AI Music Generation

[Fiery Winds]

How does everyone feel about AI music generation? I've been messing around with it and while it's still rough around the edges, it's only going to get better at imitating "real" music.

Whether it crosses the boundary from remixing into actually creating something new remains to be seen, but I don't doubt we'll see it used in a variety of areas, depending on how the legalities play out.

For those who aren't familiar, here's two tracks using the lyrics from Learning to Live. The first one is heavier and more energetic, and the second is much more of a ballad with female vocals:

https://suno.com/song/039bea98-cc6b-4358-a46f-d92958a782ca

https://suno.com/song/eb282cfe-9e3d-4bec-b7b6-66f00492a512

This track starts with a 15 second clip that I made years back, and prompted it to turn it into a "progressive, guitar, melodic" track, which ended up using that theme for the chorus:

https://suno.com/song/56c7a4db-2ed9-4451-ba18-4f753fe805c6

[Dream Team]

I wish AI would die because AI creations are infiltrating the market everywhere and taking the place of authentic artistic creations by actual humans. 

[SoundscapeMN]

I find this rather creepy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkBO9I3yFbU

[Bolsters]

I've messed around with Suno and Udio a few times in the last couple of weeks. It's definitely concerning how capable they are of making something listenable already, even if 99% of what they do feels rote. I find that it's easier to get Suno to just spit out something decent and the production quality is a lot higher, but if you take the time to play with Udio it seems more capable of eventually doing something unexpected. I think once these music AIs get to the point where you can interact with it back-and-forth like ChatGPT and we're able to specifically tell it what you want it to change in an already generated clip, the general quality of the output will increase dramatically, and there will be a lot of people making music solely using AI. If you look through the top stuff on Udio it's already quite powerful if you know how to manipulate it and roll the dice enough times on it.

Also the RIAA has already begun litigation claiming copyright infringement on both of these music AI startups.

[Puppies_On_Acid]

I wish AI would die because AI creations are infiltrating the market everywhere and taking the place of authentic artistic creations by actual humans. 

That's kind of an absolute way of looking at it. Yes, people do use AI in this way, but it's not the intended purpose or the way it's used by most. It's a tool just like any other tool out there and can be misused just like any other tool.

[Fiery Winds]

I wish AI would die because AI creations are infiltrating the market everywhere and taking the place of authentic artistic creations by actual humans. 

Certainly a valid point of view, and one that I sympathize with. I would hate to see human artistic expression diminished by AI, and I expect debates on how to define the line between AI as a tool, like any other modern audio technology, and something else entirely.

I find this rather creepy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkBO9I3yFbU

Makes me wonder if in the future we could prompt AI to generate a Mangini-era DT album but with Mike Portnoy on the drums. Certainly doesn't seem impossible.

I've messed around with Suno and Udio a few times in the last couple of weeks. It's definitely concerning how capable they are of making something listenable already, even if 99% of what they do feels rote. I find that it's easier to get Suno to just spit out something decent and the production quality is a lot higher, but if you take the time to play with Udio it seems more capable of eventually doing something unexpected. I think once these music AIs get to the point where you can interact with it back-and-forth like ChatGPT and we're able to specifically tell it what you want it to change in an already generated clip, the general quality of the output will increase dramatically, and there will be a lot of people making music solely using AI. If you look through the top stuff on Udio it's already quite powerful if you know how to manipulate it and roll the dice enough times on it.

Agreed, lots of really cool stuff, but definitely takes a lot of trial and error. I also noticed Udio has much better vocal quality, while Suno is more like an AM radio.

Also the RIAA has already begun litigation claiming copyright infringement on both of these music AI startups.

The legal side of this will be interesting; yet another wrinkle in the massive problem that is regulating big tech.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

I'm worried about it, in various forums i've visited I often see posts of users that never played an instrument finding it very fun creating music so easy. That in itself isn't a problem but I do worry about the implication this might have in the future if this becomes a mainstream thing producing music. Especially for kids that already dosen't find it captiviting learning an instrument that takes alot of practice getting good at.
Of course as always with new tech, it's easy to picture doomsday scenarios.

The synth or the moog didn't kill music back in the day.

[WilliamMunny]

Yeah, as a lifelong musician and music fan, I see no value in this, and therefore, I am opting out.

This may be the future, and there may come a time when 90% of people are all too happy to listen to and make AI music, but I will happily sit on the sidelines.

More power to those who want to play with it or listen to it, though.

[Adami]

So I've been messing around with that Suno AI music generator.

Initially was just goofing around. Like a gangster rap song about my cat or something silly. It was fun. Music often was predictable but not bad and the vocals just sounded insanely autotuned.

But then I started seeing what happened if I put in lyrics to songs I wrote and described the music I put behind it in brief terms and it wasn't bad. Different, but not bad.

Anyway, all of this made me realize that this is a criticism I have of a lot of bands I actually like. As I'm listening to this AI music, it's clearly SUPER derivitave of other bands and songs, since that's how AI works. But this is also how many bands sound. When Kamelot or Amaranthe comes out with a new record, I'm realizing it sounds AI generated in the writing. As if someone typed in the lyrics and said "make it sound like Kamelot" or something and then they just went with it. Cause these AI songs sound a LOT like the way a lot of those bands continue to produce album after album of the same sounding stuff.

So yea. Not sure what my point is, other than we like to rail on AI music as being unoriginal and rippign off other artists, but seem to praise bands for not sounding at all different from AI because they just recycle their core sound over and over and over. It's interesting. I actually am pretty positive that if a band like Kamelot or Amaranthe or whomever actually wrote their new album via AI and just recorded it better, we'd never know.

