For some of you who don’t know yet, music content curator researches and puts together all the music playlist suggested to you based on your emotions, state of mind, activities, mood, etc.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has changed the way we make music. Computer scientists use programming languages that are compatible to the genetic algorithms to produce programs that can compose music. They will then develop a library that stores common music structure operators. If handwriting the composition, music composers will need to translate it into computerized programs.
What does computerized music sound like?
AI is used to test out the techniques applied in multiple types of music. Various tools such as Liquid Notes, Quartet Generator, Easy Music Composer, and Maestro Genesis are able to pick up an abstract ideas and translate it into melodies, with variation on tempo, instrument layers. Once you load the MIDI track of your project, the software will analyze all the chords and note and provide you with detailed harmonic analysis. Analytical capability play a great role here, apart from musical skills. For those of you who understand Music theory, you may already know that Chord progression is a set of rules (yes it’s predictable) to fill in a song. AI can help you manage that with control over chord types, functions and tensions. For customized playlist, by choosing a scenario, AI learns your habit, respond to your mental state and adapt music into what is happening in your surrounding (Take a look at: http://melomics.com/life ). That app can also be used in music therapy, where computational music minimizes the patient’s sleep disorder or anxiety. Another application of AI in music can be seen in Gaming music composing. This is the perfect illustration of how Music harmony, texture and form is computed in Mario Game, based on the character’s activities and his level of energy
(Tip: Want to experience the role of music in gaming? Try to play with your sound mute, your whole excitement will be gone!)
The booming of AI in music is much similar to the revolution of photography we have seen in the last two decades with the growth of digital camera, ready-to-used editing software. Computational music now transforms the music making process to less of a mechanism, more of joy, less of time and money consumption and more of ease. However, just as photography success relies on a good eye for details/light, a good ear and musical sensitivity remain crucial in musicianship.
With all being said, would you ever need a human music content curator to pick the hottest new music?
Apple, Google Play and Spotify still employ human to maintain their user experiences around music content. Music content curator isn’t much of a tastemaker but also system builder, when they play around with data according to Apple/Google Play/Spotify’s style guide, focusing on artist data, music operations content curator analyze content problem to assess complex situations. That is how the way we listen to music is manipulated in a world where engineering, design, technology and music go hands in hands.
In the automation era, can we cross out human musical curation ability in an artificial paradigm?
Sophisticated algorithms are written by human. I’m a firm believer in human capability to curate music and bring the audience on board on an emotionally musical journey. These are the people who understand that Ed Sheeran fan will also love listening to John Legend, Adele, these are the people who can suggest Tori Kelly, James Arthur to a One Republic or The Passengers’ fan. It isn’t about pointing out the most popular name on the chart, but grabbing the roots of music history and reading the connections between the artist and other music genres. Other time, it is about walking the story underneath a song, capture a moment, not to mention a lifestyle. Music, in other words, is a form of label. The interaction with music, to some degree, manifests your social expression. Artificial intelligence shouldn’t be perceived as replacement of human curation, but rather a commodity that facilitates our interaction with music.
P.S: Shall I believe that in the very near future, computer will be able to replicate such beauty in music?
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Read more about AI:
Can Artificial Intelligence compose great music? http://www.outerplaces.com/science/item/5294-artificial-intelligence-emmy-composes-classical-music
Research in Music and Artificial Intelligence: https://students.cs.byu.edu/~cs470ta/articles/p163-roads.pdf
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