Welcome. Pete here from Espedair Creative. As a human musician, a creative, with a long technical background over many years, here I offer my thoughts on the ever encroaching technical advances of AI, in particular relation to music production, song-writing & composing and how said "Assisted Intelligence" (AI) may, or will, impact on us as music creators.
But first, a summary background. My technical and digital journey began in 1990, when I embarked on three years of college courses 1) Sound & Video Recording/Production (using old school hardware), 2) Music Tech in 1991 and being introduced to computers in a midi environment to record music, using early Apple Macs, Atari VST, external sound modules and a Yamaha DX7, the concept of which required a Bachelors Degree just to set up the kit involved !! (sarcasm). Then came a final year 3) in Information Studies, the premise of the course was teaching us to understand how companies and organisations used information, via computer systems, to better manage their business aims.
Post Higher-Education seen me arrive on other media related short courses in Radio Production and Photography (35mm film) circa 1995/96. Then add to this eighteen years using a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), in my home studios over the years creating my own music from 2005 onwards (I am a composer/self produced songwriter/guitarist). For the uninitiated, a DAW is a Music Production software program hosted on a computer to process the music recording signals/sounds recorded or played via a midi keyboard or piano into a mix. My experience being with Cakewalk initially, then Propellerheads Reason and finally Steinberg’s “Cubase”, which I still use to this day.
Additionally I spent circa eighteen years on and off in the IT Support service sector from circa 1997, in many varied Helpdesk, Desktop & Field Support roles/contracts within Private and Public sector businesses/organisations etc in Microsoft Client/Network & Novel network environments and I have managed some high profile sites autonomously. I have used Wix to create/set-up websites for musicians and businesses alike since 2010, or thereabouts and latterly, I’m also a Photographer of around fifteen years.
I have lost count of the plethora and myriad of computer programs & systems I have used and/or supported in an IT Support environment since 1991 and 1997 respectively. There have been a lot !
So, you could say, I am very familiar with digital technology. And believe me when I say, technology does not go backwards.
It was only a matter of time before near/full automation within computing environments became realistic enough to threaten the status quo (jobs, careers, skill-sets) and this not only applies to music or any other creative endeavour, but it also applies to automation within business sectors too. It happened within Microsoft Server environments, within Server Back-up systems/software, within Helpdesk systems in commercial settings. Not fully AI systems, but some aspects have been automated, for example, some aspects of what a 3rd Line Support Engineer would do in that role, is now performed by 1st/2nd Line Support personnel. 3rd Line is a more advanced role. The roles still all exist, but their remit/role has changed, as automation and new tech were introduced to those job and server functions.
Now, let’s delve into the realm of AI, the all pervasive new technologies which are on the lips of musicians, creators and business owners alike, all over the earthly plane. For now, I shall call it, Assisted Intelligence, the reason for which will be revealed at the end of this blog article.
So Let’s begin with heading way back in time, with some demonstrable examples of progress in relation to music. There have been quite a few, but let’s keep it simple to indicate progress or advances we are aware of that have happened, or that you might have an understanding or appreciation of. Of course, as a guitarist of thirty seven years, naturally I use references to that particular instrument and the genres associated with it. Here are some instances of change.
Guitar Mania
(early 1800’s France)
Change & progress will affect us all and has done so in the past, many, many, many times. Here’s an example of progress mixed with controversy, which took place back in the early 1800’s, where Italian maestro/guitarist (classical) Francesco Molino composed new guitar works, his methodology for playing classical guitar set new concepts in technique after he moved to Paris, France, but he did not use the left hand thumb to play the bass notes, as he asserted, it would disturb the position of the hand and thus affect the piece being played/performed. However, there was some consternation surrounding this at the time. Various guitar teachers disagreed with this technique (we can’t have that !) and advocated the use of the thumb to play the bass notes of any guitar works, as we commonly do these days.
Fernando Carulli, an Italian composer for classical guitar, who also moved to Paris around the early 1800’s, advocated the use of the left hand thumb at the time, suggesting it enhanced the performance and playability of the musical work/guitar and he taught students to “use it”. This caused a rift within the guitar repertoire community and thus they split into two camps. In his 1829 book, La Guitaromanie, French guitarist Charles de Marescot, depicted the whole “Molinists v Carullists” discussion (some say outrage) visually, in a satirical lithograph, showing guitarists battling it out in a riotous act using their guitars to beat the living daylights out of each other. (image below). I’m also positive, at some point, the same issue arose when guitar players from that period or later had similar grievances, but relating to those who played classical guitar with nails grown longer for plucking and a brighter punch tone of the notes played and then those who chose not to do such a thing, played with no long nails. The heresy !
