In recent years, there have been some significant developments in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). While it has not yet reached the levels we sometimes see in science fiction movies, or even saw in movies a decade ago when producers attempted to predict the world of today, it is safe to say at the moment that we are getting close to that reality. Much so that artificial intelligence is being considered as a possible tool that will do work that has never been thought possible before.
One of those types of work that might become AI-driven is music production, particularly in electronic music. And already, it is causing both excitement and concern among music professionals and artists in the industry alike.
What contribution will AI bring to electronic music? Will such contribution be groundbreaking enough to transform the industry?
To answer this question, one has to look at the emerging technologies in electronic music brought about by artificial intelligence. Here are a few innovations that have been introduced so far:
IBM engineer Janani Mukundan calls it a âcreative assistantâ. It listens to existing music and scans social media chatter to find trends that could influence new work. Alex Da Kid used this technology to write âNot Easy,â which peaked at No. 48 on Billboardâs Rock Airplay chart in 2016.
It is a tool that can tweak an existing style, then adapt it to a new composition. It derives from a vast melody and harmony database of the Sony laboratory and has helped in the composition of “Daddyâs Car,â a song made in the style of The Beatles, which managed to get a million YouTube views.
It is an AI system that composes original music and adapts existing songs to a userâs specifications. Like Instagram, Jukedeck âdemocratizes creation,â says co-founder Patrick Stobbs.
It has to be noted that despite the advances in AI technology in recent years, there is still a long way to go for AI to truly revolutionize music production. At this point, the future of AI still truly remains to be determined.
Still, we can begin to speculate as to what artificial intelligence might become while the excitement and concern over AI in music becomes more and more palpable in the industry. Some contend, however, that AI will not completely dominate music anytime soon as music is still driven by the one key element that makes music the true art that it is: the artist behind it.
Such contenders, which we are a part of, acknowledge the human element of music and recognize that music is a form of expression and that it is that very same human element that attract people to listen to music. All, or at least almost all, music is unique as it’s shaped by the personality, experiences, thoughts and dreams of the artist and their artistic talent.
Still, there is no doubt that artificial intelligence will play a more significant role in the future of music production in general, especially in electronic music. How much of an impact it will make is something that remains to be seen but one thing is for sure though, it will be interesting to see how far AI will reach in the electronic music industry.
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