The Music & Sound Design for Visual Media programme provides a focused pathway into the fields of audio production and creative sound design across the film and media industries. You’ll explore and define your own creative voice whilst building a rewarding career as a music producer, sound designer or audiovisual artist.

Build an original portfolio through interdisciplinary projects across a range of media including sound, video and installation. Produce audio for live projects as well as writing and recording music and sound for film scores, interactive installations, video games, audio libraries and more. Your creative journey will unfold whilst working in historic and vintage studios and through close collaboration with our film, music, visual effects and acting students.

From practical workshops in sequencing and sampling to studio recording, mixing, linear and non-linear composition and more, throughout this hands-on programme you’ll be mastering the technical skills required for a concept to take musical and visual form. Develop a common language that bridges the music and video industries, enabling you to collaborate with practitioners from a variety of disciplines, from film editors to music directors.

Guided by a team of industry experts, your time at Catalyst will give you a solid portfolio of original and creative work along with a thriving network of fellow creative practitioners.

You can study this programme either as a full three-year BA degree or the first year only as a one-year HE Certificate.

Join a thriving industry:

The programme prepares you for the demands of the film and TV industries and provides you with the knowledge, skills and experience required to work with music, sound and visuals in any traditional or contemporary media format. Learn how to ideate, design and deliver distinct sound palettes and original musical pieces for linear media formats, such as music scoring for film, TV and animation. You’ll also learn to work within the evolving area of non-linear media formats, such as sound design for video games, interactive installations, VR or other immersive technologies.

As well as fostering your creativity in a focused and hands-on way, our Music & Sound Design for Visual Media programme will equip you to overcome the challenges of an industry undergoing radical change – radical change that you will be part of.

Is this programme for you?

You should be interested in some or all of the following:

• Using sound to tell stories.
• Composing and producing music using a DAW.
• Knowing how sound and music for films, TV, gaming and 3D worlds is created.
• Feeling positively challenged and inspired through creative project briefs.
• Understanding the impact of sound in any medium. 
• Engaging in visual creation as well as audio.
• Connecting professionally with the audio production and media industries. 
• Building a career in the international film, music, media, gaming and wider creative industries.
• Joining a progressive learning community supported by a dedicated team of experienced facilitators.
• Collaborating with a community of like-minded people from over 75 different countries.

Career opportunities:

Upon graduation, you'll find a range of exciting career routes awaiting you in the realm of sound and music. Whether that’s creating music compositions for film, orchestrating compelling film scores, adding texture to cinematic worlds through foley and sound design, or ensuring seamless dialogue and ADR recording for film projects, the world of audio in cinema beckons.

Alternatively, you could work in the gaming industry as a sound supervisor, where you'll oversee the auditory landscape of interactive experiences, or as a game sound composer, shaping immersive soundscapes and conceptual aspects of game sound design. 

You could develop solutions for web audio or audio app development or delve into systems design for intricate auditory systems. You could use sound as your canvas for expression, connecting with others through interactive and installation art. The future is rich with possibilities for your sonic aspirations.