The Times They Were A Changing
(1940’s, 1950’s & 1960’s Music Revolutions)
Fast forward one hundred & thirty/forty years or so, when other musical revolutions were born. From Bing Crosby, who revolutionised radio entertainment after World War Two, with his Magnetic Tape, a technology procured from the German Army after they surrendered, which he used to record his TV Shows and thus directly impacting the recorded music sector, leading on to video recording in later years. Bing had the savvy to have that tech brought back to the USA after the war, where he used it to immortalise his works forever and every studio session and TV broadcast thereafter would see the benefits – Note: there would be no music industry without magnetic tape.
(excellent article in the link below)
Then of course we have the full solid body electric guitars by Fender & Les Paul / Gibson and the Rock & Roll era, which changed everything culturally, socially and technically in the 1950’s. Les Paul, who pioneered multi-track recording. would demonstrate his work alongside his talented wife Mary Ford, a talented singer and they would record harmonies and guitar parts on top of their initial recordings and perform them. This changed everything. (see video).
In 1957/58, Buddy Holly & The Crickets Recording Engineer/Producer Norman Petty was also a studio pioneer, introducing techniques in his studio when he recorded Buddy & The Crickets hits. He used mics placed at intervals along a long tiled room across the street from his studio in Clovis, New Mexico. He ran a cable from the tiled echo chamber back over to his studio, into his mixing desk, to then add in reverb/echo effect on those classic recordings, like Peggy Sue, That’ll Be The Day. Not Fade Away etc and he also double tracked, adding in harmonies and overdubbed vocal parts to augment those great songs. Those songs inspired and influenced The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Hollies and many a guitarist who became prominent in the 1960’s. Roy Orbison, Buddy Knox, Jimmy Bowen, The Fireballs all recorded at the Clovis studio.
In the 1960’s, guitar amp outputs could be distorted by ripping the speaker (The Kinks - “You Really Got Me”), this distortion sound would be adopted into amps later and by also cranking up the valve amp volume, the guitar sound/tone overloaded and thus the heavier Rock guitar sound was born, which incidentally initially infuriated the white or brown coated BBC trained Sound Engineers at the time, as it distorted and peaked the signal from the guitars in the mixing desk. Soon it became the norm and the engineer’s at the time had to adapt. It was accepted, as they knew records were selling and making money for labels/studios from the new sound of Rock. English Composer and Producer Joe Meek also pioneered recording techniques using new tech in the early to mid sixties too. Then we had The Wrecking Crew, an incredible group of session men and women who played on pretty much all 1960s hits in the USA. They were called the Wrecking Crew because the old session men thought those young un’s coming into the industry would wreck their careers and/or wreck the music. Far from it, they were the most prolific musicians at the time and those songs are all classics now, performed with exemplary musicianship. They spent hours, days perfecting the songs before recording them. Such impeccably high standards. They are legendary now.
New effects (FX) were used on instruments, guitar effects like wah-wah were used (Hendrix), tape flange, tape echo (also used in the 50s recordings too – Scotty Moore/Elvis) were all taken on board and used whenever required. The times really were a changing. Loads of new advances and ways of recording music happened in the 50s and 60’s. Real pioneering days.
A Change Was Gonna Come
Back in the pioneering 50’s, music artists like Bo Diddley and Buddy Holly recorded their music at home on some occasions. Bo Diddley recorded his classic “Bo Diddley” song in his home, using a tape recorder and took it to labels, from which he was signed and it was released. Buddy Holly bought a portable Ampex tape machine from his Engineer/Producer (and his manager) Norman Petty and recorded acoustic guitar driven new songs in his recently moved to New York apartment, the sessions being called “The Apartment Tapes” and subsequently overdubbed and released after his death in 1959.
Fast forward to the late 1980’s to early 1990’s, where Music Tech recording software and equipment was being used to pioneer change and introduced into studios and colleges/universities who offered courses. Again, this changed everything. Multi instrumentalists, Composers & Producers alike didn’t need to go into an expensive studio or pay for lots of session musicians, they could do it all themselves and have more control over what and how they wanted their music to sound like. Recording Studios started to use the technology to improve workflow, bring in new sounds, create new genres etc. Since then, it’s became the norm for Composers, Producers, Songwriters to have a home studio set-up, with their DAW, aided with their plugins and sample libraries, providing them with the utilities they need to generate their own music to high broadcast standards. Modern DAW’s and home studios can now compete with high end studio recordings, which are very expensive and use the best of gear.
So as you can see, in this brief summary, since yesteryear, musical development and progress have been an integral part of who we are as humans, as musicians, as creators. We devise new methods to “enhance” & assist our abilities to “augment” our creative skills, works and endeavours, we find ways to create new tools to help us self replicate our souls, our personalities. We accrue skills and abilities and partner with something else to bring about something new creatively. We drive forward.
