Tonmeister: Admissions FAQs

We require a good level of knowledge and understanding in Music, Maths and Physics, to approximately A-level standard. This is so that we can be sure that you hold sufficient background knowledge to succeed on the course. Most successful applicants will have A-levels in Maths, Physics, and either Music or Music Technology (A-level or BTEC) together with ABRSM Music Theory grade 5. Our entry requirements can be found on the main university website, including direct equivalents to A-Levels, where they exist. However, the most important thing is that you have the relevant knowledge and understanding, and the questions below have more information about this (particularly Section C).

You should use your personal statement to convince us to invite you to interview. Show us that you are passionate about the art and science of music production or audio engineering, giving examples from your past experience where you can. If you do not hold the A-levels or direct equivalent qualifications set out above, then it is really important that you use your personal statement to convince us that you have equivalent knowledge to A-level for any subject(s) where you do not have evidence from your qualifications. If this is the case, you will usually be asked to take one or more tests and/or audition as part of the interview process (see below). Don't forget to enter ABSRM or equivalent qualifications into your UCAS form, as well as your main academic qualifications.

No - we are aware that people have varied opportunities to get involved in sound recording before they apply. There are lots of ways that you can demonstrate your passion for the art and science of music production or audio engineering though: if you have performed, composed, made any recordings, built or modified or mended equipment, read about audio, or even just listened critically to recorded music, then this can help. Sound recording experience need not involve working in a recording studio or owning any of your own equipment, although we wouldn't mind hearing about that; just as valuable could be your project work as part of your studies, experience gained while volunteering, and so on.

If you are planning a career in recording, editing or producing music, then a musical background is essential. From the basics of being able to read scores and understand musical terms, through being able to arrange and orchestrate for a range of instruments, to highly developed listening skills such as being able to spot errors in musical performance are all useful. A high level of competence in all these areas will improve the way in which recording sessions run, and will give you a great deal of flexibility in the roles that you can undertake.

Even if you do not wish to go into an operational role, a musical background is useful if you wish to develop or support tools for musicians and engineers, as experience of the musical process will help you to understand how the equipment may be used.

You will be given an opportunity to develop these skills as part of the Tonmeister course, but the music modules assume that you have a basic musical background — in other words a good theoretical knowledge and understanding of music.

A list of relevant topics from A-Level music can be found in C5 below.

Everything to do with recording and reproducing sound is based on principles of physics, from the production of sound, through the design and use of equipment, to the methods used to store the audio information. To position your microphones in the optimum place you need to understand how musical instruments radiate sound, how sound propagates, and how sound waves interfere with each other. To select the optimum microphone for each situation you need to understand how microphones work, how they convert sound to electricity, and how the different design parameters affect the recorded sound. To get the most out of analogue signal processing and find faults in equipment you need to understand how electronic circuits work and what each component does. To get the most out of your monitoring system (the loudspeakers and room) you need to understand how loudspeakers turn electricity into sound, how the different design parameters affect the reproduced sound, how the loudspeaker is acoustically coupled with the room, and how various acoustical treatments work. All of these factors are covered as part of the course, and all are based on fundamental physical principles that you will need to understand to make sense of it all.

A number of the core academic modules on the Tonmeister course (e.g. Acoustics, Electronics, Electroacoustics) take A-level Physics as their starting point, and so a student without that level of knowledge would be struggling right from the start.

A list of relevant topics from A-Level physics can be found in C4 below.

Firstly, a good understanding of mathematics is important to be able to make practical use of the physical principles mentioned above. In addition, there are a number of other cases in which maths is important. In order to make the most out of digital audio you need to understand the effect of sample rates, wordlengths and dither. In order to specify a computer for digital recording and editing you need to understand the specifications of components and how they relate to audio. In order to make the most of digital signal processing (DSP) you need to understand how the algorithms work and what processor load it may entail. In order to decode and interpret digital formats such as MIDI, you need to understand binary and hexadecimal numbers. All of these topics are covered as part of the course, and you will need a good understanding of mathematics to be able to cope with them.

A list of relevant topics from A-Level maths can be found in C3 below.