[Puppies_On_Acid]

So I've been messing around with that Suno AI music generator.

Initially was just goofing around. Like a gangster rap song about my cat or something silly. It was fun. Music often was predictable but not bad and the vocals just sounded insanely autotuned.

But then I started seeing what happened if I put in lyrics to songs I wrote and described the music I put behind it in brief terms and it wasn't bad. Different, but not bad.

Anyway, all of this made me realize that this is a criticism I have of a lot of bands I actually like. As I'm listening to this AI music, it's clearly SUPER derivitave of other bands and songs, since that's how AI works. But this is also how many bands sound. When Kamelot or Amaranthe comes out with a new record, I'm realizing it sounds AI generated in the writing. As if someone typed in the lyrics and said "make it sound like Kamelot" or something and then they just went with it. Cause these AI songs sound a LOT like the way a lot of those bands continue to produce album after album of the same sounding stuff.

So yea. Not sure what my point is, other than we like to rail on AI music as being unoriginal and rippign off other artists, but seem to praise bands for not sounding at all different from AI because they just recycle their core sound over and over and over. It's interesting. I actually am pretty positive that if a band like Kamelot or Amaranthe or whomever actually wrote their new album via AI and just recorded it better, we'd never know.

Bingo!

I've seen some of the people baggin' on AI stuff for being unoriginal and bland sounding, then see what kind of music they listen to and all I can do is laugh at the irony.

[Zook]

@adami
I've been doing the same thing with my KrotchRaut lyrics and most of the results are pretty awesome. It's a lot of fun. I can't get it to do cookie monster Amputated gurgling, but I like the voices it uses.

[Fiery Winds]

So I've been messing around with that Suno AI music generator.

Initially was just goofing around. Like a gangster rap song about my cat or something silly. It was fun. Music often was predictable but not bad and the vocals just sounded insanely autotuned.

But then I started seeing what happened if I put in lyrics to songs I wrote and described the music I put behind it in brief terms and it wasn't bad. Different, but not bad.

Anyway, all of this made me realize that this is a criticism I have of a lot of bands I actually like. As I'm listening to this AI music, it's clearly SUPER derivitave of other bands and songs, since that's how AI works. But this is also how many bands sound. When Kamelot or Amaranthe comes out with a new record, I'm realizing it sounds AI generated in the writing. As if someone typed in the lyrics and said "make it sound like Kamelot" or something and then they just went with it. Cause these AI songs sound a LOT like the way a lot of those bands continue to produce album after album of the same sounding stuff.

So yea. Not sure what my point is, other than we like to rail on AI music as being unoriginal and rippign off other artists, but seem to praise bands for not sounding at all different from AI because they just recycle their core sound over and over and over. It's interesting. I actually am pretty positive that if a band like Kamelot or Amaranthe or whomever actually wrote their new album via AI and just recorded it better, we'd never know.

Interesting thoughts, I agree with the bolded.  I'm sure at some point in the near future you wouldn't even need to record it better, it'd just be fully formed or easily tweaked. Makes me wonder whether we'll really even have a choice whether we accept AI content at all.

If AI content can scratch the same biological itch, hook us with it's choruses, move us with its characters in a film, it's not like that's any different than the endless remakes or bands recycling their sound. It's not a rather optimistic outlook, but it does seem likely.

That said, I am curious (and doubtful, given the way the tech works) whether AI will be able to move beyond remixing and into the avante garde. From what little I've read about AI systems, that seemed to be key distinction made to separate the mere appearance of creativity with true creation.

[PowerSlave]

You guys might find these videos interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wuKZR0Pv-Q&t=531s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBsh18Uzf18

[jammindude]

So I've been messing around with that Suno AI music generator.

Initially was just goofing around. Like a gangster rap song about my cat or something silly. It was fun. Music often was predictable but not bad and the vocals just sounded insanely autotuned.

But then I started seeing what happened if I put in lyrics to songs I wrote and described the music I put behind it in brief terms and it wasn't bad. Different, but not bad.

Anyway, all of this made me realize that this is a criticism I have of a lot of bands I actually like. As I'm listening to this AI music, it's clearly SUPER derivitave of other bands and songs, since that's how AI works. But this is also how many bands sound. When Kamelot or Amaranthe comes out with a new record, I'm realizing it sounds AI generated in the writing. As if someone typed in the lyrics and said "make it sound like Kamelot" or something and then they just went with it. Cause these AI songs sound a LOT like the way a lot of those bands continue to produce album after album of the same sounding stuff.

So yea. Not sure what my point is, other than we like to rail on AI music as being unoriginal and rippign off other artists, but seem to praise bands for not sounding at all different from AI because they just recycle their core sound over and over and over. It's interesting. I actually am pretty positive that if a band like Kamelot or Amaranthe or whomever actually wrote their new album via AI and just recorded it better, we'd never know.

I've already hinted in another thread that KK's Priest almost feels like if AI generated a Judas Priest album.

[Adami]

I've already hinted in another thread that KK's Priest almost feels like if AI generated a Judas Priest album.

Haven't heard it, but it wouldn't surprise me. I imagine, because there's just soooo many musical options these days, that bands feel pretty scared about losing what fans they have and they are more inclined to give the what the most amount of fans want, resulting in sounding like AI genarated music since it's just a complilation of core ideas that have been long established already.