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Title DJ9F 34 - Sound Production: Group AwardGraded Unit 1

Description Candidate support pack addressing therequirements of the above Graded Unit.

Keywords Sound Production Graded Unit, Integration,Synthesis, Project, Portfolio

Objectives To support candidates achieve the HN SoundProduction Graded Unit within the delivery timeof their course of study.To support colleges in the delivery of the HNSound Production Graded Unit 1.

Author Adam Armit/Chris Bradley

Organisation SQA

Version 1

Date January 2008

Copyright SQA

Information

DJ9F 34 - Sound Production: Group Award Graded Unit 1

Published date: January 2008Publication code: CB4244

Published by the Scottish Qualifications AuthorityThe Optima Building, 58 Robertson Street, Glasgow G2 8DQIronmills Road, Dalkeith, Midlothian EH22 1LEwww.sqa.org.uk

The information in this publication may be reproduced to support the delivery

of HN Sound Production or its component Units. If it is to be used for anyother purpose, then written permission must be obtained from theAssessment Materials and Publishing Team at SQA. It must not bereproduced for trade or commercial purposes.

Scottish Qualifications Authority 2007

Acknowledgements

SQA would like to acknowledge the contribution of Adam Armit and ChrisBradley in the development and publication of these materials.


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Copyright

Except where otherwise indicated the copyright in this pack belongs to SQA.

Where these learning materials contain links or references to any web siteoperated by a party other than SQA, or references to any other materials

created or made available by a party other than SQA, such links andreferences are provided for information purposes only. SQA has no controlover the content of any such third-party web sites or other materials.

Accessibility statement

It is SQA's intention to provide the widest possible access to this study guide;to achieve this, contemporary accessibility standards and guidelines wereadopted when preparing the materials. Should you experience any difficultiesusing the study guide, we would very much like to hear about any suchdifficulties, so that we may take steps to rectify them. Please email SQA with

details of the problem, the name and version of the browser you are usingand, if possible, details of the operating system, screen settings and anyassistive technology you are using.


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Introduction to pack

About this pack

This e-learning resource will assist you attain the standard for the Graded Unit

for your HN Sound Production studies at SCQF level 7.

The Graded Unit is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your overall skills

and knowledge in Sound Production, and a chance to showcase your

strengths within the field, as you would to future employers. You will put

together a showcase portfolio of work that you have done related to the core

elements of the course and present it for grading. The course is designed for

you to develop as a Sound Engineer and your showreel will be used to

illustrate these skills ie Recording and Production of Audio.

You need to provide evidence that you have achieved the principal aims of

the HN Sound Production course, you have or are:

prepared for progression to further study in sound production or a related

discipline

developed competencies in a range of specialised areas of your choice in

line with preferred career aims analysed and synthesised knowledge and skills acquired through study

developed study, organisational and research skills

adopted innovation and creativity in your work; been able to respond

quickly to the challenges posed by changes in the sound or audio

industries.

Note!You must ensure that your project will be of a sufficient basis for a practicalassignment that meets all the requirements of this Graded Unit.


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How the pack is organised

This pack is organised to address each of the requirements of the HN Sound

Production Graded Unit. It begins by explaining exactly what the Graded Unit

is and then explains the key stages in a logical manner; highlighting and

suggesting approaches you can adopt to complete it.

HN Sound Production Graded Unit E-learning pack outline:

Introduction - Study notes for the Sound Production Graded Unit

The project - three stages planning, developing and evaluating

Mentoring sessions

The planning stage requirements

The developing stage requirements

The portfolio

The logbook

The evaluating stage requirements

The pack is divided into sections and pages. You can navigate using the

menu on the left, or by using the arrows to go forward or back. Links to

external websites or further material are provided, and these will open in a

new window.

It is recommended that you should have completed or be in the process ofcompleting the following Units relevant to your course of study and relating to

the above specific aims prior to undertaking this group award Graded Unit.

