MUSI10223 Sound in Performance
The Complete Study & Assessment Guide · Semester 2 2026MUSI10223 Overview
- The University of Melbourne
- Semester 2 2026
- 8 chapters
- Arts and Humanities
Sound in Performance develops sound as an artistic medium for performance.
- Assessed by Assignment 1: Sound/World 30% · Assignment 2: Live Sound Design Performance 30% + 3 more — Hurdle Requirement: Students must attend a minimum of both 75% of all scheduled lectures and 75% of all scheduled classes., Hurdle Requirement: Students must submit all elements of assessment to be eligible for a pass in this subject. are a hurdle
- Key terms Critical listening, Timbre, Dynamic range, Gain staging
- Assessment move Use a repeating evidence-to-operation cycle: listen and describe, compare alternatives, choose one relation, document the decision…
- Most asked What are the attendance and submission hurdles?
How MUSI10223 is assessed
| Component | Weight | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment 1: Sound/World | 30% | Written observation and analysis of a sound environment, developed into an original audio composition and artist statement |
| Assignment 2: Live Sound Design Performance | 30% | Live-operated sound design supporting a short scripted performance, built and cued using SoundCue |
| Assignment 3: Sound Design from Non-Sonic Stimulus | 40% | Interactive oral presentation of a sound design concept responding to a non-sonic stimulus, with submitted research, written rationale and sonic demonstration |
| Hurdle Requirement: Students must attend a minimum of both 75% of all scheduled lectures and 75% of all scheduled classes. · hurdle | Throughout the teaching period | |
| Hurdle Requirement: Students must submit all elements of assessment to be eligible for a pass in this subject. · hurdle | Every assessment must be complete and constitute a genuine attempt |
What MUSI10223 covers
Follow sound from perception and history into recording, editing, audiovisual meaning, synthesis and live cue practice.
Listening and Sound Vocabulary
Listening before labelling; Pressure waves and perception; Frequency and pitch; Amplitude and dynamics.02Sound and Performance Histories
Before recorded playback; Architecture as an acoustic tool; Mechanical stage effects; Voice, music and ritual.03Field Recording and Digital Audio
Plan the recording intention; Choose a microphone pattern; Place before processing; Set a safe gain stage.04Technology for Live Performance
Technology as creative partner; Acoustic and mechanical systems; Recorded media and repeatability; Magnetic tape and montage.05Editing and Mixing Soundscapes
Listen before touching controls; Organise the session; Select the strongest takes; Trim without damaging meaning.06Sound, Image and Audiovisual Meaning
Images do not arrive silently; The audiovisual contract; Synchronisation binds events; Causal listening.07Synthesis for Performance
Electronic sound as performance material; Oscillators and waveform choice; Pitch and tuning; Amplitude and the signal path.08Music, Scripts and Live Cues
Musical meaning is culturally learned; Familiarity and novelty; Read the whole story first; Mark explicit sounds.The available teaching materials support critical listening, sound vocabulary, performance histories, field recording, digital audio, editing, mixing, sound-image relationships, synthesis, musical meaning, script analysis and live cue operation.
Coverage note: this guide teaches the captured Weeks 1 to 6 in depth.
The subject outline also names later work on interactive systems, sites, composition, dramaturgy and final presentation, but those teaching materials were not available here. Use the current Canvas modules for those strands.
Across the chapters, the central method is consistent without reducing every problem to one answer.
Start by describing what is audible, then distinguish a physical source from a perceived quality and a culturally learned meaning. Use matched comparisons when recording, editing, mixing or programming a synthesizer so that the reason for a changed result remains clear. In live work, translate the successful artistic choice into an instruction with a trigger, action, timing, level relationship and fallback.
This makes the design discussable with performers and repeatable by an operator.
The guide also connects technical preparation to assessment practice. File organisation, monitoring, conservative gain, clean edit boundaries and rehearsal are not separate from artistic thinking: they protect the intended audience experience. Written explanation should therefore name evidence, explain a relationship and justify a decision.
Avoid unsupported mood labels. When a soundtrack feels tense, specify the spectrum, rhythm, envelope, spatial position or contrast that creates that reading, and acknowledge that cultural familiarity can change the response.
From listening evidence to a design decision
- 1Describe the present sound and the speech range before changing anything.
- 1Choose one controlled variable, such as texture density or spatial movement.
- 1Make a matched-level comparison and explain the audience inference.
- 1Write an operable cue with trigger, action, fade and fallback.
Key terms
- Critical listening
- Purposeful attention to audible features, relationships and changes before interpretation.
- Timbre
- The character of a sound shaped by spectrum, harmonics and its behaviour over time.
- Dynamic range
- The span and variation between quieter and louder parts of a signal or performance.
- Gain staging
- Managing signal level through each stage to preserve clarity and useful headroom.
- Polar pattern
- A microphone’s directional sensitivity to sound arriving from different angles.
- Soundscape
- A designed or encountered sonic environment understood through its interacting layers.
- Audiovisual contract
- The perceptual agreement through which heard and seen events are treated as one scene.
- Reduced listening
- Attention to sonic qualities themselves rather than source or coded meaning.
- Envelope
- A time-varying control shape, commonly used to form the attack, decay, sustain and release of a sound.
- Cue list
- An ordered operational record of triggers, actions and playback changes for performance.
MUSI10223 FAQ
How is the subject assessed?
The official structure has three weighted projects: Sound/World at 30%, Live Sound Design Performance at 30%, and Sound Design from Non-Sonic Stimulus at 40%. The current Canvas task pages control detailed instructions and operational dates.
What are the attendance and submission hurdles?
Students must attend at least 75% of scheduled lectures and at least 75% of scheduled classes. They must also submit every assessment element as a complete, genuine attempt to remain eligible for a pass.
How should I analyse a sound?
Begin with audible evidence such as spectrum, dynamics, timbre, duration, rhythm, texture and direction. Separate that description from inferred source and cultural meaning, then explain how the sound changes attention or interpretation.
What makes a field recording usable?
A clear intention, suitable microphone position, conservative gain, headphone monitoring, test playback, alternate takes, room tone, careful transfer and consistent file naming make recordings both technically usable and creatively flexible.
What is the safest editing and mixing order?
Organise and audition first, then select, trim, fade and arrange. Establish balance and spatial relationships before applying equalisation, dynamics or effects, and finish by checking the exported file through the intended playback path.
How do I practise synthesis effectively?
Change one control at a time. Start with waveform and pitch, shape amplitude with the envelope, filter the spectrum, then add modulation and effects. Save labelled versions so each audible difference remains traceable.
How does script analysis become a cue list?
Read first for story and world, then mark explicit sounds, environments, emotional cues and transitions. Convert chosen moments into sequential instructions that name the trigger, playback action, timing and expected result, then test them in rehearsal.
How to prepare for the assessments
Use a repeating evidence-to-operation cycle: listen and describe, compare alternatives, choose one relation, document the decision, and test it in rehearsal. Keep source recordings and edits organised, save versions, and practise explaining how each audible feature supports the performance concept.