If you change your A-level topics to Maths, Physics and Music, this can help your chances of successfully gaining a place on the course, but I'm sorry to say that we can't guarantee that you will definitely be successful. However, we have students currently on the course that didn't study one or more of Maths, Physics or Music/Music Technology A-levels, and managed to independently learn the relevant topics to the required level (via books, tutors, friends, the internet or other). If you apply and your are not taking A-levels and direct equivalents then we will give you tests in the relevant topics to evaluate your current knowledge and understanding.

It would definitely be worth your while applying, yes, because we are interested in non-academic as well as academic qualities and have, in the past, offered places to applicants who don't quite make the grade exam-wise but who perhaps have other factors in their favour. If you are a mature student and have been working in a relevant field then there is a good chance that you will have improved your knowledge of relevant areas since A-level anyway. You would still need a reasonable academic ability in Maths, Music and Physics though, in order to be able to cope with the 1st Year modules on the Tonmeister course, and so you should check C2 before applying. Your age, in itself, will not affect our consideration of your application.

Whilst there is a lot of competition for places on the course, we don't get that many applications. To give you an idea, we usually get around 120–150 applications, of which we interview around 80, from which we give around 40 offers for 29 places. In terms of the raw number of applications to places, this is lower than subjects such as Law and Psychology at the University of Surrey. However, due to the uniqueness and reputation of the Tonmeister course, most of the applicants really want to come here, so the conversion rate (offers to firm acceptances) is very high. The bottom line is, to have a chance you should apply, and your personal statement and interview to convince us how brilliant you are.

We'd love to meet you and show you around! This is normally only possible on Open Days, though. Please refer to the main Surrey page for details. In addition, we interview all promising candidates and each interview day includes a tour and a chance to talk with staff and students.

Unfortunately, for various reasons, it has never been possible for students to enter the Tonmeister course at any point other than the first year.

We have no strong feelings either way. There are benefits and disadvantages to taking a gap year before university and it's never easy to predict which will be the most significant. Some post-gap students have increased maturity and motivation; others have forgotten much of their A-level knowledge and take a while to adjust back to to academic study. The personality of the individual and the manner in which the gap year is spent both help to determine the outcome. We apply the same selection criteria to applicants for deferred entry as we do to those for current-year entry. In terms of your chances of being offered a place, there's really nothing in it. You must, however, specify at the time of your application which year you are applying for; once we have made an offer it is very difficult to change that offer to another year of entry. Note that the UCAS system requires that you have met the conditions of any offer we make by the end of August in the year we make the offer, regardless of whether your intended entry point is that year or the following one.

If you study on the Tonmeister course, then everything that you need to succeed is provided. Our world-class facilities are generally available to book 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The library is also accessible 24 hours a day.

Yes! We don't usually take into account your predicted grades when deciding whether to invite you for an interview, and you might surprise yourself when you complete your qualifications. Any offer will usually be for AAA (or equivalent); however if you do not achieve this (but are close) then your performance at interview may be sufficient to secure you a place on the course. Certain Scholarships and Bursaries, including the In2Surrey scheme, also include a grade reduction.

The University offers some Scholarships and Bursaries, which we would encourage you to apply for if you are eligible. These include the In2Surrey scheme, which supports eligible students to achieve their goal of studying at the University of Surrey, regardless of their background or personal circumstances. Currently we do not offer any departmental scholarships.

We are also pleased that AIR Studios sponsor a diversity scholarship.

Other schemes that may be of interest include those offered by the Universal Music UK Sound Foundation.

Either A-level or BTEC Music Technology; or ABRSM Music Theory Grade 5 on their own are not suitable as a direct replacements. BUT the two together—Music Technology A-level or BTEC; and Music Theory Grade 5—are acceptable as a direct replacement for A-level Music, and we can make offers subject to results in the two of these. If you do not hold Grade 5 Music Theory at the time of application but are due to take it before starting on the course, please add this via UCAS and mention it in your personal statement.

Our entry requirements are set so that we can be confident that our students will be able to cope with all elements of the course. However, if it is not possible for you to study the actual A-Level in Music or Music Technology, but you feel that you have equivalent knowledge, we will still be happy to receive your application. In your personal statement, you should explain why you did not study the A-Levels that we usually require, and aim to convince us that you have equivalent knowledge, such that we invite you for interview. Any evidence to support your claims around musical ability (ABSRM performance grades, music theory Grade 5+, etc.) would be helpful. On the interview day, we would require you to take a short music test, based on the A-level examination in that subject, in addition to the music test that all interviewees take (D5). Details of the relevant topics and example tests can be found in C2 to C5.