But When Is Enough Tech Enough ?
However, not only as musicians and creatives, but also as workers, businesses and as humans, we find ourselves at a serious juncture, a crossroads. Software and automated systems have advanced so much over the past few years that all of these people, art, functions and jobs are in dangerous waters now, because we’ve passed by the stage where technology augments and embellishes our creative or business efforts. AI now has the potential to render what we all do redundant. And that is a frightening prospect. And this is no doubt why there’s so much discussion about it all on social media. People are genuinely fearful for their futures.
In the past, previous systems have “aided” our efforts but now, AI technology can or will replace most things humans can do. The World Economic Forum (not your friend), produced a “Future of Jobs Report”, where they suggest that at least 85 million jobs worldwide will demise, from now up to 2025, as a direct result of AI & Robotics development and progress. They do add that new jobs and opportunities will be created by new technology, but as AI develops week by week, those proposed new jobs will surely fall victim to the same fate as the demised roles we once had? Some people posit that Super AI will eventually run our local councils, our courts, our policing, and ultimately, our Cities and our Governments. There’s even talk of hospitals creating “virtual wards” and NHS in the UK may use Chat Bot like GP’s for self diagnosis, perhaps aided by AI. I have read a report that suggests by 2040, up to 80-90% of jobs will be demised in the NHS (the UK’s National Health Service).
It is recognised by World Governments and Technologists/Futurists, that jobs/careers like Accountants, GP’s, Admin, Finance, HR will eventually cease to be, as AI/Smart Contracts or Virtual representations (GP chat bot) will replace them and probably more as time goes on. In the creative realm, Photo Libraries are using their own AI generated photos/images, which have been “scraped” from existing works on the internet or on their platforms and there are now various “Text to Image” platforms, which can produce images by typing in instructive text to produce said works (as you probably know). Art work can be created also, videos can now be generated and actors/voiceovers can and will be replaced as new Voice AI continue to develop. Note: there are current libel actions being taken against image generating AI companies, for scraping the web/using artists/designers/photographers works to teach their AI (machine learn) so that they can produce their own, based on the image data they harvested from unsuspecting creators, who incidentally would not have been recompensed.
Music AI is now dominating our collective conscience as musicians, as more and more functionality and apps become available to create said “un-human” music. So, at what point do we relinquish all of our human ability to create something, do we give up all of our skills so that we can utilise new AI tech - at what point is “enough is enough” – do we just continue down this path until all of our abilities and functions are pointless, when AI can do it all for us ?
In the 18th/19th centuries, large printing presses and the woolen looms used in textile mills replaced a lot of workers jobs, it sped up production, but it amassed job casualties. So for who’s benefit are we technologically driven - Is it all for our benefit, or is it to improve revenue streams for those who produce and introduce these new systems ?
Consider this then. Why would a TV or film production company pay a composer to create new music when they can sign up to a Music AI generative platform and ultimately pay less than they would for a composer ? And of course recoup the royalties for being aired again and again.
Why would music production libraries pay music creators when they could invest in the AI tech to produce their own music for any given emotional situation in their clients film, TV show etc ? That’s where all these music AI programs are headed, they will at some point, be more than capable of generating broadcast standard, emotional driven cues and scores.
Why would Spotify and other streaming warehouses, sorry, platforms pay royalties to songwriters/composers on it’s platform when they can invest in the AI tech to help them produce their own (they are) – after all, they have all the data on most commercial songs/music now, they know exactly what makes a human like any given piece of music. They have accrued all that data for years, they’ve harvested that and can, and probably are using it to machine learn it’s AI tech. Have they used/manipulated the music creators on their platform ? Have they used existing song structures, arrangements of best selling music, or styles, musicianship, melodies of music artists/bands uploaded to their platform to help teach their own Music AI to generate something of equal value to themselves ? So then why would they pay royalties when they can generate it all themselves, within their own system ?
ChatGPT can generate song lyrics, melodies, chord progressions, coding for apps, websites, plugins for DAWs, marketing copy, short books, poems, advertising copy. Text to Voice can replicate any voice or vocal. There are AI which can generate human looking and speaking avatars, soon that will be introduced to filmmaking, so there's a direct impact on actors roles. New green screen tech combined with AI, will see movies being made in a room, with no actors, virtual locations and the occasional physical prop.
So, where does it stop - Where are the ethical protections in place to prevent complete domination of these systems, which could and probably will, leave us all on a deserted island as eternal vagabonds pitching to each other whistling Dixie !?