Unit HN Credit valueCreative Industries Infrastructure 1

Working in the Creative Industries 1

Sound Production Theory 1 1

Sound Production Practice 1 1


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Digital Audio Workstations 1 2

Acoustics 1 1

There are no Outcomes in the Graded Unit as there are in other Units, rather

the Graded Unit is, for the sound production framework, a project demanding

that you produce a portfolio to showcase or demonstrate what you have

learned.


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References 6

Introduction - Study notes for the Sound Production GradedUnit

The project

There are three stages to completing this Graded Unit project:

Stage 1: Planning

Stage 2: Implementing/developing

Stage 3: Evaluating and presenting

You will be provided with a brief that allows you to demonstrate creative skills.

You will have to research, plan, prepare, evaluate and present a relevant

portfolio. The assessment is based on a combination of the result of the

activity (the product) and the carrying out of the activity (the process).

You will be asked to:

interpret the brief

gather information in response to the brief

select and prepare materials

present portfolio

evaluate the portfolio (through feedback).

Staff will not direct the project, but you will be given appropriate support while

preparing the project. You will be given a date for completion of each stage of

this practical assignment.


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Mentoring sessions

A mentoring system will help you to select a suitable portfolio subject and

ensure that you carry out appropriate preparation of the task. You may also

be encouraged to consider different aspects of your preparation for the

project.

The emphasis of the Unit is on independent learning, therefore staff are there

simply to guide you.

You are entitled to up to five mentoring sessions as follows:

two at the planning stage

two during the development stage

one at the evaluation stage.


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References 8

The planning stage requirements

Stage 1 Planning

Mentoring sessions one and two

In the first two mentoring sessions you will present a plan of your initial ideas

for your project for consideration. Your tutor will ensure that your choices are

practical. There are numerous reasons why a plan would not be appropriate

or practical.

It would also be wise for you to focus on how you intend to integrate or

synthesis knowledge and/or skills from the core Units of your course. Ask

yourself the question, what challenges do I face when creating a portfolio?

When you attend your first mentoring session to present your project plan,

you must convince your tutor that you have presented a plan that:

is realistic and achievable in the timescale of a single credit Unit

clearly demonstrates how you will integrate knowledge and/or skills from

the core Units into your project

states how you intend to compile and organise your portfolio

reflects current industry practice and is not blue sky, fantasy or over-

ambitious in nature; the plan should be focused.

Although you are free to select what you include in your portfolio your tutor

must be satisfied that the evidence you present is structured and will clearly

demonstrate synthesis and integration of knowledge and/or skills from the

core Units.

Given that your project must address the core aims of your course, you must

keep your project focused. For example, you may wish to have a show reel

containing different examples of audio that demonstrate your skills across the

discipline of sound production. In addition to the show reel you will describe

the complete details of the activities that you had to do to complete the

process, and in particular, reasons for choosing the material you put into the


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References 9

show reel. You will explain how the material demonstrates your skill in

recording, microphone techniques, production, editing, mixing etc.

So during the course of the graded Unit process, you will put together a

portfolio, where you write up all the things you had to do to complete the

project, resources you had to use, research you undertook for various

techniques employed. Examples to include in your portfolio would be:

detailing meetings with a band/artist/client to choose the material you will

record

research into microphone techniques that would suit the situation you will

be employing

analysis of the acoustics of the spaces you are recording in and how best

to achieve the required sound

session sheet documentation

studio/equipment booking sheets

mixing/mastering choices and considerations

discussion of techniques used within the software/hardware.

In addition to being a skilled sound engineer, you have to demonstrate that

you are able to be effective within the industry and so your portfolio will also

highlight your understanding of how you can use your skills in sound

production as a career within the creative industries, and so you should also

discuss

any contracts that had to be set up, and an understanding when this would

be applicable

that you have fully understood the implications of copyright

that you have demonstrated the marketing potential/options of the

recordings (for the artist or just for you)

how the show reel could act as a business opportunity, either for the

artist(s) recorded or the product, or as a means for you to progress your

career.

