Scoring Technology

Andreas Bjørck

Authored by Andreas Bjørck

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Course Code: OCWPR-300

Master the music technology behind modern film scoring. In this undergraduate course, you’ll build professional scoring workflows using DAWs, virtual instruments, orchestral mockups, scoring-to-picture techniques, hybrid orchestration, and mixing tools to produce polished media scores ready for professional delivery.

Level 3
Intermediate Plus
Modality
Online
Duration
12 Weeks
3-Credit Tuition
$1,575
Semester Starts
Sept 28 Sept 28
Accreditation
NECHE

Key Learning Outcomes

  • Build professional film scoring workflows using digital audio workstations (DAWs), virtual instruments, and industry-standard production tools
  • Create orchestral mockups and hybrid scores by combining sample libraries, MIDI performance, electronic textures, and acoustic orchestration
  • Compose, synchronize, and mix music to picture using professional scoring, editing, and audio production techniques
  • Prepare professional scoring deliverables—including notation files, stems, synced video, and session files—for recording sessions and post-production workflows
Overview Syllabus Requirements Instructors Related Music Career Roles
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Course Description

This course offers an in-depth exploration of cutting-edge technologies that power contemporary film scoring and media composition. You'll bridge foundational scoring techniques with advanced technological tools used by today's dynamic media composers.

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You will gain hands-on experience with industry-standard digital audio workstations (DAWs), virtual instruments, and scoring-to-picture workflows. Through practical projects, you'll create simple orchestral mockups, develop essential mixing and production skills in your DAW, transfer projects between DAWs and notation software in preparation for scoring sessions, and integrate electronic and acoustic elements into a hybrid score.

You will develop fluency in key software applications, expand your technical vocabulary, and cultivate problem-solving strategies critical for real-world scoring scenarios. The course also includes insights into emerging trends and innovations shaping the future of music technology for visual media.

By the end of the course, you will possess a robust technical skill set and creative toolkit that prepares you for professional scoring opportunities and empowers you to adapt to the evolving demands of the media scoring industry.

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

  • Set up and operate a professional media scoring workflow using a digital audio workstation (DAW)
  • Prepare sessions for recording by exporting notation files, organizing MIDI, and managing DAW interchanges for live performance or studio production
  • Build and customize reusable scoring templates, and record and edit expressive MIDI performances using virtual instruments
  • Work confidently with sample libraries to create realistic orchestral mockups
  • Compose music in sync to picture using video integration, timecode, tempo/meter mapping, and cue markers
  • Apply creative effects and audio editing techniques—including distortion, delay, time-stretching, pitch-shifting, and pitch-correction—to shape expressive and polished cues
  • Apply mixing techniques—EQ, reverb, compression, automation, and overall balance—to shape and deliver music that supports the scene and meets industry standards
  • Mix music to picture using scene-aware strategies, dialogue-conscious balancing, and format-appropriate output for stereo and surround environments
  • Incorporate electronic textures, loops, programmed rhythmic elements, and creative sound processing techniques to develop a hybrid scoring approach
  • Prepare professionally formatted deliverables, including stems, synced video, and DAW session files, for submission to scoring mixers, music editors, and dub stages
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Syllabus

Lesson 1: Building the Modern Score: Inside the Composer's Studio

  • Technology and the Evolution of the Modern Score
  • The Modern Composer's Workspace
  • Core Technology: The DAW, Interfaces, Monitoring, and MIDI Controllers
  • Virtual Instruments and Orchestral Mockups
  • The Hybrid Score: Integrating Acoustic and Electronic Elements
  • Listening Lab: The Sound of the Hybrid Score
  • Assignment 1: Analyzing a Hybrid Score

Lesson 2: Template Toolkit and MIDI Mastery

  • Scoring Templates
  • Template Routing and Organization
  • Template Optimization
  • MIDI Basics
  • Digital Audio Basics: Sample Rate, Bit Depth, and File Formats
  • Assignment 2: Template Creation and Basic MIDI Sequencing

Lesson 3: Sample Libraries Demystified

  • Introduction to Virtual Instruments
  • Sample Library Fundamentals
  • Choosing the Right Tools for the Job
  • Operating and Customizing Virtual Instruments
  • Building a Versatile Sonic Palette
  • Assignment 3: Virtual Instrument Composition Project

Lesson 4: Mock It Up—Orchestral Mockups

  • What Is an Orchestral Mockup?
  • Building a Basic Orchestral Template
  • Orchestral Reverb
  • Dynamic Control in Orchestral Mockups
  • Programming the Orchestra
  • Tempo and Timing in Orchestral Sequencing
  • Assignment 4: Orchestral Mockup

Lesson 5: In Sync with the Scene

  • SMPTE Timecode
  • Importing and Managing Video in Your DAW
  • Spotting the Cue and Setting Markers
  • Tempo Mapping and Click Tracks
  • Alternative Video Management Workflows
  • Assignment 5: Scoring to Sync Points

Lesson 6: Beyond the Orchestra: Synths and Samplers

  • Expanding the Palette with Synths and Hybrid Textures
  • Synthesizer Basics for Composers (Subtractive Synthesis)
  • Using Samplers for Creative Sound Design
  • Layering Acoustic and Electronic Sounds
  • Beyond Subtractive: Advanced Synthesis Methods
  • Assignment 6: Creating Hybrid Scoring Sounds

Lesson 7: Music in Motion: Loops, Patterns, and Beats

  • The Role of Rhythmic Loops in Media Scoring
  • Working with Loops
  • Drum Programming Basics
  • Rhythmic Patterns with Pitched Sounds
  • Humanizing and Varying Rhythmic Elements
  • Assignment 7: Composing an Action-Style Cue with Loops and Beats

Lesson 8: Mix Tools: Reverb, EQ, Compression

  • The Composer's Role in Mixing
  • Reverb: Creating Depth and Space
  • EQ: Shaping the Frequency Spectrum
  • Compression: Dynamics and Control
  • Signal Flow and Workflow Considerations
  • Assignment 8: Mixing a Cue with Core Mix Tools

Lesson 9: Sculpting Sound: Creative Processing and Audio Editing

  • Distortion and Saturation in Media Scoring
  • Delay and Modulation Effects for Depth and Motion
  • Creative Editing and Transformation
  • Editing Live Recordings: Comping and Crossfading
  • Corrective Processing for Live Recordings
  • Assignment 9: Sculpting a Cue with Creative Processing

Lesson 10: In the Frame: Mixing to Picture

  • The Three Pillars of the Film Mix: Dialogue, Sound Effects, and Music
  • The Composer's Role in the Final Mix
  • Better Storytelling through Automation
  • Stereo vs. Surround Mixing for Media
  • Assignment 10: Mixing a Cue to Picture

Lesson 11: From Studio to Stage

  • Preparing MIDI for Notation
  • MIDI-to-Notation Workflows
  • DAW Interchange and Session Prep
  • Workflow Tools for Efficiency
  • Staying Current with Scoring Technology
  • Ethical Use of AI in Media Scoring
  • Assignment 11: Final Project (Part 1)

Lesson 12: The Final Export

  • Stems and Submixes
  • File Formats, Sync, and Delivery Standards
  • Loudness and Level Standards for Delivery
  • Mix Versions and Alternate Deliverables
  • Organizing Sessions for Handoff
  • Assignment 12: Final Project (Part 2)

Requirements

Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements 

Prerequisite Courses, Knowledge, and/or Skills
Completion of Film Scoring 101 or equivalent knowledge and experience is required.

Software

  • One of the following Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs):  
    • Logic Pro 11 or higher
    • Pro Tools Studio or Ultimate 2025 or later
    • Cubase Pro 14 or higher
  • Sample library covering the standard orchestral families, such as one of the following:
    • Orchestral Tools Berlin Orchestra Created with Berklee (recommended option)
    • Spitfire BBC Symphony Orchestra (Core edition or higher sufficient)
    • VSL Prime Edition
  • Subtractive synth, such as Retrologue 2 (included with Cubase), Retro Synth (included with Logic), Tal-Noisemaker (free), or Vital (free)
  •  Recommended: High-quality reverb, such as:
    • LiquidSonics Cinematic Rooms
    • LiquidSonics Seventh Heaven
    • ValhallaDSP Room
    • Altiverb
    • iZotope Equinox 
    • FabFilter Pro-R

Hardware

Important Technical/System Considerations

  • Your computer must be powerful enough to run large film scoring sessions smoothly, and should have:
    • At least 32 GB memory. 64 GB or more strongly recommended.
    • A recent Apple M-series Pro, Intel Core Ultra 7, AMD Ryzen 7, or better processor.
    • NVME M.2 SSD primary internal drive (or Apple Silicon)
  • It is recommended that students store sample library content in a secondary internal or external SSD with 1 GB/s or higher read rates.

Student Deals
After enrolling, be sure to check out our Student Deals page for various offers on software, hardware, and more. Please contact support@online.berklee.edu with any questions.

General Course Requirements

Below are the minimum requirements to access the course environment and participate in Live Classes. Please make sure to also check the Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements section above, and ensure your computer meets or exceeds the minimum system requirements for all software needed for your course. 

Mac Users

  • macOS Monterey 12.0 or later

PC Users

All Users

  • Latest version of Google Chrome
  • Zoom meeting software
  • Webcam
  • Speakers or headphones
  • External or internal microphone
  • Broadband Internet connection

Instructors

Andreas Bjørck
Andreas Bjørck

Author & Instructor

Originally hailing from Norway, Andreas Bjørck is a US-based composer, producer and remix artist. As a composer, Andreas has specialized in scoring documentaries for film and television. He has also scored a wide variety of short films, commercials, promos, and corporate videos. His most recent work includes the score to FEMMEfille, a feature length documentary by acclaimed director Kiki Allgeier, the PBS/NOVA documentary special, Hunting The Elements, and the PBS documentary, The Gene Doctors. Andreas is a graduate of Berklee College of Music, with a degree in Film Scoring and Electronic Production and Design. He is a former staff composer, sound designer and engineer at Verité Music, the premier commercial music house in Boston.

What's Next?

When taken for credit, Scoring Technology can be applied towards the completion of these related programs:

Related Certificate Programs

Related Music Career Roles

Employers look for skills learned in this course, when hiring for the following music career roles:

Assistant to the Composer

Composer (Film)

Composer (Television)

Composer (Video Games)

Copyist (Film, TV, and Video Games)

Freelance Composer

Synth Programmer
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