KZB280 Sound Design

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2026, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

This unit guides students through fundamental aspects of preparing audio for live theatre, installation, and moving image, including animation and games. The unit covers recording, editing, designing, and mixing techniques. The unit will approach technical applications through practical exercises while also considering aesthetics and artistic applications by studying seminal examples of sound in theatre, film and media. This course will prepare students to produce high-quality sound deliverables for film, screen and visual media.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Engage with theories of acoustic ecology through practical experience and written reflection and apply theories and real-world observations to sound design contexts.
2. Evaluate and critique the impact of sound design on a given medium.
3. Demonstrate the ability to apply multiple production methods towards original sound design, utilising location sound, studio recordings, and synthesized sound sources.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of the workflow to produce a complete sound design, including the planning, recording, editing, and mixing processes.
5. Produce an original sound design for a given visual medium.

Content

Learning Approaches

This unit takes an applied theory approach to learning through a series of lectures, workshops, and asynchronous learning materials. Fundamental sound recording, editing, designing, and mixing techniques are covered through practical demonstration studios. Weekly readings and viewings of exemplar works will underpin the aesthetic and technical concepts delivered.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Feedback is provided during workshops and comments via Canvas on summative work.

Assessment

Overview

There are three assessments in this unit.  

Assessment one is an essay that requires students to engage with acoustic ecology theories as presented in lecture by observing real-world locations and reflecting on approaches to translate those observations to a sound design context. This assessment lays the foundation to develop original sound designs while considering methods to capture and invent sound worlds.  

Assessment two is a sound design portfolio, where students utilise location recording, foley studio sessions, and synthesizers to create a collection of sound materials. This assessment provides an opportunity to work across mediums to develop skills in location and studio recording and synthesized-sound design. The portfolio materials may be used in assessment three.  

Assessment three is an original sound design for a medium of the student’s choice. Students should draw on the lecture materials for concepts and approaches to designing for various media. This assessment will allow students to develop their skills in mixing in surround or immersive formats, as appropriate for the media. Students are required to engage in a spotting session and prepare production paperwork to simulate real-world production scenarios.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Acoustic Ecology Engagement

Assessment one is an essay requiring students to engage with acoustic ecology theories and practices. Students will be required to observe locations, make recordings for personal archive and reflection, and discuss approaches to translating and applying these observations to a sound design context, considering the creative goals of capturing and inventing worlds.  

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

Assessment: Sound Design Portfolio

Assessment two is a sound design portfolio. Drawing on the unit’s practical activities to date, the portfolio will include 1) field recordings/environmental sound of at least three locations, 2) edited recordings from Foley sessions, and 3) a three-minute collection of original sounds created utilising either software or hardware synthesizers. Students may use this portfolio as source material for assessment three.  

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

Assessment: Original Sound Design

Assessment three is an original sound design for chosen media and has two delivery components. Students may design for film/screen, games, live performance, installation, or radio play/podcast, or another format discussed during the unit’s lecture series. Students must deliver a multichannel format, as appropriate for the media. In the early weeks of the project development, students will participate in a spotting session and prepare production paperwork to be included with the final submission.  

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 requested to visit and review the Health and Safety information on the HiQ web pages (CIESJ Tier 1 HSE 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

Resource Materials

Other

Foley Studio

Immersive Audio Studios

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, particularly in the case of fully online students, 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.