Your tutor should guide you and identify the difficulties in pursuing such a

course in one of the first mentoring sessions.


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Your plan must be accepted by your tutor as fulfilling the brief beforecontinuing with your project.


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Minimum Evidence Requirements for the planning stage

This is the minimum you must do to complete the planning stage.

The Planning stage is worth 20% of the total marks

You must achieve all of the minimum evidence specified below in order to

pass the planning stage.

You are required to create an action plan that will act as a working document

for the rest of your project. The plan must include:

Your interpretation of the brief

This is likely to consist of half to one page of text stating what is required of

you when undertaking the project. For example, you may say, I have been

given a brief in which I am required to produce a project consisting of a

portfolio to be used as a business proposal to gain me employment within the

industry or onto a course for further study. I will do this by ...

Any information you gather in response to the briefIf setting up a company, for example, you may state that you will model your

proposal/project on a Scottish Enterprise company structure model.

A title for your project

The title of your project must reflect the actual project. Dont use what looks

like a snappy title at the expense of saying what the project is actually is

about. Anyone reading your portfolio should be confident that they know whatto expect when reading the contents of the portfolio.


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A statement of the project issue/solutionYou must state what you intend to do for your project and how you are goingto do it. You must also consider challenges you may encounter whenundertaking the project and how you intend addressing them. This is also anopportunity for you to initially consider and identify how knowledge from core

Units could or will be integrated. For example, you may propose setting up aPA hire company as a business and, recognise the need for a thoroughbusiness plan and method of maintaining financial information. You would, atthis stage state that this information will be drawn from the Working in theCreative Industries Unit. It will be necessary for such a business/ to have ahigh quality engineer. The knowledge/skills for this skill is likely to come fromyour study of the Sound Production Theory and Practice Units.

Aims and objectives of the projectYou should have been given clear guidance regarding producing realisticaims and objectives and these should be SMART Specific, Measurable,

Achievable, Realistic and Time bound. You will be encouraged to producethree to four aims with no more than four objectives for each aim. This shouldensure that these are achievable in the time given. See notes on SMARTobjectives after this section.

A timescale for conducting the projectThis should include both final and intermediate completion dates.

A statement of the reasons for the choice of issue/solutionA simple statement is sufficient and could be as simple as stating that this issomething that you always wanted to do and intend to do when your study isover.

Identification and explanation of the sources of information to be usedfor your project and why each has been selectedThis section allows you to state how the knowledge and/or skills from the coreUnits will be integrated into the project as well as identifying sources such asinternet sites and books. See notes on referencing after this section.

Identification of the resources (including time) required for you to carryout the project and how these will be accessed

These can be in the form of time management systems such as Gantt charts,

to do lists etc. See notes on managing time after this section.

An explanation of how the project will be conducted with reasons for

your choice and of methods used

This is a statement of how you plan to manage the project. See notes on

setting goals after this section.


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A statement of the criteria to be used to assess the implications of the

issue/solution and the reasons why each has been selected

You must state how you will assess the project. This is likely to include a

statement regarding road testing the project once it is complete and the

manner this will take.


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Action planIt is important for you to understand that your plan is a dynamic document.

This means approaches and methods used will inevitably change as the time

progresses. This is the case with all plans, they are reviewed and revised as

factors change and updated accordingly.

By following the above outline for your plan you will demonstrate clarity of

thought as well as understanding of the requirement to integrate knowledge

and/or skills from core Units.

Action plan example

Action By when Completed(date)

Undertake three recording sessions in

different contexts (studio/venue) End November

The planning process in context

Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans.John Lennon

At its simplest a plan has three stages:

Identify the goal(s) and set the objectives to be achieved, make the

objectives SMART - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and

Timed.

A specification of the activities needed to achieve the outcomes, and how

they relate to one another. What do you need to do and in what order?

Estimate of the resource requirements to implement the activities. What

you need to do and what you want to do - state who does what, with whatand by when.