No (except for pre-2001 Physics), since there are essential elements of each A-level which are not covered by the AS specification. However, it is the relevant knowledge that is important rather than the qualification, so it may be possible for you to take relevant AS-levels and independently learn the relevant material from A2. If you do this, you need to make it clear on the personal statement of the UCAS application and if we invite you to interview we will give you tests to evaluate your knowledge and understanding.

Yes, you can certainly still apply, but your success will depend, in part, on your theoretical knowledge of Maths, Physics & Music. Knowledge of the relevant aspects of all three, to a good A-level standard, is required and none of the above, on its own, is likely to give you this. In order to get an interview you will have to convince us on your application form that, from some combination of your course / experience / private study, there's a good chance that you have this knowledge. In order to be considered for a place you will have to convince us at interview that you really do. Interviewees not offering Mathematics and Physics qualifications which we recognise as being completely equivalent to UK A-levels will normally be asked to take a short test, based on A-level examinations in these subjects, on the same day as their interview. All interviewees take a short Music test.

In terms of helping at your interview, if you are called for one, A-levels in Music Technology or Electronics (in addition to Maths, Physics and Music) would help: as part of the Music Technology course you would be making recordings about which you could talk in your interview; studying Electronics may help you to talk about sound recording equipment from an electronic point of view. In terms of helping you once you're on the Tonmeister course, Electronics or Further Mathematics may make some topics in one or two of our first year modules slightly easier for you. If you want to do an additional A-level then my best advice would be for you to do whichever one interests you the most.

Unfortunately, due to time constraints and the huge number of qualifications available worldwide, we are unable to give specific replies to individual enquiries of this nature. My advice to a potential applicant offering alternative qualifications/experience would be to look at the subject areas that we require knowledge of (questions C3 to C5 below) and decide for yourself whether or not you have covered or will cover the relevant material. We do consider each application carefully in conjunction with the detailed qualifications guidelines provided to us by UCAS but interviewees not offering qualifications which we are able to confirm as being completely equivalent to UK A-levels will normally be asked to take one or more short tests, based on A-level examinations in Mathematics and Physics or on the ABRSM Grade 5 examination in the Theory of Music, on the same day as their interview. As above, please use your personal statement to explain how you have equivalent knowledge to A-Levels.

The A-level examining boards have example and past A-level exam papers on their websites: e.g. AQA, OCR, EDEXCEL. By attempting the relevant sections of these papers, hopefully you will be able to get a good idea of whether you do have the relevant knowledge and understanding. Also, there are a range of A-level tutor books that will help you learn the topics and give you a good idea of the type of questions that may be asked and the associated answers.

To further help you assess your understanding, we have also prepared three sample tests (links below) in music, maths, and physics. Note that you should consider these tests as indicative of the types of questions you might get asked at interview, rather than a comprehensive disclosure of all of the relevant topics (i.e. you should make sure that you are well prepared on the subject, rather than study just enough to pass these sample tests).

• Sample maths test.
• Sample music test.
• Sample physics test.

Essentially, all of the pure parts, eg. sequences & series, polynomials, algebra & functions, logarithms & exponentials, calculus, trigonometry, quadratic equations, indices, curve sketching. Less important are statistics and mechanics. See the sample test in question C2 above for example questions on some of these topics.

These are principally force, acceleration, velocity, elasticity, electric fields, resistance, capacitance, magnetic fields & electro-magnetic induction, ohms law & power, currents in circuits, basic wave motion & properties, SHM, oscillation & resonance. Less relevant are optics, materials, quantum mechanics, gravitation, astrophysics, nuclear physics, fluid dynamics, and thermodynamics. See the sample test in question C2 above for example questions on some of these topics.

These are principally classical music history, harmony, analysis and aural skills. Some compositional skills would also be useful. Musical theory proficiency equivalent to at least ABRSM Grade 5 Music Theory is essential. See the sample test in question C2 above for example questions on some of these topics.

We do not mind at all whether all of your qualifications were achieved at the same sitting or spread over two or three years. We have, on a number of occasions, given places to applicants who have taken an extra year or two to repeat A-levels or to study new ones which they did not take the first time round. Please also remember that it's the knowledge and understanding that is essential, not the qualifications themselves, so if you can independently learn the relevant topics (as listed in questions C3 to C5 above) then please apply and mention in your personal statement that you have learnt or are learning these topics, and we'll give you tests in the relevant subject to allow you to demonstate this.

