of a brief, pre and post production strategies, peer appraisal and critique.

Appraisal of film sound
An advanced analysis of sound, silence, music and voice in multimedia projects.

Technical: Film Sound
Advanced film and responsive media sound techniques.

Indicative Reading List

Books:

Tatlow, S.,: 2024, Authenticity in sound design for virtual reality. In History as Fantasy in Music, Sound, Image, and Media (pp. 161-184)., Routledge.,
Sinclair, J.L.,: 2020, Principles of game audio and sound design: sound design and audio implementation for interactive and immersive media., Focal Press.,
Rambarran, S.,: 2021, Virtual Music: Sound, Music, and Image in the Digital Era., Bloomsbury Publishing USA.,
Murray, L.,: 2019, Sound design theory and practice: Working with sound., Routledge,
Schutze, S.,: 2018, Virtual Sound: A Practical Guide to Audio, Dialogue and Music in VR and AR., Taylor & Francis,,
Williams, James & Hall, Sarah: 2017, Music on Screen: From Cinema Screens to Touchscreens, 2, Musicology Research Journal,
Garner, T.A.,: 2017, Echoes of Other Worlds: Sound in Virtual Reality: Past, Present and Future., Springer,
Collins, K., Kapralos, B. and Tessler, H. eds.,: 2014, The oxford handbook of interactive audio., Oxford University Press, USA.,
Summers, T.,: 2016, Understanding video game music., Cambridge University Press.,
Born, G.: 2013, Music, sound and space: transformations of public and private experience, Cambridge University Press.,
Wierzbicki, J.: 2012, Music, sound and filmmakers: sonic style in cinema., Routledge, Routledge,
Bordwell, David.: 2013, Narration in the fiction film, Routledge, Routledge,
Barry Blesser and Linda-Ruth Salter: 2007, Spaces Speak, are you listening? Experiencing Aural Architecture, MIT Press,
Licht, A. and O'Rourk, J.: 2007, Sound art: beyond music, between categories., Rizzoli.,

Articles:

Meelberg, V.,: 2018, Narrative Sonic Ambiances. Designing Positive Auditory Environments Using Narrative Strategies., In Proceedings of the Euronoise 2018, Crete, Greece,, 27–31 May 2018;, 845, 524410
2018: .Sonic interactions in virtual reality: State of the art, current challenges, and future directions., IEEE computer graphics and applications,, 38(2), pp.31-43., 524411, 1
Reconstructing atmospheres: Ambient sound in film and media production.: Communication and the Public, 2(4), 352,

Other Resources

1: Handouts:, Technical resourses,
420693: 1, Readings:, Project Brief, Lecture related materials,
420694: 1, Audio:, Listening examples and resources,
420695: 1, Websites:, Audio relates URL's,
420696: 1, Video, Course related video support,