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Stages of planning

Define objectives What is it that you are planning to achieve?

Generate and

evaluate options

How many different courses of action are available?

When each course of action has been evaluated,

which one will best achieve the objectives?

Identify the activities What do you need to do in order to implement the

chosen option?

Sequence theactivities

What is the best order in which to carry out the

activities?

Identify the

resources

What resources do you need in order to carry out the

plan?

Review the plan Will it work? If not, go back to stage 2 or 3 - or even

stage 1.

Prepare actionplans/schedules

Who is going to do what - and when?

Monitor and Control Re-plan if necessary?

The following flow chart is a graphical representation of the above stages of

planning outline.


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Stages of planning - graphic


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Problems and constraints in planning

Planning is almost always constrained by the need to meet certain deadlines.

Areas where problems are likely to arise are:

Vague objectives Are the objectives SMART, the objectives must be in

as precise terms as possible.

Lack of information The greatest difficulty in planning is to obtain accurate

information when we want it. Accurate, timely and

relevant information is the vital ingredient of planning,

but is often in short supply at every level.

Changingcircumstances

Planning is carried out for the circumstances that we

think are the most likely to occur but rarely do. With

every piece of new information the objectives may

have to be reviewed.

People and politics Planning is the art of the possible; it is only successful

if it is acceptable both to the people who provide

resources and those who will carry it out.


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The contingency plan

As the name suggests, this is a form of plan addressing problems if the

original plan goes wrong. The idea here is to introduce an element of flexibility

to cover difficulties, although too much flexibility would be undesirable. It is

important to ensure that there is a relationship between the amount of effort

spent on contingency planning and the level of risk involved. Ways of

achieving flexibility include:

know where additional equipment and people can be obtained at short

notice

keep key people fully informed of unexpected developments so that they

will find ways to solve their own problems

ensure that not too many high priority activities are planned to happen at

the same time

deliberately allow some free time at key stages of the plan so that delays

can be accommodated (but not necessarily announcing this information

publicly)

ensure that the best possible information is used in the plan and that it is

kept up to date.


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Creative thinking

Creative thinking is all about looking at the range of options available to you,

in the widest sense, and then deciding on which of these is or are the best

and most useful.

The role of creative and analytical thinking can be represented in the following

diagram:

Creative(convergent)thinking

Analytical(divergent)thinking

Some web links for creative and critical thinking techniqueshttp://eduscapes.com/tap/topic69.htm

http://www.copyblogger.com/mental-blocks-creative-thinking/http://www.ahapuzzles.com/puzzles_1.htm

Planning tools and techniquesThe following planning tools and techniques will help provide you with a form

or framework whereby a plan can be presented and communicated, focusing

attention on the following:

identifying the key events and deadlines

disentangling the different activities and estimating how long each one will

take

examining the relationship between activities, in terms of both dependency

and workload

working out which activities have priority and which ones still have time in

hand.


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SWOT analysis

Before embarking on any project it is desirable to ascertain whether or not

there are obstacles to achieving success or if you have the skills or

knowledge to complete the project. Focused thinking about these issues is

therefore extremely important; SWOT analysis is a method to understand and

address these issues.

SWOT is an acronym forStrengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.

SWOT analysis is used to help balance what is desirable with that which is

practical. This is achieved by obtaining a balanced perspective of internal

strengths and weaknesses and the external opportunities and threats

therefore allowing the development of an effective strategy.

Successful businesses and business people build on their strengths, correct

their weaknesses and protect against internal vulnerabilities and external

threats.

SWOT analysis - contributing factors

Strengths Ability, resources, the weakness of the competition, or the

opposing sources.

Weaknesses Failures, defeats, losses, and inability to match up with the

dynamic situation of growth and change.

Opportunities Possibilities of what can be done and where effectiveness is

possible.Threats Changes in business environment, PEST forces political,

economic, social, technological.


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A Swot analysis is conducted in following way:

Internal You have control External Limited or no control

Identify and list yourStrengths

to be built upon.

Identify and list Opportunities to

be exploited.

Identify and list Weaknesses

and how you will turn these

around how to make them

strengths.

Identify and list Threats how to

avoid them or ways of evading

them.

Example for a Certified Pro Tools Operator:

Strengths Opportunities

Organised Accreditation from Industry

High level of technical skill Grants for start up business

Weaknesses Threats

Access to hardware systems

only within College

Number of others qualified as

Operators

Limited experience in Control

surfaces

Poor resources equipment

and accommodation

Lack of funds


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References 22

What are objectives?

In any job it is necessary to break down processes, analyse them, set

objectives and then work hard to achieve them. You will increase the

likelihood of success for what you are trying to accomplish by writing

objectives.

An objective should be thought of as the object or aim of an action. It states

the direction for the action to take and a specific quality of work to be

accomplished within a given period of time. Objectives reflect the desired

outcomes for individuals, groups and organisations and provide direction for

and a standard against which outcomes are measured. Objectives are

therefore the foundation of planning and they are important because they

allow you to measure the success or failure of a project.

Essentially an objective is a precise, measurable statement of what you intend

to achieve during a specified period of time, as it works toward a desired

outcome. An objective is therefore a statement about what will change.

To be meaningful all objectives should be SMART. SMART is an acronym for:

Specific

Measurable

Achievable or attainable

Realistic or relevant

Timely and trackable


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Defining SMART objectives

Specific Is the objective precise and well defined?Is it clear?

Can everyone understand it?Measurable How will you know when the task has been completed?What evidence is needed to confirm the completion?Have you stated how you will judge whether it hasbeen completed or not?

Achievable Is it within your capabilities to complete?Are there sufficient resources available to enable this tohappen?Have you relied on someone else or some other thingto occur before you can complete the objective?Can the objective be completed at all?

Realistic Is it possible for you to perform the objective?How sensible is the objective in the current context?How does it fit into your overall pattern of work?

Timely What is the deadline?Is it feasible to meet this deadline?Is it appropriate to do this work now?Are there review dates?

The basic components of an objective are:

a description of the activity or service to be provided (eg guitar tutoring)

the expected result of the activity or service (eg improved guitar playing)

the tool to measure the impact of the provided service or the quality of the

provided product (eg practical guitar playing test at new level)

the standard of success the project hopes to meet (eg average increase of

at least one guitar playing level)

the number of individuals who benefit (eg ten Grade 2 young guitarists per

session).

Although the rules are difficult to establish, the following fill-in-the-blank

equation may be useful when writing an objective.

Objective:

To verb, result and target date.

Example:


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References 24

To improve the skills in Pro Tools through course work and independent

study, as measured by successful completion of Digital Audio Workstations

Unit and Pro Tools certified exams by testing after twenty weeks of

commencing lessons.

This can be expressed graphically as follows:

To Verb Result Target date

To improve the skills in Pro

Tools through course

work and independent

study

measured by

successful

completion of

Digital Audio

Workstations Unit

and Pro Tools

certified exams by

testing after

twenty weeks of

commencing

lessons.


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References 25

Useful tools when planning

There are various techniques to help define what needs to be done, how it will

be done, in what order, and by when, for example:

To-do lists with initial thinking: the lists can be revised, regrouped or

broken down as the plan takes shape.

Schedule and key events charts: work under heading to the define dates

eg

Date Key event Other events

22nd June Update Meeting Receive project status

reports

3rd July Launch marketing campaign Update website

Production schedule: work under heading to the define dates eg

Weeks to go Action Date

16 Initial thinking

15 Planning meeting 24th August

Gantt charts (bar charts): work from an end date, in this case the release

date to determine when key activities should occur eg

Month

Actions

event Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul

Music

RehearsalRecording

Artwork

Graphics

Layout

General

Production

Distribution

Marketing

Release


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Mind Maps

Developed in the late 1960s by Tony Buzan, mind maps were developed to:

assist the thinking process when addressing complex problems

summarise information by making notes with key words and images

be created quickly because of visual nature

be easy to remember and/or review information in the map

be easy to link and cross reference information across the map

show shape of a subject and the relative importance of each part

show the way facts relate to each other

be compact to make links easily identifiable

give structure to a subject.

The example of developing a Mind Map below shows the main topic and

branch lines radiating in all directions from the centre.

Developing a mind map

Topic orTitle

Branch 1 Branch 2

Branch 3Branch 4

Branch 1.1

Branch 1.2

Branch 4.1

Branch 4.2

Branch 2.1

Branch 2.2

Branch 3.1

Branch 3.2

Branch 2.2b

Branch 3.2a

Branch 1.1a

Branch 4.2a

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Topic

A topic is the title of the subject you intend as the focus of the mind map.


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Branch

A branch in a mind map is a contributing, important idea. A branch line is the

line connecting branches between two neighbouring levels. The number of

branches for each level is limitless.

Level

The level identifies the amount or number of branches around a topic.

Branches of a mind map spread out from the main topic; in theory the number

of levels is limitless.

As you come across new information, link it in to the Mind Map appropriately.

A complete Mind Map may have main topic lines radiating in all directions

from the centre. Sub-topics and facts will branch off these, like branches and

twigs from the trunk of a tree. You do not need to worry about the structure

produced, as this will evolve of its own accord, see example below.

Summary from Learn to draw mind maps with Mind Tools whereyou can get more information on how to draw mind maps

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newISS_01.htm

Example mindmap by Graham Burnett from Wikipedia at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map


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References 28

Other areas of planning

Other areas of planning that should be considered:

Resource

planning

identify all resources

state when and how long resources are required

are resources available when you need them?

are there any shortfall costs?

are changes to the plan possible to smooth out any

resource shortfalls?

Incorporatingcosts

if you decide to change the plan what are the cost

implications of another course of action?it is advisable to estimate costs at different levels of detail

it is necessary to ensure all information regarding the plan

has been gathered, apportion all costs, produce cash flow

projections as well as forecasts of balances, monitor all

spending

Allocating work: who has the skills and expertise to handle the task?

who will find it useful?

who has the time?


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The developing stage requirements

Stage 2 Developing / Implementing

The developing or implementing stage is worth 70% of the marks. There are

two parts to this stage as below requiring you to:

Prepare a portfolio. The portfolio should contain information and

documentation relevant to the action plan. The portfolio is a tool to

showcase your abilities and therefore its contents will be personal to you

and relevant to your vocational area or purpose. The portfolio is worth 50%

of the marks.

Maintain and submit a structured logbook of all of the activities you

undertake for the project. Logbooks should only contain a log relating to

the Graded Unit project. It is not a record of all course activity and should

be structured. Simple diaries are unlikely to be appropriate. The logbook is

worth 20% of the marks.

Mentoring sessions three and four

By mentoring session three you should be well under way thinking about what

to select and include in your portfolio. Your lecturer will give guidance and

feedback regarding the choices you are making and the way you are

managing your project. Your lecturer should not direct you in your work

because the emphasis of this Unit is on independent learning.

Remember, you must provide clear evidence that knowledge and/or skill

from each of the core Units has been synthesised or integrated into the

project portfolio. Furthermore, your portfolio contents should be selectedbecause of project relevance; quantity is not a substitute for quality.


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Considerations when preparing your portfolio

This part of the Graded Unit assessment is concerned with your ability to

create and judiciously select appropriate materials for inclusion in your

portfolio and then to justify the reasons for including those materials. The

portfolio is likely to include materials generated as assessment evidence for

other Units of your course. In this case, and to demonstrate integration of

knowledge and skill from these other Units, you may simply include a

statement to reference the source of this information. For example, if you

include a basic contract outline in your portfolio, you need simply state that

while studying the Working in the Creative Industries Unit contracts were

covered and, the basic contract included was derived from that or those Units.

