Full breakdown of content as a PDF and editable Word document for each Area of Study on the 2017 specification. Useful to plan out schemes of work and identify appropriate resources / curriculum planning. This covers practical and theoretical content across all four A Level components - Component 1; Recording, Component 2; Composition, Component 3; Listening and Analysing, Component 4; Analysing and Producing.

A graphical representation of different cables and connections useful for Music and Music Technology.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS WAS WRITTEN FOR THE LEGACY (2008) SPECIFICATION, BUT IS STILL OF MUCH VALUE FOR THE NEW SPECIFICATION. IT WILL BE UPDATED SOON PRIOR TO THE 2022-23 ACADEMIC YEAR. Written by an experienced teacher and sixth form head of department, this workbook and set of board resources is designed to help students in their Edexcel AS studies and in their transition to A2. It contains a simple introduction across all technical aspects of Music Technology, along with key word exercises to reinforce terminology and where appropriate, pieces of equipment to label and discuss. Examples of appropriate listening are included with necessary topics. The ‘board-friendly’ resources organised as full screen PDFs to retain fonts and formatting which introduce and reinforce the workbook content. Introduction to Sound What is sound? What is the impact of frequency and amplitude? How does this relate to phase, harmonics and wave cycles? Microphones What are the different types of microphones? What properties are important when choosing a mic, and how do they pick up sound? Synthesisers What do the different parts of synthesiser do? What types of synthesiser exist and what are they used for? What are envelopes and LFOs? Dynamics Range Processing How do compressors and noise gates control the volume of sounds? What are limiters, and what creative things can we do with dynamics? EQ and Filtering What is an EQ? How is EQ applied and how do we use filters correctively and for creative effects? What do filter graphs look like? Reverb How was reverb created? What is it? How do we generate reverb now, and what parameters can we change? Samplers What is sampling and what is a sampler? How can they be used? How can samples be manipulated and what must we bear in mind? Delay Effects What does a delay do? How was delay created historically? What parameters might we see on a delay? What different types are they? Modulation Effects What is modulation and how are LFOs used to create it? What effects are created with modulation and what do they sound like? Distortion Effects What are the different types of distortion? How is it created? What functions / parameters might you see on a distortion effect? Creative Effects What other effects can be used creatively in Music Technology? What do they sound like? How are the parameters changed? MIDI What is MIDI? What impact did it have on Music Technology? What are MIDI controllers and how can we use them to create musical work?

Introductory assignment for AS Music Tech students to prepare them for using Logic Pro for their coursework, in the style of a driving test.

Useful recap of GCSE Science content for students progressing onto Music Technology. Discussion of frequency/amplitude/phase/harmonics in simple terms as preparation for AS or as revision for the A2 examination.

A simple guide to microphones for AS/A2 Music Technology, discussing dynamic/condenser, pickup patterns and mic characteristics. Suitable for A2 exam revision or as preparation for AS/A2 recording sessions.

A one page guide to synthesis covering modular synthesis / analogue & digital / polyphony / LFOs / envelopes. Intended as a revision summary or starting point for A2 study but also applicable for AS students.

I created these mind maps to help students structure their notes during group discussions in Unit 4 'Developments in Music Technology' lessons. They also form the basis for later revision lessons, or a 'starter' discussion for more able groups. They are not intended to provide a complete course outline but do briefly summarise the content for the whole unit. Topics are: Synthesisers Samplers Drum Machines and Sequencers Electric Guitars and Amplifiers Electric Pianos and Organs EQ and Filtering Compression Gating Delay Reverb Modulation Distortion Mixing and Mastering Live Sound and Studio Design Analogue and Digital Audio Recording Media Recording Skills MIDI Multitracking Computer Home Studio Quantisation distortion image taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantization_(signal_processing)#/media/File:Quantization_error.png under the CC BY 3.0 license. All other images in the public domain or created by the author.

A quick test for each topic to build student understanding of the following topics for the Unit 4 examination in A2 Music Technology. The download includes the question sheets for the following topics: Microphones Synthesisers MIDI Samplers Drum Machines Electric Guitar Distortion EQ and Filtering Tape Delay Dynamics Processing Reverb Modulation FX Recording Media Magnetic Tape Analogue and Digital Monitoring Live Sound The Computer Home Studio

A simple guide to help students follow the process to create a WAV or MP3 mixdown from their Logic Pro projects, ensuring that they don't make the common errors that often occur.

Simple grid to help analyse set works in terms of exam elements.

The picture shows a 1970s analogue synthesiser and encourages students to structure their essay responses to describe the functions shown along with considering the context and technical explanations associated with the synthesiser.

Preparation for A2 Music Technology Unit 4 - key facts to do with tape delay, a diagram to label, an example of a tape delay unit along with key terminology to reinforce student understanding.

Single page guide to exam terminology for AS Music Technology. Includes pickup patterns, exam terminology, synth modules, compression, distortion, filtering and phase. I use this as the front page for workbooks for sixth form Music Technology.

Graphics produced of various pieces of music technology equipment; deliberately unfamiliar so students have to apply the knowledge gained during their work on Unit 4 for Edexcel Music Technology A Level. The pieces of equipment included are: Tape Delay Unit Analogue Synth LFO Distortion Pedal Plate Reverb Spring Reverb Digital Reverb Graphic EQ Parametric EQ Compressor Limiter Gate

Lesson on identifying intervals using a chart of semitones and advice on counting scale steps. Written for AS Music students originally.

Simple revision cards to explain the concepts of: Modulation Leslie Speaker / Tape-based Flanging Synthesiser Envelopes Synthesiser Modules & Waveforms Distortion - Hard / Soft Clipping Reverb Decay Plate and Spring Reverb Phase Labelling a Synthesiser Dynamic and Condenser Microphones Acknowledgements: Mixing Desk Cover Graphic adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixing_console#mediaviewer/File:SSL_SL9000J_(72ch)_@_The_Cutting_Room_Recording_Studios,_NYC.jpg from an image by Rebecca Wilson under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license Distortion diagram adapted from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clipping_waveform.svg under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

Space for 7 listening extracts to be discussed under exam headings melody, forces, rhythm, texture and harmony.

PowerPoint, Key Words sheet and Handout associated with the basics of sound. Topics covered include frequency and amplitude, waveforms and phase. Any image sources are identified in slide notes.

A general introduction to reverb with student key terminology grid, diagrams for annotation and a PowerPoint presentation including key facts to help students in their application of the processes in their coursework and exam question.