Unit Synopsis
In this unit, you will be introduced to the fundamental principles of electronic music production including synthesis, sampling, MIDI sequencing and signal processing and apply these to the composition of an original piece of electronic music. You will explore genre-specific music production and composition techniques in the analysis of a chosen genre of electronic music. You will use these findings to inform the planning stage of your original composition project. Once you define the scope of your composition project, you will pitch this to your peers. Your project planning will culminate in the creation of an original piece of electronic music that adheres to the conventions of your chosen genre.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 2 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 2 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
Pre-requisite: Completion of 36 credit points in CG51. Students outside of CG51 may seek approval from the CG51 Head of Course to undertake this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework). |
| Class Timetable | View Unit Timetable |
| Residential School | No Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2026
Term 2 - 2026 Profile
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Written Assessment | 30% |
| 2. Presentation | 20% |
| 3. Portfolio | 50% |
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site .
Term 2 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 100.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 40% response rate.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Source: Lecturer reflection
This unit would benefit from adding bespoke video tutorials for more electronic music production styles.
To further enhance the learning experience for students, it is recommended to create additional video tutorial resources focused on the creation of electronic music using Ableton Live. These tutorials will provide clear, step-by-step guidance on key techniques, allowing students to deepen their understanding and practice independently.
In response to the feedback recommending additional video tutorial resources, Staff created a series of short, focused video demonstrations covering key elements of electronic music production in Ableton Live. These step-by-step tutorials were integrated into the weekly learning materials, giving students the opportunity to revisit techniques at their own pace and strengthen their independent practice. This addition supported clearer skill development and provided students with more flexibility in how they engaged with the foundational and intermediate concepts presented in the unit.
Source: Staff feedback
Provide students with more explicit guidance on the role of AI tools within contemporary electronic music production workflows.
Integrate AI into the unit by demonstrating practical applications within sound design, composition, and workflow enhancement. This could include short demonstrations, guided exploration activities, and discussions on ethical and creative considerations, ensuring students understand how to use AI meaningfully within electronic music practice.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Analyse the compositional elements and production techniques of a chosen electronic music genre in a written essay
- Prepare and pitch a concept document and project plan for an original electronic music composition
- Apply music technology fundamentals and genre-specific composition techniques to the creation of an original electronic music composition.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment | • | ||
| 2 - Presentation | • | ||
| 3 - Portfolio | • | ||
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | • | • | • |
| 2 - Problem Solving | • | • | |
| 4 - Information Literacy | • | ||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | • | • | • |
| 8 - Ethical practice | • | • | |
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |