School of Music Production & Sound Design for Visual Media

Turn your love of music and audio into a career you love at the Academy’s music and audio production school. Learn music production, composition, scoring, MIDI, recording, editing and mixing, as well as sound design, dialog, sound effects and final mix from industry professionals teaching at the School of Music Production & Sound Design for Visual Media, and apply these skills in media production. Integrate AI in music production to enhance your creative projects and technical expertise.

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Music Production & Sound Design for Visual Media Degrees

Academy of Art University’s Music Production and Sound Design for Visual Media program will guide you as you develop finely tuned skills in the areas of soundtrack production: composing, music production, music editing, sound effects and dialog recording, editing, and mixing.

Music Production

AA BFA

Music Scoring & Composition

BFA MA MFA

Sound Design

AA BFA MA MFA

What Great Design Sounds Like

We inspire and motivate students to cultivate their unique voice as artists. Students develop a portfolio that demonstrates a personal style and a high level of technical skills, preparing them for a professional career. The spirit of imagination, creativity, skill, and intense commitment flourishes. The proof is in the music. This is what great design sounds like.

Start Your Career Now

Your dream is within reach. Follow your heart and get started on the career of your dreams.

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Facilities & Technology

The School of Music Production and Sound Design for Visual Media has a state-of-the-art Virtual Instruments Lab, with professional level equipment and software, including a leading edge computer and audio interface, high end audio monitors, and sample libraries from Vienna Symphonic Library, East-West, and Spectrasonics (Omnisphere). This lab allows students to use the highest grade professional tools to create orchestral and electronic music scores for films and other visual media.

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Faculty

Our instructors don’t just teach you about the music industry, they are part of the music industry. The faculty is comprised of nationally recognized professionals who maintain careers on the leading edge of industry trends. They will challenge you to reach your creative potential.

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Bradley Hughes

David Sonnenschein

Eric Bikales

Jason Martineau

Lincoln Andrews

Mike Axinn

Scott Looney

Whatever you want to do creatively - music, art, fashion - it’s here.

Academy of Art University junior, Tre Elrod, brings his passion of making music to the music production room and the stage. See what your future can hold when you pursue your creative dreams.

Student Work

Jun Seok Eom Demo Reel

Xiuzhu Guo Demo Reel

Kevin Chitsungo Stargirl Music Scoring

Jessica De La Cruz Demo Reel

Yurun Wu "Colorfornia"

Shannon Webster Demo Reel

Nikki Fish Demo Reel

Cheng Sha Demo Reel

Amin Rajabi "I Want You"

Brian Heater "Welcome to the Exploratorium"

Tori Langfitt Demo Reel

Abhishek Ghosh Demo Reel

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Alumni Success

Filipe Leitao

George Mazur

Mark Cofer

Rob Kriston

Mark Cofer: Transforming a Love of Music into a Living Career

Mark Cofer is a passionate musician who had a practical dilemma: How can he make a living with a music career? In this video, he shares how he found the answer through his “Academy moment,” which led him to being the successful film composer he is today, with credits including box-office hits like Spiderman: Homecoming, The Magnificent Seven, and Independence Day: Resurgence.

Featured Alumni

Mark Cofer

MFA Music Production & Sound Design for Visual Media

Composer and Music Producer,

Root House Productions

The Academy of Art helped me prepare for the real world by giving me the tools and knowledge to turn out professional level recordings. After graduating, I was able to get work as a composer for film and TV and create music cues for movie trailers.

MARK'S STORY

Industry Partnership

Apple Technology

Highlighting Academy of Art University as a leader in career readiness, a new video by Apple Higher Education Stories documents the creative process that Stephen Lamar Moore, a music graduate student, used to score the soundtrack for an animation film.

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Careers in Music Production & Sounds Design for Visual Media

As one of the top art and design schools in the country, Academy of Art University Music Production and Sound Design for Visual Media graduates have a range of opportunities to choose from. Our facilities, faculty, and hands-on learning approach are designed to provide you with the tools you need to succeed in the music business.

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Your career starts here.

Take the first step.

Or call 415-274-2222 to request more information about this program.

Score Composer

Compose original music to accompany narrative storytelling in visual media. Work with sound editors and mixers to balance music with other soundtrack elements, creating the sonic world in which characters live. Drive the emotions of the audience by crafting musical ideas that reflect the unspoken thoughts of a character.

Mixer

Mixing is the ultimate combination of the technical and the creative. Balance music and audio elements to create the polished final mix to make a dynamic impact on your audience. Learn how to use plug-ins like EQ, reverb and more along with mix automation to create balanced mixes that deliver the emotional impact your audience demands.

Sound Editor

Edit dialog, sound effects, ambiences, and other sounds to fit with the visual material. Use filters and plug-ins to transform audio for a specific setting. Work with the Supervising Sound Editor to deliver all audio assets for a given project, whether film, game, or animation.

COMPANIES THAT HAVE HIRED OUR GRADUATES

Learn Online

Our revolutionary online courses provide the same rigorous education that we offer on campus with greater flexibility. Our online programs are purpose-built to deliver art and design courses. Study on your own time, at your own pace. Combine online and on-site classes.

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