A statement such as this would demonstrate your understanding of the

requirement to acknowledge where you sourced information and be sufficient

to display synthesis of knowledge and/or skills from those Units.

The portfolio might be a folder into which you can add paper-based materials,

CDs, DVDs etc., or it may be an e-portfolio, some computer space where you

can add Word documents, spreadsheets, audio and video files. The form of

the portfolio should be discussed with your mentor, and will depend on the

resources available. You may also be able to make use of Web 2.0 tools such

as Wikis or blogs to enhance the reflection/evaluation process and make your

portfolio interactive.

Also, think about what you are doing already that could be used to help your

portfolio. Do you use Facebook, Myspace, bebo etc? Is there anything therethat could help perhaps as a marketing tool to support your business?

You can get a free blog here www.blogger.comYou could store and share videos at www.youtube.comor pictures at www.flickr.com


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Marking should be based on your justification for what is included in your

portfolio and not necessarily the materials you include. However, if the

materials you include are thought to be not relevant to, or do not showcase

your skills appropriately your tutor may question their inclusion at one of the

mentoring sessions.

Portfolio idea

Title A proposal to set up a mobile recording facility

The focus, structure and legal implications and considerations, example

contracts, financial information and forecasts if appropriate, marketing and

promotional materials and press packs, agencies that may form a

collaborative partnership, health and safety issues and risk assessments.

These topics are included in the Creative Industries Units.

Relevant materials to demonstrate knowledge and/or skill eg technical skill

and theoretical knowledge examples audio equipment and software,

microphone placement and general acoustics. These topics are covered inthe Sound Production and Practice Units, the Digital Audio Workstations and

Acoustics Units.


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Demonstrating integration of knowledge

Demonstrating integration of knowledge and/or skills from the coreUnits in the Graded Unit submission

Use the following tables to assist you to identify how you have integrated the

knowledge and/or skills from each of the core Units into your Graded Unit. It is

not necessary to complete every box, however you must demonstrate that

knowledge and/or skills from core Units has been used and applied. For the

column headed, Portfolio item included, you need only tick the box then,

under How knowledge and/or skills is integrated, state what item(s) you have

included and that the knowledge and/or skills from this core Unit was usedwhen producing that item. For example, if an outline for a business card

and/or a poster is included simply tick the box next to Marketing, in the

Working in the Creative Industries Unit table, then state that the knowledge

and/or skills necessary to produce these items came from this aspect of this

Unit, as below.

Marketing

Items included: a business card andposter outline. Through study of

marketing and promotion in this Unit

I gained the necessary knowledge

and skills to produce these items.

HNC Sound ProductionGraded UnitCore Unit Portfolio

Itemincluded

How knowledge and/or skills isintegrated

Creative IndustriesInfrastructure

Types of organisation

Organisation structure

Trade organisations

Sources of advice


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References 33

Sources of funding andfinance

Business developmentopportunitiesNetworking

opportunities

Working in the CreativeIndustries

Career developmentskills

Marketing

Health and Safetyissues

Legal - contracts andcopyright

Sound ProductionTheory 1

Technique

Microphone theory

Processors

reproduction

Sound ProductionPractice 1Cables, connectors,Health/SafetyTesting

Recording

Digital AudioWorkstations 1Configuration

Audio/MIDI

Audio processing

Editing

Acoustics 1

Properties of sound


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References 34

Human hearing

Acoustic properties ofspaces

A printable copy of the tables can be downloaded here

Considerations when preparing your logbook

As stated above, you are also expected to maintain a logbook, but this should

not take the form of a diary. You should use relevant headings as a guide,

therefore making it easier for assessment and verification.

The logbook is a written record of the progress and should consist of the

following:

the Action Plan

research evidence of appropriate texts read

explanation and justification of actions

analysis/description of the portfolio preparation process including creative

and imaginative interpretation or response to ideas or issues from

mentoring.

