Salvador Avila Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 (edit: minor spelling mistakes) Hi, I am thinking of aplying to this course next year (course starting in 2008 (sure seems like a long time away :( )). It seems like the perfect course for me. I was wondering if anyone has done this course or is doing it at the moment. I would love to know what it is like and what you like and dislike about it. Here is a link to the course on the Uni's Site Thank you very much, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scouse Dave Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 The Course Leader: Simon LewisBlue Room member: Simon LewisAll round good guy... You get the picture. I can not vouch for Simon's teaching ability or the quality of the curriculum - I simply have no experience of it. On the other hand, his brain seems to hold a lot of knowledge and his posts here are always on the button. I think there are some on the forum who have sat under his tutelage at one time or another, maybe they will chime in or PM you... Have you contacted the University? Dave M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SceneMaster Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 I have applied to start this course in September 2007 and have been looking at applying to it for the past two years. From everything I have seen of the university and Derby in general it seems a great place, right next to the Peak District which is great if you a keen walker/climber! The course seems perfect for me as well which helps. I have been told it is very engineering based going into electronics development in depth along with the lighting and sound side of it, which great as it combines two passions of mine! There are several members on the forum already on the course who I am sure will be willing to fill you in on more of the details. I second Scouse Dave’s comments about Simon Lewis, he is indeed very helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Pearce Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 The course is very science heavy. If you want to spend three years playing with kit look elsewhere, if you want to learn some very useful stuff and expand your knowledge then come to Derby. As of 2007 the course will be in a brand new campus, which will be good. I'm enjoying the course, but if you have lots of experience you may find the first semester slightly unchallenging. Having said that I have at no point felt patronised, and the course does acknowledge that people are coming from different backgrounds and have different experience levels. The lecturers: Simon Lewis - You won't see a huge amount of him in first year, but he's a top quality bloke and looks after the course well. I enjoy his lectures and find him to be very helpful. (Can you tell I did an exam for his module last week... :P ) Simon is also still well grounded in the real world, doing a fair amount of hire/install work aside from lecturing. Kit Lane - Has replaced Ken. Kit has just left Derby Playhouse, where he was responsible for video. (He has experience in most technical disciplines though) I have only had a few lectures with Kit, and one practical, but I knew Kit from the Playhouse as well. Another top notch bloke, who knows his stuff, and still knows what its like out in the industry Simon and Kit are the main lecturers, but also worth mention is Roy Parker. He lectures Live Performance Space, and his lectures and tutorials are great fun. Another quality bloke.There are quite a few other lecturers, who mainly deliver lectures to mixed groups. In the first year all the modules are taken, there are no options to choose. They are all worthwhile modules, even if it may not seem it 45 minutes into a lecture on differentiation... The 'boring' modules support later modules, so are necessary, and useful stuff to know. The course is well known of and locally there are many graduates working within the industry. Another plus side to the course is that being science based, it enables you to sidetrack away from working purely as a technician to working as a designer or similar, should you get bored of rigging parcans, or have an injury. As for the university, IMO it is not as good as the course is. The campus is out of town but the halls are in town, which isn't too bad, but can be a bit annoying at times. The uni has a bar on campus but nothing in town, so uni events held in the bar tend to be pretty empty. Some parts of the uni are well past their sell by date and are downright shabby. However by next year most of our time will be spent in the new campus, and a revamp is planned for the main campus. The uni seem to support the course well, with major spending on new kit and the the campus recently. The course has a good social element, and I have found the upper years of the course to be helpful and approachable guys. I hope you will be able to say the same of me if you do come to Derby.I should think some of the older students will be along with better formed opinions soon. Overall the course gets my thumbs up. (And so it should at £3000 a year... :( ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvador Avila Posted February 10, 2007 Author Share Posted February 10, 2007 Wow :( . I never expected the course to be so well known in the forums... From what was said It seems this course is ideal for me. I will probably be aplying in sometime in November/December this year. Thank you for all your replies, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 Salvador, It would not be appropriate for me to "push" the Sound, Light and Live Event Technology programme here on the Blue Room lest it be seen as advertising, so do use the Private Message facility to contact any of the Derby students who post here, or to discuss any queries with me. You are welcome to come to an open day and get a feel for the place and the people! Regards, Simon LewisProgramme LeaderSLLET Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 Not really got a lot useful to add without sounding like I am plugging but feel free to PM me if you want to ask a final year student their opinions (although of course I will have finished by the time you apply but still). Oh and Jon its good to know Roy is still highly regarded by the first years even though he only teaches one module! Evan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom R Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 ... and I have found the upper years of the course to be helpful and approachable guys. We aim to please :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Coker Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 Kit Lane - Has replaced Ken. I'll be back......so get your hair cut!! KC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 get your hair cut!!Battery Sergeant-Major Coker?! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonwest Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 This course is a great course if you wish to learn the science and methods surrounding live events. As previously mentioned, it is not a place where you get your hands on the midas xl8, or an EV xline array. HOWEVER, you will learn the fundamentals behind providing a professional, quality and KNOWLEDGEABLE service into the industry. You will be able to tailor your routes into being a systems designer right down to component level, right through to being a GOOD engineer present at large live events. In short, if you want to handle gear everyday, lug flight cases around and maybe break your back early, then this course is not for you. However, if somebody asks you, " the main dimmer packs stop working, and we have no spares, can you help" This course could provide you with the knowledge to get the show back up and running. Theres more to this industry than pushing faders out in the middle of the audience. Theres, Sales - installation - acoustic consultancy - design - servicing and much more. This course will give you the flexibility to change / edit your career to all the above, especially useful if you do 'hurt your back' :) Regards Simon West SLLET year 2 PS - Roys a cool dude, enjoy the trips with him and remember to ask him about 'mixing it' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvador Avila Posted February 13, 2007 Author Share Posted February 13, 2007 I have been PMed by a couple of people saying that this course is not my only option. I never said it was. I think that it is ideal for me, as I am interested in not only operation of equipment but also how it works. Their are other courses and universities to which I am thinking of applying to. I would like to thank everyone that replied. I know have a clear idea of what this course is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom R Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 If you are talking about certain courses I can think of...it may be worth checking their facilities out. Enough said... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Appleby Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Hello Hello, I finished the course in June last year... and I really can't recommend it enough. Have to agree with everything that's been said - be prepared to get your head round lots of electronics and maths-ie stuff in the first year, but you'll get more and more practical stuff in years 2 and 3, so it kind of balances out I reckon. But the content of the course covers alot of subjects... from electronics to auditoria design/acoustics to sound reinforcement systems to lighting design to DSP (I could go on...), but this can be tailored to suit what you want to concentrate on in years 2 and 3. As far as I'm aware it's reasonably well known locally and in the industry as being a good course, and gives grads good prospects... everyone who was on my year now has a full time job in the industry in some form. It's hard work, but worth it :) if I can get a first, anyone can! My 2p Dan (Simon and Ken: I get my £20 next time I'm in derby!) :D arf arf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wako_jacko Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 does the SLLET course have any industry accreditation and do you end up with any union membership at the end of it? - just wondering. w. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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