"Resistance is futile human"
Yes, there are some really helpful AI programs out there, but most of these small commercial efforts require input from a human, hence my term at the beginning, “Assisted Intelligence”, as most current (narrow) AI programs are retrospective, they require input instructions from a human, they do not act autonomously unless instructed to do so. But they won't always be this way. Why are we so enamoured by systems which ultimately make us lazier and remove our capacity to do things for ourselves, all for the sake of convenience – Can you genuinely call yourself a songwriter or author when you employed the assistance of ChatGPT or similar ?
Can you imagine what Google has going on behind the scenes ! or large corporations ! What we have available is the tip of the iceberg, there will be far more advanced systems being developed as we speak, and on the horizon, which will ultimately one day run everything we do. Is this why a top World Economic Forum advisor referred to us as “Useless Eaters” with no purpose in life once the 4th Industrial Revolution embeds into every aspect of human life.
Then we have the Metaverse. How much did Facebook invest in their META ? Again, no one with exception to gamers, want to sit with a VR (virtual reality) headset on all day to plod about virtual worlds when they are programmed to be in the real world, “their” world, organically. Virtual & Augmented Reality are really hard pushed for mass adoption, it just won’t happen. Humans need organic life, that’s why we go on holidays, to the beach, to the hills, the mountains, forests etc. It’s where we belong, not on a trajectory to live inside a false computer generated world, which at some point, would indeed lead into Transhumanism, neural chips et al
Perhaps the decentralised Web 3.0 will give music creators, creators in general, more control, more creative freedom, more revenue generating options, collaborations and new ways to interact with others, but ultimately, we must be careful for what we wish for. At some point, we will reach a place from which we are unable to return from. How much tech do you need to do what you do ?
Technology does not go backwards !
When people continue using AI systems, programs etc all they're doing is contributing to their own demise, as the AI platforms are learning from the input/feedback of the user, teaching it to improve, in turn heightening the possibility of that technology to replace what the user is doing. When you run out of bananas to feed the beast, will you sacrifice your creative ability and output to appease it ?
The Silent World
The tech hybridisation of humans is ebbing and flowing closer and closer as each month goes by. Musk has his neural chip development program progressing, communications corporations like Nokia are adamant that beyond 2030, physical mobile devices will be a thing of the past and comms devices will be implanted into our bodies (see video below). Neural devices will merge with our cerebral cortex – perhaps the next step in music production will be to “think” out musical arrangements, and share directly from our heads where nothing will be private !
When all the jobs, processes, creative endeavours have ceased and been replaced by AI and embedded comms devices, oh how silent this world will become. Imagine a world where most people have lost their job, their function in life and all they have left is to be immersed into a Metaverse virtual nightmare everyday. No cars, no jobs, no prospects, no sounds. The very thought is depressing isn’t it !
This is without question, a Road to Damascus moment for humanity, do we continue down this tech path accepting what comes our way and relishing it, or do we say no, enough is enough now, we are losing our sense of humanity, our sense of freedom, relinquishing our abilities to do things for ourselves. We really have to be honest and open about where this is all heading and ask ourselves, how silent do you want our world to be?
Transhumanism is a pathway to the Singularity, tech hardware installed into human biology tied into AI is a frightening prospect. Technically, there will be a new breed or species born out of that situation, as hybrids will not be recognised as human. Augmented Reality is being trialed in the military and with virtual reality (VR) like the Metaverse gaining more media attention as big brands seem to be investing in it, my god, some are buying up real estate in it ! Is this the path we want to go down as a species ?
It takes a human to convey human emotions and experiences, it requires a human to endure a life experience and to then turn that into music or art, or poetry, or books for others to find happiness, solace or comfort with as they go through their own life experiences. It takes a human to find the right words, to find the appropriate musical notes, chords and chord progressions to reflect the feelings and sentiment they “feel”, to bring a song or music into existence. It takes human spirituality to know the impact of human created music on another human being, that’s how we make a difference and inspire people, by producing human music.
Just remember, advancement and progress always come at a cost to someone – will it be you ?
As a Scotsman of Irish descent, I leave you with the lyrics of one of my favourite songs, by Shane McGowan & the Pogues and their hauntingly beautiful song “Thousands Are Sailing”, the sentiment of which is rather fitting to the opinions in this blog.
The island, it is silent now But the ghosts still haunt the waves And the torch lights up a famished man Who fortune could not save
Did you work upon the railroad? Did you rid the streets of crime? Were your dollars from the White House? Were they from the Five-and-Dime?
Did the old songs taunt or cheer you? And did they still make you cry? Did you count the months and years Or did your teardrops quickly dry?
"Ah, no", says he, "twas not to be On a coffin ship I came here And I never even got so far That they could change my name"
Thousands are sailing Across the western ocean To a land of opportunity That some of them will never see Fortune prevailing Across the western ocean Their bellies full Their spirits free They'll break the chains of poverty And they'll dance
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