We Are
Driven By sound
are you?

We Are
Driven By sound
are you?

We Are
Driven By sound
are you?

We Are
Driven By sound
are you?

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We are
driven by sound.
Are you?

Professional degrees and industry training
in music, sound and game. Est. 1998

Next Open Day: 18th January

Our Courses

Undergraduate

The dBs Institute

Our Story

We are more than just an educational institution.
We are nurturing a powerful wave of creative professionals, driven by their passion and skills, who are set to make a meaningful impact on the world.

Explore the dBs story
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Campuses

Bristol

As a centre for UK creativity, where's better than Bristol to study your creative industry degree?

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Bris
Manchester

Located in the famous Northern Quarter, dBs Manchester places you at the heart of one of the UK’s most culturally rich cities.

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MCR
Plymouth

Plymouth is where dBs began and, with a rapidly growing music scene, it’s the perfect place for students to develop as music pros.

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PLYM
Online

Get degree-level training from anywhere in the world with dBs Online.

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Facilities

State-of-the-art facilities, expertly designed spaces, limitless possibilities: welcome to the ultimate creative environment.

  • Recording studios

    Each of our campuses is equipped with multiple cutting-edge recording studio spaces. From intimate to expansive, we’ve designed each studio to meet the demands of the modern producer / engineer and provide you with a learning environment that mirrors what you will find in the audio industry, with professional-grade hardware from the likes of API, Neve, SSL, Audient and Trident.

  • Live rooms and microphones

    Whether it’s an intimate vocal, frenetic 3-piece band or epic string ensemble, our live rooms are equipped for any project. Complemented by fixed and moveable acoustic baffles and our vast selection of microphones including Neumann, Shure, AKG, Coles, Røde, Sennheiser and Sontronics, you’ll have complete flexibility in how you capture your ideas

  • Production suites

    Bristol & Manchester

    Offering the perfect space for you to focus on creating ideas for your future tracks, our production suites are kitted out with a Mac Mini, speakers, hardware effects and pre-patched instruments, allowing you to spend more time generating ideas and less on setup.

  • DJ suites

    Plymouth

    When it comes to assembling the perfect set, you can’t go wrong with the DJ suites. Complete with Pioneer CDJs, Technics turntables and Allen & Heath mixers, you can craft and hone your mix before taking it to the stage.

  • iMac suites

    Utilising high-powered iMac computers, you’ll learn using the latest versions of Ableton Live and Logic Pro X, as well as a suite of plugins from the likes of Native Instruments, iZotope and FabFilter, where you can develop, mix and finalise your productions. These spaces are complemented with audio interfaces from Native Instruments and Focusrite and a range of MIDI keyboard controllers.

  • Specialist spaces

    Our specialist spaces include a spatial audio room with an 8.1 speaker array that delivers 360° sound and allows you to create innovative performances and audio-visual works; Dolby Atmos production suites for immersive post-production and purpose-built venue spaces for our Live Sound students to learn and develop their skills. There’s no shortage of space at dBs Institute to push your creative boundaries and master your niche.

  • Gaming suites

    Bristol & Manchester

    Whether it’s designing characters, creating concept art or level design, you’ll create work using high-end, custom-built gaming PCs, equipped with top-of-the-range graphics cards and CPU, mechanical keyboards, plus enough RAM to be as ambitious as you want with the scale of your projects.

  • Game development
    hardware and software

    Bristol & Manchester

    On those gaming PCs, you’ll find an array of software at your fingertips including Unreal Engine 5, Unity, Autodesk Maya, Adobe Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Premiere and Substance 3D), sideFX Houdini and Blender. This is complemented by game audio middlewares Wwise and FMOD. You’ll be able to create realistic animations using our Perception Neuron 3 motion capture system and explore the possibilities of mixed-reality using our range of VR and AR headsets.

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NSS Results 2024

Each year, our graduating students get a chance to voice their honest feedback about their time at dBs Institute through the National Student Survey(NSS). Here are some of the standout highlights from the 2024 results.

  • 90%
    of students at dBs Institute were positive about the teaching on their course
  • 90%
    of students at dBs Institute were positive about the assessment and feedback on their course
  • 93%
    of students at dBs Institute were positive about the academic support on their course
  • 88%
    of students at dBs Institute were positive about the learning opportunities on their course
  • 86%
    of students at dBs Institute felt their voice was valued and heard on their course
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Partners

Our extensive range of partnerships means that you have unparalleled access to cutting-edge equipment, professional opportunities and industry insights through our guest lecture programme.

Solid State Logic logoAbleton logoAMS Neve Logo
d&b audiotechnik logoAvid Logo