Survey for current Music Tech students and graduates of the same field.

[mattyzero]

Hello.

My name is Matthew Hickin and I'm a final year Creative Music & Sound Technology student from Leeds Metropolitan University in the UK.

As part of my final project I intend to create some form of learning tool under the title, 'The Beginners Guide to Audio Mastering'. This tool will not aim to turn the user into a mastering engineers overnight, but will aim to introduce the basic theory and techniques behind mastering to the user.

I have posted similar questionnaires on other forums and it seems a definition of what I mean by mastering would be helpful. I mean the process in music production after a final mix down (whether in stereo or in separate instrument stems) leading up to when the finished article is sent away to the factory for duplication.

Please take a few moments to fill in the following questionnaire to help me with my research for this project. Either posting the answers back in this thread or feel free to e-mail them to me at:

matt_hickin@hotmail.com

No personal information will be recorded for use in any subsequent thesis without permission from a subject.

Any additional comments anyone has related to this project are most welcome.

Thank you very much for your time.

Matthew Hickin

Audio Mastering Survey 3

1. To what extent do you agree with following statement, ‘mastering is an essential process in the production of music for commercial release or radio play’

STRONGLY AGREE
AGREE
DISAGREE
STRONGLY DISAGREE
NEITHER AGREE OR DISAGREE

2. Which of the following statements best describes the approach to audio mastering on the course you are currently studying or have graduated from -

IT IS/WAS COVERED IN DEPTH BY AT LEAST ONE MODULE
IT IS/WAS INTRODUCED AT A BASIC LEVEL IN A MODULE
IT IS/WAS MENTIONED BUT NOT COVERED AS PART OF THE COURSE
IT IS/WAS NOT MENTIONED OR COVERED IN ANY ASPECT OF THE COURSE

3. If a learning tool introducing the basic theory and techniques behind audio mastering were to be created, what, in your opinion, would be the best form for this tool to take (assuming the tool would be a supplement to additional lectures)?

HARD COPY TUTORIALS
CD-ROM
WEBSITE

4. If such a learning tool were to be created which of the following do you think should be included?

Before & After Audio Examples
A brief history of audio mastering
Screenshots of waveforms
Clear, concise sections covering types of compression, equalisation etc
Brief available software reviews
Introduction to a professional mastering studio
Interviews with industry professionals
Other

[Elmo89m]

do you have any completion rewards or are we jsut supposed to waste our time for nothin'

how about you give me a protools mbox...that sounds fair to me