The interview is a very important part of our recruitment process. Our main aim is to understand whether we feel that you would be a good fit for the course - in terms of your motivation to study here, your background knowlege, and your career aims. Just as importantly, it is an opportunity for you to find out about us, and whether you feel that we are the right course to support your future career in music or audio.

The morning session usually involves an introductory talk, followed by a music test and sound recording test (see below for more information). Then, our current students will show you around campus and take you for lunch. If you have been invited to audition, this will take place after lunch. Interviews with sound recording staff, together with any additional tests, take place during the afternoon. There are opportunities to ask questions throughout the day. A detailed schedule will be made available to you ahead of your interview.

Usually on Wednesdays in February and March.

It's highly beneficial for you to travel here for an interview day if at all possible, as you can find out much more about the University of Surrey and what it's like to study here. If travel costs are an issue, please consider applying for a travel bursary . If you're still not able to attend, please let us know by replying to the email inviting you to interview, and we'll see if we can arrange an online alternative.

The test will last about 20 to 30 minutes and will help us to evaluate:

• your ability to notate music: notate a 4-bar melody which will be played to you (first bar already notated for you);
• your repertoire and analysis skills: comment on three short extracts of recorded western music in terms of style, period, instrumentation, compositional techniques, etc.; and
• your harmony skills: either harmonise a short melody, identify harmonic features in a short score extract or realise a chord progression in standard notation.

The test will last about 20 to 30 minutes and will help us to understand your prior knowledge of music technology and sound recording. Note that this isn't mared as such, but used to determine your current knowledge and understanding, and as a prompt for questions in the interview.

It is our policy to not listen to any recordings as part of the admissions process. If you are called to interview, however, then we may well be interested to hear you talk about what you have recorded, how you recorded it, and what you learned from the experience.

These tests are only for candidates who do not have a Maths / Physics / Music qualification (passed or pending) which we believe to be equivalent to a good UK A-level pass in that subject (see other FAQ answers about Entrance Requirements). Each test will last about 30 minutes and will use questions relevant to FAQ answers in the Entrance Requirements section, which have been adapted from past and example UK A-level examination papers.

We're looking for people with the right knowledge and understanding, and people who have 'engineering' minds (ie. who like to creatively apply their understanding of scientific theory in new situations and who are interested in how things work as well as in using them) and who have sufficient motivation and enthusiasm (for music and sound recording, theory and practice) to succeed on the course. Anything that you can do to demonstrate to us that you fit this description will help. No experience is necessary but if you have performed, composed, made any recordings, built or modified or mended equipment, read about audio, or even just listened critically to recorded music, then, provided you can talk about it intelligently, this can all help to demonstrate your interest. To prepare for the interview, just have a think about whether or not the above description sounds like you: this is what we'll be trying to find out.

We must stress, though, that the first thing we always consider when processing a new application to the course, is "Will this person have the prerequisite knowledge in order to be able to cope with all of their first-year modules?". This means that the most important thing for you to do is to ensure that you have a good knowledge and understanding of Maths, Music and Physics. After that, all of the other information and advice we can offer is in this document…

We review applications and send invitations to interview on a rolling basis from October to January. All our application communications are sent via email so please check yours regularly, including your junk folders. If you think that you might have missed an email from us, please contact the admissions tutor via admissions@iosr.uk.

We make offers after we have interviewed all candidates, usually by the end of March. Unless you have completed your qualifications already, you will receive a conditional offer.

You should indicate to us whether you wish to accept the offer via UCAS, paying attention to the relevant deadlines.

Congratulations - you're in! We'll be in touch to let you know about arrangements for starting your degree and moving to Surrey.

You should check the status of your application via UCAS. We may still offer you a place, depending on the number of spaces, based on everything we know about you (not just your academic results but: any other qualifications, skills and experience; your performance at interview; and any other extenuating personal circumstances).

Yes, this is quite common and many applicants have entered the course on the 2nd attempt. We believe that the record is an applicant entering the course on the 3rd attempt. You may wish to resit A-Levels and/or to continue developing your background knowledge, to try to improve your prospects.