6MT04 Music Technology A2 Edexcel

Are you being serious? I can't tell :s-smilie:

Plus it's not in the accredited book or specification??

Reply 3

blobonob

I have a close family member who works there, I cannot disclose her name as she may be fired :/ she wouldn't tell me the answer though so I am frantically Google-ing now :s

Reply 4

Oh right fair enough. That's a really odd thing to ask about though :s Can't even think where to find stuff for it, am doing the same now hope i find something

Reply 5

Any Luck? So far, I think i've found 1 mark :smile:

Reply 6

I call bull****, why would Music Technology be any different in Singapore to here or America? His name is blobonob for godsake

Reply 7

Haha ha very true. I'm just hoping one of them is synthesisers, it's a big topic that hasn't been touched

Reply 8

There are a lot of topics that haven't been touched but unfortunately with edexcel as vague as they are it's impossible to know what will come up, it could be anything to do with music tech since 1920. I just hope they don't screw our exam up like they screwed up this year's AS.

Reply 9

No way will there be a question on Singapore... 0.o Anyway I'm hoping for electric guitars, effects or microphones, but they've all come up before, but nothing on synthesis has ever come up before, so I'm guessing that's going to be on it, since it's a major section of the syllabus, so I think I'm going to just concentrate on revising that tonight.
Good luck everyone! n.n

Reply 10

Original post by gilbank96

What happened to the AS one?! D:

Reply 11

Original post by Eeeveon

What happened to the AS one?! D:

They sent all the discs out with mono tracks on and there were a few questions on panning and use of stereo field. None of our AS students noticed they were mono but our teacher played us the tracks and we were all confused trying to work out if anything was panned but we didn't expect them to have messed up like that. Thankfully mono tracks won't affect us too badly.

Reply 12

AinsLazar

So you guys think Synthesisers may come up? Hm, kinda makes sense, although the exam board like to throw curve balls lol.

Do any of you guys know how the extended question is marked? Also, if no synthesisers, what may the extended question ask us about?

Thanks :smile:

Reply 13

Original post by gilbank96

No way! ._. that's dreadful, did no one think to check the cd's?!

Reply 14

Original post by Eeeveon

No way! ._. that's dreadful, did no one think to check the cd's?!

Its Edexcel, of course they didn't check! But they've said they won't mark any questions about panning so it shouldn't affect their marks.

Reply 15

MikeyLord

Original post by AinsLazar

Info paraphrased from my guide:
Quality of written communication is worth a whole bunch of marks, so spelling, grammar and punctuation go a long way, can get you 5 marks out of the 16 if it's good.

You are fine to write in bullet points as opposed to continuous prose, but only if it's clearly well organised and in a clear order.

Quoted from my guide:

The questions with be drawn from:
Development of:
Synths
Electric guitars and amplification
Samplers and drum machines
Use of effects units and processors across time
Development of recording media including multi-track recording

Digital recording including an awareness of:
Computer based recording (including knowledge of typical software packages)
Hard disk/standalone recorders
Computer-hosted virtual instruments/effects
The impact of MIDI on recording and performing
Use of the internet as a resource and for communication between artists
The context of all of the above and the impact of technology on producers, engineers and artists

It's worth 16 marks so it's best to include 16 different facts relating to the question itself. You wouldn't necessarily need 16 synths, for instance, but 5-8 synths and loads of songs, or a few synths with example songs and dates will make up the marks.
Organise ideas in date order, in order to coherently write how one development led to another.

Hope some of that helps, I'll try take pictures of the pages in this guide that are on that question, as there's a mock mark scheme in here too...

Reply 16

MikeyLord

Also past questions just for reference on here (from http://musictechstudent.co.uk)

•

Describe how advancing technology over the last 20 years has changed the way we approach multi-track recording. (2009 Sample)

•

The digital sampler has transformed the sonic palette available to musicians and producers by allowing any sound to be incorporated into a recording with accurate control. Describe what a sampler is and how sampling technology has developed from the 1980s to the present day. You should refer to technical specifications of sampling equipment in your answer. (2010)

•

Without the invention of the electric guitar, rock music would probably not exist as we recognise it. Describe the features found on an electric guitar and give a technical explanation of how an electric guitar works. (2010)

•

Reverberation has been used to enhance music since the birth of recording. Describe the different techniques and technologies that have been used to apply reverberation to recordings from the 1920s to the present day.(2011)

•

Microphones have been used since the late 1800s to record sound. Describe what a microphone does. Explain how a dynamic microphone and a condenser microphone function and identify the benefits of each type. (2011)

•

Distortion is used on the electric guitar to modify the tone and increase sustain. Explain what distortion is. Describe the various ways that distortion has been added to the electric guitar from the 1950s to the present day.(2012)

•

On the insert provided, the picture shows a tape delay processor from the 1970s that is used to create echo effects. Many of the controls are similar to those of a software delay plug-in. Describe how a tape delay works and explain the function of the controls seen in the picture. Identify the benefits of using a software delay plug-in rather than 1970s tape technology. (2012)

•

Explain how vinyl records and cassette tapes are used to store and play back music and describe the problems that the consumer would encounter with them. Identify the benefits of audio CDs compared to these earlier formats. (2013)

•

On the insert provided the picture shows an audio interface. Explain the technical features and specifications that can be seen in the picture. (2013)

Reply 17