Audio Recording and Sound Design

Develop specialized skills in sound technology with the Certificate in Audio Recording and Sound Design, offered by the Department of Creative Technologies in the Faculty of Media, Art, and Performance. This certificate program is 30 credit hours (10 courses) and focuses on recording, editing, and mixing sound and musical pieces for video games, movies, live theatre performances, and other creative works.

You will gain hands-on experience working with industry-standard tools, including Digital Audio Workstation, Adobe InDesign, and music mixer and looper machines. Through these tools, you will learn to capture and mix unique sounds to enhance storytelling and auditory experiences.

This certificate stands on its own or can be laddered into any of the Creative Technologies and Design degree programs.

What is Audio Recording and Sound Design?

Audio recording is the process of capturing sound—such as voices, music, or effects—for use in media like film, podcasts, apps, and games.

Sound design involves shaping and editing those sounds to create mood, atmosphere, and impact. This might include ambient environments in a video game, the sound of a button click in an app, or dramatic effects in a movie.

Together, audio recording and sound design make experiences more immersive and engaging—whether in digital media, live performances, or other creative formats.

Some courses you may take as part of this program include:

CTCH 112: Introduction to Audio Tools

An entry level course including practical guidance in the setup and use of audio and electronic equipment, and in learning to write and perform music using commercial, open-source and DIY audio tools with the computer. Designed to be useful to students regardless of literacy in music reading and notation, this course welcomes students of varied experience and background in music, creative sound and computers

CTCH 317 - Advanced Audio Production Techniques for Interdisciplinary Media 

This studio course focuses on advanced audio production that will build upon a student’s foundational knowledge and skills of audio production. This course will focus on advanced audio mixing and editing techniques related to level balancing, panning, dialogue editing, vocal editing, EQ, dynamics, effects, automation, pitch correction, time correction, and audio routing. Students will gain an understanding of the specific post-production audio mixing approaches employed by different media disciplines including visual media, music, and spoken word.

CTCH 218 – Introduction to Audio Mixing and Mastering

This course will cover the foundational knowledge required to professionally mix and master a soundscape using a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). Students will study topics pertaining to the science of sound waves, the art of sound mixing, the recording process, and the post-production audio process. 

CTCH 219 – Game Design Audio

This course will provide an introductory overview of the workflow and tools utilized to sound design for the gaming industry. Students will study the creative process of game designers and how they use sound and music to contribute to aesthetics and meaningful gameplay. This will include a comprehensive overview of the process of recording and mixing unique sound effects for animation, as well as knowledge pertaining to the composition and curation of music for a video game

See the Undergraduate Calendar for full program requirements.