A suggested logbook layout:

DateMy action plan point:

Research sources I usedBook or Unit Title Author Publication

detailsISBN

x

x

x

x


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References 35

Notes

Why an action or direction was taken:

My portfolio preparation processes:

A printable copy of the table can be downloaded here

A note on referencing academic work

In any piece of academic work accurate referencing is essential. Referencing

is a standardised method of acknowledging sources of information and ideas

that you have used in your assignment in a way that uniquely identifies their

source. Direct quotations, facts and figures, as well as ideas and theories,

from both published and unpublished works, must be referenced. There are a

number of referencing systems that you could use but your tutor will tell you

the method your college uses.

Harvard Referencing

Within the text of the assignment the authors name is given first, followed by

the publication date. A reference list at the end of the assignment contains the

full details of all the in-text citations as follows:

Kalmar, Veronica, 2000, Label Launch: A Guide to Independent RecordRecording, Promotion and Distribution, London, St Martin's Press

Formal academic referencing acknowledging sources is normal but you

should also reference information and materials derived from other core Units.


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References 36

For example, you may include materials generated for your Acoustics Unit in

your portfolio; you should clearly reference these to that Unit. This would

demonstrate understanding of the project requirements - selecting and

judiciously including relevant materials. However, where knowledge and/or

skill has been used which was acquired through study of a core Unit, in for

example, the production of a biography, a simple statement and reference to

the appropriate Unit (Working in the Creative Industries) would demonstrate

integration of knowledge from this Unit, an essential requirement of the

Graded Unit.

See further information about referencing at these links:

http://www.neilstoolbox.com/bibliography-creator/

http://www.shef.ac.uk/library/libdocs/hsl-dvc1.pdf

The evaluating stage

Stage 3 Evaluating

The evaluating/presenting stage is worth 10% of the marks

For this stage you must provide an evaluation report of approximately 750-

1,000 words relating to the effectiveness of all parts of your project. Your

evaluation must include:

An assessment of the extent to which each of the original objectives of the

project have been met. This should include reference to any modifications

made during the course of the project and to any alternative courses ofaction considered but rejected. Your assessment should be supported with

credible reasons for actions.

A commentary on aspects of the planning and developing stages which

worked effectively and why, and/or aspects of the planning and

development stages which did not work as effectively as expected. Each

aspect of the project should be covered in the commentary.


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References 37

An assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the activity of the

project. This should be supported by credible reasons and cover at least

one strength and at least one weakness.

Recommendations for future projects. These should be based on items

one to three above and could relate to your personal development (eg in

terms of the further development of skills used in this project) or aspects of

the process or product of the project (eg with respect to setting timescales,

gathering information or possible future projects). It should be clear from

the recommendations that you have reflected on what happened and that

you have drawn conclusions from this reflection.

Mentoring session five

In mentoring session five you should have an idea of the way you are going to

approach and evaluate your project. You may feel that your project went

according to your plan and that you have very few weaknesses however, you

may, on the other hand feel the opposite, there were numerous challenges to

overcome. Your tutor will have an overview of how you have handled this

assessment task and will be able to guide and assist you in your evaluation. If

everything did go well then it might be the case that simply stating this fact

with examples is all you are required to do.


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A final thought

The Graded Unit gives you the opportunity to provide evidence that you have

achieved the principal aims of your course of study. It quite simply allows you

to do what you will probably do naturally when you complete your studies: you

will compile a showcase portfolio in order to seek employment and/or further

study.

When compiling such a portfolio you will not put everything into it that you

have studied, you will:

think and plan what you should use

carefully select materials for inclusion in your portfolio and order the

materials logically and sensibly

present the materials in your portfolio in a professional manner.

If you succeed in compiling a portfolio correctly you will place yourself in a

stronger position for selection in whatever you are applying for. It is exactly

this that you are required to produce as evidence for this Graded Unit

assessment.

graded unit 1

Documents