Is it too late for music?

[OneRoomStudio]

This song was entirely created by AI (including the lyrics, "vocals," instruments, the mix, etc.): https://app.suno.ai/song/9a7fd58e-132c-4ac5-9a25-f40d7f6f8c9f

It's not the best song ever made, but if you slipped this into a mix, I don't think I could pick it out as AI.

What's the point of all this recording gear if noboby's going to be recording music in the future?

 

[JohnRoberts]

I recall back in the 80s when I was living in Atlanta I met a GA tech student who programed a computer (it wasn't called AI back then), to mimic well known classical music composers.

JR

 

[living sounds]

This song was entirely created by AI (including the lyrics, "vocals," instruments, the mix, etc.): https://app.suno.ai/song/9a7fd58e-132c-4ac5-9a25-f40d7f6f8c9f

It's not the best song ever made, but if you slipped this into a mix, I don't think I could pick it out as AI.

Like all the AI generated content it is "off" in an uncanny way. But it's going to get better, obviously. Still, certain limitations may remain for a longer time.

What's the point of all this recording gear if noboby's going to be recording music in the future?

There's not much point in gear already, looking at how commercially successful music gets created these days...

 

[sahib]

What's the point of all this recording gear if noboby's going to be recording music in the future?

We don't know if nobody is going to be recoding music in the future. So, the likely answer to your question will be, a lot.

 

[Gold]

Music is an integral part of the human condition. It's not going anywhere. Someone at least has to plug a box into a wall for AI to work. It's remarkably hard to remove the humanity from music. Just look at the lifeless robotic stuff from the 1970's. It sounds organic compared to the lifeless robotic stuff of today.

 

[ruffrecords]

It is not just the song but the arrangement that is important. Just look how Joe Cocker transformed With A Little Help From My Friends. Can AI do that too?

Cheers

Ian

 

[scott2000]

Can AI do that too?

AI response:
Can you?

 

[OneRoomStudio]

All of these responses are valid of course, but it was only a few years ago that “Computer Generated Music” mostly consisted of programs spitting out MIDI. Now entire finished songs with phantom vocals can be produced in a matter of minutes. How long until it’s indistinguishable from “human-generated” music?

 

[Gold]

Now entire finished songs with phantom vocals can be produced in a matter of minutes. How long until it’s indistinguishable from “human-generated” music?

If I was a jingle composer I’d be worried if I sucked. If I was good it would allow me to take on a whole lot more work.

AI can’t invent stuff whole cloth. It’s not going to make the new sound that inspires generations of musicians to come.

 

[cyrano]

AI can "invent" things, even if that part isn't working perfectly yet. Some of it's inventions turn into hallucinations. Some might want to call them nightmares.

But some human inventions turned into nightmares too.

 

[living sounds]

How long until it’s indistinguishable from “human-generated” music?

That is indeed the question. Information technology often made leaps to 95%, but then the final 5% again took decades.

As of today AI generates somewhat naive and mostly a little "off" variations of existing stuff. It has no concept of the context, no introspection, no artistic process. It might take quite some time until AI is ready to generate something truly innovative. It might take a different approach (an element of randomness). Tim Palmer has some interesting ideas about how human creativity might work and how this could be implemented in an AI in his book "The Primacy of Doubt".

 

[JohnRoberts]

AI is just another tool...

JR

 

[ruffrecords]

AI response:
Can you?

Humans I know certainly can but I bet all current AI are unable to have an original thought or to be inspired.

Cheers

Ian

 

[scott2000]

Humans I know certainly can but I bet all current AI are unable to have an original thought or to be inspired.

Cheers

Ian

Can you .....it was from a scene in I Robot

 

[soliloqueen]

i had the ai write a pop punk song about itself
View attachment Ghost in the Machine.mp3

 

[soliloqueen]

even if ai output is equivalent to human art, is that why people do art? is art something that's made, or is it something that's done? i don't think the desire to do art will ever diminish just because an equivalent exists. it will fuck with the market for sure, but people will always want to do art and pay other people to do art.

 

[ruffrecords]

Can you .....it was from a scene in I Robot

Most certainly.

Cheers

Ian

 

[OneRoomStudio]

even if ai output is equivalent to human art, is that why people do art? is art something that's made, or is it something that's done? i don't think the desire to do art will ever diminish just because an equivalent exists. it will fuck with the market for sure, but people will always want to do art and pay other people to do art.

I think this is a good distinction. I didn't mean to say that this ai (or any other) would be able to create "art," in the sense of something that is the expression of one's 'soul.' I just meant that it can create music.

A lot of music, maybe the vast majority, is commercial in nature. It's used in commercials, corporate videos, ambience at gyms and dentists offices, etc, etc. The people who buy music for those purposes aren't really looking for art. They're looking for audible paint; perfume for the ears. They just want some sound to dress up what would otherwise be blank sonically. For those purposes, ai will almost certainly take over.

People will very likely continue to make music as an expression of art. The problem is, that kind of music mostly exists outside of the music 'industry,' and mostly doesn't make money. It certainly doesn't fund commercial recording studios. Hopefully enough people will want to continue to make art, even if there are no profits in it to justify all the audio equipment we have amassed.

 

[scott2000]

Hopefully enough people will want to continue to make art, even if there are no profits in it to justify all the audio equipment we have amassed.

I was at a music conference and I think it was Jimmy Douglas that said at the end of a seminar , now that you're armed with all this information, you guys can go out and make hundreds of dollars...It was pretty funny and I'm sure everyone knew what he was saying.
Shoot...we're supposed to be making art with this stuff?.. like a thread derailment...

 

[PermO]

i had the ai write a pop punk song about itself
View attachment 125817

I bet the AI was snorting cybercoke to get in the mood for that one