Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming many industries, including the music industry. When it comes to AI and music, musicians, singer-songwriters, and producers can use these new tools in a variety of ways. Some artists may be intimidated or overwhelmed by this new technology, wondering if it is even ethical to use AI when making music. Is AI replacing human creativity and thus replacing the need for musicians and songwriters? Like in any domain, AI has the power to streamline certain processes and make things easier. We believe that the world will always need music artists, who create from their heart and soul, and that AI can be used to enhance certain aspects of music production. Here is what you need to know about how to deal with artificial intelligence as an artist!
A/ How to use AI in music
AI has already been widely used in the music industry to enhance creativity, composition, performance, production, and even analysis. If you’re interested in using AI in music, here are several ways you can do so.
1. Music education: theory, learning an instrument, and ear training
First and foremost, AI can help singers, composers, and performers with music education. This could be anything from learning music theory or an instrument to ear training and simply learning new songs. The AI-enabled music learning platform, Chordify, for example, is able to extract chords from any audio source and present them on screen in a matter of seconds. Are you having trouble learning the chords to that niche song you love? Chordify can help. Want to learn a song on the guitar but only using chords you are familiar with? The platform also proposes searching for songs based on specific chords.
2. ChatGPT for songwriting tips
ChatGPT from Open AI can help aspiring songwriters generate lyrics and overcome writer’s block. You can ask the platform for feedback and suggestions on what you have written, and ask for help with rhyming or alternative word choices. Think of using it as you would a thesaurus or dictionary. If you want to take it one step further, you can even have a conversation to explore different song themes, emotions, and moods you want to convey.
3. AIVA and Boomy for music composition
More and more platforms are using AI for music composition. These platforms, like AIVA and Boomy for example, allow artists to create unique pieces of music based on certain parameters. You can choose different genres, tempos, and moods to generate and customize your instrumental and specify the instruments you want used. Some composers use these platforms to create soundtracks for films, video games, or just have background music for other visual supports. Because these compositions are AI generated, the composer doesn’t need to acquire a music license!
4. AI for mixing and mastering tracks
If you’re not too keen on the idea of AI writing songs for you, you can always use the tool for mixing and mastering your tracks. AI-powered mixing algorithms can analyze tracks and automatically adjust levels, panning, and EQ. They can assist in compression or getting rid of harsh frequencies or unwanted noise. Most of these tools function as plug ins in other softwares, for example, iZotope Neutron and Waves eMotion LV1. Certain digital music distributors for streaming services like LANDR, and also Groover, even now offer AI mastering services for much less expensive rates than a sound engineer would usually charge.
5. Production tools: separating vocals from instrumentation
AI can be useful in music production when you want to isolate certain instruments or separate vocals from instrumentation. If you want to sample a track, for example, but just want to remix the vocal melodies, you can use the tool LALAL.AI or Spleeter by Deezer to extract the vocals from the instrumental backing track.
6. Diffusion Bee for creating an album cover
Diffusion Bee is a free AI service on Mac that allows you to generate your own images from a text prompt. There are other AI platforms out there that allow you to generate images and artwork, so why not create an album cover from them? If you want more advice and inspiration on creating an album cover, check out our article dedicated to the topic here.
If you’re having trouble writing content such as your artist biography, album pitch, or social media captions, you can turn to ChatGPT. Keep in mind, however, that if you ask the platform to write an artist biography for you and there is no information about you on the Internet, there won’t be enough content to write a biography. You can always give more information about yourself and your artistic universe to see what they come up with!
8. AI and music Transcription
AI can be used for music transcription by converting audio recordings into written notation, such as sheet music or MIDI files. There are several services and tools available that leverage AI algorithms for music transcription, including AnthemScore, MelodyScanner, and ScoreCloud. These can really speed up the transcription process if other musicians need to learn how to play your songs to accompany you live for example.
9. Real-time accompaniment: practice and live performance
AI algorithms are starting to accompany musicians in real-time, adapting to their playing and creating complementary harmonies, melodies, or rhythms. This can be useful for practice, live performances, or improvisation. The Yamaha AI Music Ensemble analyzes the input from a musician’s performance and generates appropriate accompaniment in various musical styles, genres, and instruments. This type of AI in music will certainly be developed in the future!
Of course, all of these tools should be used to enhance creation and make it easier for artists to do their jobs. If we don’t want artists to be totally replaced by artificial intelligence, then artists and musicians must work hard and continue to try to be better in their creations. Above all, they must continue to create from the heart, with their distinct personalities and stories! There is nothing more precious and unique than lived experience.
B/ AI and Music: Will AI replace artists one day?
All of this new technology ultimately leads to the complex question: will AI replace artists one day? While AI has made significant advancements in music and streamlined certain processes, there are certain aspects of artistic expression that are deeply rooted in human experiences, emotions, and individuality. This is something that cannot be replaced!
Sure, AI can be a powerful tool for helping musicians expand both their creativity and their capabilities. It can generate new ideas, provide inspiration, and automate certain tasks, both saving artists time and money. However, it’s important to recognize that art is not solely about the end result— it is also about the creative process, the power of personal expression, and the human connection that artists establish with their audience. If an AI generates some folk music from a set of prompts, there won’t be that unique lived experience behind it. AI is good at imitating styles from many songs and genres, but lacks the depth of human emotions and personal context that makes certain songs meaningful.
Instead of replacing artists, AI is more likely to continue evolving as a tool that artists can leverage to enhance their work. New music technology can be seen as a collaborative partner, offering novel ideas and perspectives that artists can use as a springboard for their own creativity. Ultimately, the role of AI in the creative field will hopefully be a symbiotic one, with artists harnessing the power of AI to augment their artistic vision and contribute to a rich and diverse culture of expression.
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