Francesco Accolla is a MSc Sound Design graduate that completed the course through distance learning. The synthesis system he created during the course, PhonoSphere, has grown to being performed in concert in Switzerland.
Whether your background is in music, audio production, games or another creative discipline, the course gives you the opportunity to build your own direction rather than simply learn a set of tools.
I came to the MSc after a long professional career as a composer, writing concert music, theatre music, film and television scores. I felt it was the right time to challenge myself in a new field. My education included studies in composition in Italy and the United States, and throughout my career I have remained interested in the relationship between music, technology and artistic experimentation. By the time I enrolled at Edinburgh Napier, I wasn't looking to change careers, I wanted to expand my creative practice through sound design and contemporary research.
Come with curiosity and an open mind. The programme isn't simply about learning new tools, it encourages you to rethink how you listen, create and reflect on your own practice.
The most rewarding aspect of the course was developing an original artistic project while being encouraged to question and refine every creative decision. My final project, PhonoSphere, combined piano, live electronics, modular synthesis and spoken text in a hybrid performance environment. It culminated in a public performance and formed the basis of my dissertation, where I developed Sonic Gravity, a conceptual framework for understanding how behavioural relationships can be intentionally organised within hybrid electroacoustic systems.
The development and public performance of PhonoSphere became the defining experience of my time at Edinburgh Napier. The opportunity to engage directly with performers and audiences had a lasting influence on both my studies and my creative practice.
Watch Francesco's project performed in Switzerland
PhonoSphere is a hybrid performance work for piano and live electronics that brings together acoustic performance, modular synthesis, generative processes and spoken text. His project was created during his time on the MSc Sound Design course in 2026.
"The support from the teaching staff, together with the guidance and constructive feedback from my supervisors, helped transform an initial artistic intuition into a coherent practice-based research project."