KZB220 Studio Recording and Mixing Music

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2026, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

This unit focuses on recording studio practice. You will be introduced to a range of recording and mixing approaches relevant to a wide range of musical styles. You will develop a thorough understanding of large format analog mixing consoles, digital audio workstations, and analog and digital processing tools. You will critically analyse commercial releases to gain insights into recording and mixing music. You will then incorporate this knowledge into your creative practice, collaborating with musicians to develop recorded outputs that meet professional delivery requirements for release via streaming services and physical media. 

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Apply a range of creative approaches to demonstrate a refined technical proficiency within recording studio contexts.
2. Conceive, develop, and realise new musical works in collaboration with peers, that define you as a unique creative practitioner.
3. Critically reflect on your own work, that of your peers, and that of the broader professional field in order to manage and refine your recording studio practice and to successfully communicate musical ideas to audiences.
4. Accurately document and effectively communicate details of the music production process.

Content

Learning Approaches

During this unit you will engage with lecturing staff whose areas of expertise span a wide range of established and emerging practices. There will be weekly lecture content and a series of studio workshops covering recording studio practice. Development of advanced practical skills and confidence in using the recording studio to develop professional standard recorded outputs is at the core of this unit. In addition to this, you will work with and critique the work of peers. The unit combines supervised learning approaches and authentic tasks.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:

• feedback from peers during studio workshops
• a range of formative exercises demonstrated and discussed in class
• feedback on your portfolio of work as the semester progresses
• comments on assessments communicated to the cohort via your Canvas unit website
• feedback via criterion-based grading sheets

Assessment

Overview

In order to demonstrate your established and refined creative capabilities, and depth of knowledge and skills regarding recording studio practice, you are required to complete three assessment items for this unit. The first is a practical exam (20%) to determine your basic recording studio competency. The second assessment task is a work in progress and context review (30%). The final task is a portfolio of recorded works and written reflection (50%). The portfolio will be built up progressively over the semester, and you will receive feedback on this as you progress over the semester.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Practical exam

You will undertake a practical exam to test your knowledge on large format analog consoles, patch bays, digital audio workstations, signal flow, and headphone sends.

Assessment: Work in progress peer review and context review

You will present a work in progress production for peer review. You will contextualise your work within the broader professional field by including a context review with your work in progress, where you will use reference tracks by established or emerging artists to position your own recording studio within the professional field. You will be required to also provide peer review on a minimum of three tracks submitted by your peers.

Assessment: Portfolio of recorded works and written reflection

You will present a portfolio of recorded works completed over the course of the semester and a written report reflecting on your creative output. This portfolio will be built up progressively over the semester, and you will receive feedback on this over the semester. You will need to present a final version of the track submitted for assessment 2 and describe how you have incorporated peer review, or make a case for not including revisions that make use of peer feedback.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.

The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Requirements to Study

Requirements

All students are required to visit and review the Health and Safety information on the HiQ web pages (CIESJ Tier 1 lHSE requirement). 

This unit also requires a Tier 2 CIESJ Health and Safety Induction which is provided by the technician on site in the theatre, workshop or studio. 

Costs

As well as access to the online resources supplied to you via Canvas and other websites, you will require a pair of enclosed headphones with an appropriate 6.5 and 3.5mm adaptor. You will also need a portable personal file storage, such as a USB thumb drive or similar.

Resources

Risk Assessment Statement

For risks associated with using campus buildings or QUT facilities, refer to the HiQ Health and Safety Information. For CIESJ Tier 2 Health and Safety requirements., you will be instructed on safe procedures and the required safety gear for all studio and workshop processes that are demonstrated. Health and Safety files are readily available for all materials and machinery in all studio areas. Technical supervision is provided for workshops and available on a regular basis during the week.

Where substantial computer-based work is required, you are recommended to take regular rest breaks when engaging in prolonged computer-based work, and ensure that your workstation is set up for optimal comfort to prevent strain or injury. 

Excessive noise in confined spaces and/or when listening through headphones can damage hearing. Exposure to such noise should be brief and controlled.

Personal injury is possible from incorrectly lifting heavy electronic or acoustic instruments or equipment.

The use of electronic instruments and equipment may cause electrocution if handled incorrectly or an electrical fault occurs. Always ensure your equipment has been regularly tested by a qualified electrician.

Musical, electrical and computer equipment is prone to failure. Any loss of time for such failures should be accounted for in your planning.

Safety of data storage can never be fully guaranteed. You are required to take all steps necessary to ensure continuity of your data.