A career in music recording

Denis Crowdy used the remote field recording unit to record stringbands in Papua New Guinea.

The Master in Recording Arts at Macquarie University is a one-year course in which students work with industry professionals to understand the practices, processes and issues involved in producing recorded music.

“Macquarie is the only university in Australia where you can take postgraduate coursework in this area,” says Dr Denis Crowdy, a lecturer in the Department of Contemporary Music Studies.

Who the course will interest

The program will equip those who want to work in the music industry and who need to extend their understanding and skills in recording, production and mastering techniques in order to, for example, work in one of the hundreds of recording studios in Australia. They will also study the social context in which their chosen music is produced.

Crowdy sees three groups as likely to gain most from the course. First are those who have a degree in music or a related field and who would like to gain experience in studio and remote or portable recording environments. The second group are overseas students who would like a career in recording or production, and then there are those already in the industry who may enjoy working with the state-of-the-art recording, cutting and editing equipment available through the Department. This equipment includes the remote field recording unit that was used recently on an excursion to Papua New Guinea to record American slide guitarist and Adjunct Professor at Macquarie University, Bob Brozman.

“We have a large analogue desk, which provides the best way to learn the basics,” says Crowdy. “We also have the digital gear which people have used for the last decade. We will expand as new equipment becomes available. What we offer is a tool-box students can play with. They are not constrained by the conservatism of commerce, they can experiment with a project without having to make a living from it.”

What’s taught in the course

The first semester of the Masters concentrates on coursework, exploring a variety of studio roles, their theory and practice. The art of recording is then examined, as are issues to do with cultural context, expectations of fidelity, distribution, ethics and legality.

The second semester is taken up with the student’s chosen project, from concept through planning, recording, mixing and mastering.

“Students choose everything from field recording to new music,” Crowdy says. “We’ve had people interested in electronic music or who are DJs. Then we have ethnomusicologists. A PhD that’s just been submitted in the Department is about the traditional and contemporary music of Rapanui, Easter Island. We’ve also got a student producing algorithmic compositions on computer who is off to the United States to improve his skills in programming.”

It’s likely that participants will meet up with fellow students who are passionate about different styles and kinds of music which could reinforce an existing interest or foster a new one. Friendships will be made, and future work colleagues discovered.

“Students will learn about the flexibility of the modern industry as well as about the art and theory of recording,” says Crowdy.

For more information, contact Denis.Crowdy@mq.edu.au or go to the Department of Contemporary Music Studies website at www.ccms.mq.edu.au

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