Sound Studies

The objectives of the core area of “((audio)) Aesthetic Strategies,” existing since 1997, are to convey methods and procedures of digital production in audio media and to critically reflect on and participate in the theoretical discourse on techno-cultural change. The focus is on questions related to changes in audio-aesthetic processes in digital media.

The core area ((audio)) assumes tasks in the fields of study “Digital Media / Computer-based Cultural Studies” and “Music and Audio Culture” and is responsible for the audioLab (Studio for Electronic Music and Postproduction) and audio services at the MIZ.

Our research and teaching activities focus on sound-aesthetic practices and their construction in terms of media and technology culture. On the one hand, various experimental and established methods of interaction with (especially digital) sound technologies play an essential role. These are examined in their historical, cultural and medial constitution, but also questioned about their critical potential. On the other hand, the way in which sound itself conveys knowledge, establishes orders of power, structures space and time, in short: how it can be experienced as a cultural practice, is also elementary for an understanding of sound studies that vehemently places feminist, intersectional, anti-racist and postcolonial perspectives on the agenda.

Are you working on your own music projects and in need of a suitable room? Are you looking for equipment like microphones, a piano, synthesizer or digital audio workstation (DAW)? Would you like to record a podcast but do not have the right set up?

The AudioLab can be found in Building 11 and is open to students who want to get creative with sound. The equipment ranges from a microphone and SSL preamp, 2 Nord synthesizers, an electric piano, DAWs such as Ableton Live and Reaper as well as analog effects to a fully-fledged podcast setup.

If you are interested, send us an e-mail and we will make an appointment for a studio introduction. We will show you how to use the equipment properly and how to schedule a time slot for the room.