Joburg – The Academy of Sound Engineering (ASE) has become the first tertiary education provider in South Africa to offer a B.Sc. Degree in Sound Engineering Technology.
The three-year Bachelor of Science qualification will focus on the engineering science of sound and music.
The programme, accredited by the Council on Higher Education, was designed according to National Qualification Framework Level 7 engineering technologist programmes offered by public universities.
Students who wish to become professionals in the technical audio industry will gain sufficient grounding in audio science, design and synthesis to produce innovative technical developments in the field.
Academy MD Tim Kraft said, “From the first day on campus, students are exposed to the entertainment industry and interact daily with industry professionals. With a collective experience of over 100 years, our lecturers are professionals in their own right and are highly respected in the industry.”
Kraft said that academy lecturers and students were responsible for what was one of the world’s largest-scale recordings, with almost 400 tracks that ran continuously for six hours during performances by Shakira, Black Eyed Peas and others at the FIFA Kick-Off concert in 2010.
Staff and students also managed the broadcast mix and recording during the Nelson Mandela 46664 concert at Ellis Park.
“Because of the shift in technology, the world of sound, film and video have come together to share common platforms,” he said.
“Although the equipment has become easier to use at a basic level, the implementation of this technology at higher levels has become much more complex and technical, hence the need to produce professionals with the technical abilities that the industry demands.”
Nigerian performer John Awe made his way to South Africa after he could find no higher education institution with a course in his chosen field in his home country.
“Knowing that ASE’s campus is in the SABC building (in Auckland Park) and that we are using the very latest technology makes me confident that I’m studying at a world-class institution,” he said.
