← Music Technology syllabus

ScotlandMusic Technology

Developing Music Technology Skills

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do you capture audio cleanly in SQA Higher Music Technology, and what do you need to know about microphones, placement and gain for the question paper?

Developing audio capture skills: choosing and positioning microphones, setting input levels and gain, and recording sources cleanly without distortion or noise.
Audio capture in SQA Higher Music Technology: choosing microphone types (dynamic, condenser, ribbon), reading polar patterns, positioning mics, setting gain to avoid clipping and noise, and recording sources cleanly for later processing and mixing.
13 min answer →

How do you edit and manipulate audio in SQA Higher Music Technology using a DAW, and what do you need to know about cutting, comping, quantising, pitch and time correction, sample rate and bit depth?

Using hardware and software to manipulate audio: editing in a DAW (cutting, copying, comping, fades, crossfades), and correcting timing and pitch (quantise, pitch correction, time-stretching), with sample rate and bit depth.
Editing and manipulating audio in SQA Higher Music Technology: DAW editing (cut, copy, comp, fades, crossfades), timing and pitch correction (quantise, pitch correction, time-stretching), looping, and the meaning of sample rate and bit depth for audio quality.
13 min answer →

What audio effects do you need to know for SQA Higher Music Technology, and how do reverb, delay, and the modulation effects (chorus, flanger, phaser) change a sound?

Applying effects: using time-based effects (reverb, delay, echo) and modulation effects (chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo) and distortion, and knowing what each does and how it is controlled.
Applying effects in SQA Higher Music Technology: time-based effects (reverb, delay, echo) that add space and repeats, modulation effects (chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo) that add movement, and distortion, with how each is controlled and used on a recorded sound.
13 min answer →

What is mixing and sequencing in SQA Higher Music Technology, and how do levels, panning, automation, MIDI and the mixdown combine tracks into a finished piece?

Mixing and sequencing: balancing levels and panning, using MIDI sequencing and virtual instruments, automation, and producing a stereo mixdown, plus an awareness of mastering.
Mixing and sequencing in SQA Higher Music Technology: balancing levels and panning across the stereo field, MIDI sequencing and virtual instruments, automation of parameters over time, the stereo mixdown (bounce), and an awareness of mastering.
14 min answer →

What is audio processing in SQA Higher Music Technology, and how do EQ and dynamics processors (compression, limiting, gating) shape a recorded sound?

Processing audio: using equalisation (EQ) to shape frequency content and dynamics processing (compression, limiting, gating, normalisation) to control level, and knowing what each does and why.
Audio processing in SQA Higher Music Technology: equalisation (EQ) to boost or cut frequency bands and shape tone, and dynamics processing (compression, limiting, gating, normalisation) to control the loud-quiet range, with the key controls (threshold, ratio, attack, release) explained.
14 min answer →

What is the audio signal path in SQA Higher Music Technology, and what hardware (interfaces, cables, mixing desks, monitors) carries the signal from source to recording?

Understanding the audio signal path and hardware: how sound travels from source through microphones, cables, preamps, audio interfaces and mixing desks to the recording, and how monitoring works.
The audio signal path in SQA Higher Music Technology: how sound travels from source through microphones, cables and connectors, preamps and audio interfaces, mixing desk channel strips, to the recording and monitors, including analogue-to-digital conversion.
13 min answer →