Some examples of what past students are doing.

• Grant Shalks (PMR)
• Simeon Davies (PMR)
• Dan Selby (PMR)
• Dan Saunders (PMR)
• Paul Taylor (MAR)
• Chris Heck (MAR)

• Grant Shalks. Grant graduated from the BA(Hons) Popular Music & Recording degree in 1998 and is currently an in-house sound engineer at Matinée Sound & Vision Ltd. In addition to voice-overs to video and multi-track recordings, he's also involved in composing music for computer games (for example, Vanishing Point by Clockwork Games - release May 2000). Here are some examples of his compositions in Real Audio format:
  • Greyhound
  • Kent State
  • Pop-8553000
  • Sign Language
  • They Came From the Hills
    
    
• Simeon Davies. Simeon graduated from the BA(Hons) Popular Music & Recording degree in 1996 and formed a Music and Sound design company called Bent Ear with his business partner, local musician, Sean Mortimer. "After planning for a year, we secured a grant and bank loan and launched July 1999. So far, we have provided music for:
  • The Gate Films Limited"Tombraider 4" 1999 Xmas ad campaign,
  • The Gate Films Limited "Army Men" cinema ad campaign,
  • Channel 5 "Sharp Shorts" - a series of 4 short films,
  • The Onward Film Company Limited Spanish Caravan Holidays adverts,
  • BBC Education UCAS video,
  • United Screen Productions Acrobat Television retail training videos for snowboarding,
  • the Royal Yachting Association Reynolds Chains Corporate presentation Recoton/Ross UK CD-Rom and
  • remix work for Far and Wide records BMG Music Library/Atmosphere.
    
  We're working on 3 other projects at the moment with BDH/TBWA, BMG and The Gate. I wanted to write music for visuals as I had a great time doing the music for the 1995 Granada documentary "My Little Eye" with the MA students. I also find it fulfilling and challenging working to very tight deadlines (sometimes as short as 3 days!) as this forces you to be focussed and go with one's instincts at the outset as you don't really have the chance to change your mind too often later on."
  
  

• Dan Selby. "After graduating in 1996 from the PMR course I got a job working as a musician at a Manchester based PC CD-ROM software developer, "Northstar Multimedia". Northstar produced CD-ROM songbooks, including "The Oasis Interactive Songbook", so my main task was transcribing and re-recording guitar parts. The job also involved some composition/production of spot effects, background loops and other audio as well as recording voice over and re-editing album tracks to produce in store rolling promotional videos. I ended up heading up the music department. Northstar ran into difficulties, however, and I was made redundant after eighteen months when the company went into receivership. Since then I have been building up work as a freelance composer/producer, writing music and sound design for software/advertising/TV/film/radio. In November 1999 I set up my own company and began trading as "Indigo Music". It has been a struggle but, though it is still relatively early days, things seem to be taking off (I recently had to turn down my first job, a TV ad, because I was too busy).
  
  A selection of credits/jobs/clients to date:

• With Northstar:
  • "The Oasis Interactive Songbook", published by Europress Ltd
  • "The Sting and The Police Interactive Songbook", published by Europress Ltd
  • "The Blur Interactive Songbook", published by Europress Ltd
• freelance/Indigo Music:
  • full score for "Gulf Shadows", a short film by Channel 4/Yorkshire Television
  • in game music for the Playstation game, "Destruction Derby Raw", published by Psygnosis Ltd
  • music for a 30 second "Phones 4U" radio ad
    
    
I am currently working on music for two TV adverts as well demoing a track for a big Playstation 2 title. I am also in various stages of discussion/negotiation regarding another TV ad, music/sound effects for several other software titles and the score for a short film. I can be contacted at: Dan Selby, Indigo Music, bespoke music and sound design, phone: (0161)445-4482, fax: (0870) 054-9403, email: dan@indigomusic.co.uk, www.indigomusic.co.uk"



• Dan Sanders. Dan graduated from the BA(Hons) Popular Music & Recording degree in 1994. "I started as a freelance session
  programmer/keyboard player in 1996, where I'd work with various producers and DJs, and progressed through remixing to producing. I'm still freelance and do loads of work for Pete Waterman, which has included producing (and writing, to a lesser extent) tracks for virtually all the acts that he's had signed over the last few years. Producing involves me recording the vocals and instruments and getting what I want from the artists involved. Ultimately, it means me taking responsibility for all the sound on the record. I've worked with DJs (including John Berry, Graeme Park, Greg Fenton) and Pop stars (including Steps, Boy George, Girl Thing, Space Monkeys, Tina Cousins)". His web-site (with music) is ThreeOverThree.

• Paul Taylor. Paul graduated from the BSc(Hons) Music, Acoustics & Recording degree in 2000. "I am now working as a sound engineer for the SZM Studios in Munich. They are the technical supervisor for the major private TV Group in Germany and also have many other customers, mostly involved in advertizing. The SZM Studios do everything from live productions to postproduction. Obviously this involves more than sound, as everything is for TV, so there is a lot of VFX. I have three different jobs here:
  • Mostly I work in the audio post production department. I am in charge of mixing TV trailers, adverts and TV films, and also doing all the sound design. I occasionally also record speech for trailers and adverts. Luckily we have mix everything in surround sound (Dolby Digital), so I often have the chance to mix TV and Cinema Spots in Dolby Digital. All of this is done using PRO TOOLS. I really enjoy this part of my job as I have loads of creative freedom.
  • I also work as a live engineer for current affairs TV Shows which is fascinating as it is live and you therefore have a lot of responsibility. Occasionally I am Tape Operator for the live news which is not quite as enjoyable but fairly interesting.
  • I have now also started working as a freelance composer in various studios in Munich. I mostly compose for TV and cinema adverts (Vogue-magazine, internet companies,...). I have mixed my first German movie as a freelance engineer, with my name in the credits. Amazing!!!
  
  I love my current situation, as I am meeting so many people, doing enjoyable work, getting on so quickly and I am earning an amazing amount of money.
• Chris Heck. Chris graduated from the BSc(Hons) Music, Acoustics & Recording degree in 2000. "I'm self-employed doing a lot of work for companies around Munich and the South of Germany. Mostly live engineering and setting up PA systems. I also do some studio work - I've just done a soundtrack for a short film which has been broadcast on local television."