As a musician, the revolution of Artificial Intelligence can feel both overwhelming and defeating. As you watch people who no training create songs on Suno and share them with millions on streaming platforms, it’s like all that work learning to play an instrument, write a song, and record is for nothing.
But, in fact, there are plenty of tools that can benefit those of us who don’t want to turn everything over to a machine. And it’s something musicians have adapted to for decades.
In the early 1980s, the very first multitrack recording devices were beginning to find their way into bedrooms where kids could record multiple tracks of guitars and vocals, or make demos in their basements. By the ’90s, digital technology became slightly more affordable. The 2000s saw the Digital Audio Workstation explosion when home-based artists finally had the ability to afford the tools of the pros.
AI isn’t all that different. It’s really just another step in the evolution of recorded music and there is no reason to not take advantage when the practical constraints of working with other musicians get in the way.
Tools like Suno, Moises, Udio, and all the new AI built into DAWs like Logic, have completely changed the process of writing and recording music even (and especially) if you are flying solo.
Sure, you can produce entire songs, but more creatively, you can use these tools to add depth, texture and additional instruments to your mixes. Drum machines were often the only way to get drums on a demo and they could be stiff and awful sounding, but realistic, human-feeling live drums are available with a few mouse clicks.
A step further means horn sections, strings, even guitar solos (even if those aren’t a thing anymore) can be part of your tracks just through text prompts combined with trial and error. And that doesn’t even include the ways AI can improve your workflow through automation because not all of us are trained sound engineers either.
But, even if you aren’t ready for digital instrumentaion, the ability to use this machine learning to create demoes and test out new ideas in your bedroom is remarkable. Try having AI listen to your track and provide ideas for melody or arrangement. It’s not like working with another musician, but if you don’t have immediate access to another player in the middle of the night, it’s not an awful substitute if for no other reason than just to hear the idea played back to you.
None of this should deter anyone from good old fashioned collaboration. As good as computers are at mimicking, they are no substitute for the feel and experience of a live musician. But, when you don’t have access to or the money for, say, a string quartet, using AI to deliver one for your demo isn’t the worst idea in the world. It certainly puts the idea down in a way you could never achieve before.
The number of tools available is growing by the day and the choices are dizzying. It’s easy to get lost in the myriad number of options out there. And you may decide all you need is your guitar and a mic anyway. But, as a scratch pad for ideas for solo musicians, AI is unmatched. You may hear things you never expected and it can take you in an entirely new and interesting direction.
It is worth noting that the legality of use and even uploading of your own material and what these tools might do with it is still very up in the air, which is why using AI instrumentation or vocals for an actual recording is probably not the best idea.
And no real musicians want to be tied to a computer for songwriting and performing anyway, but if it provides new ideas, streamlines your process, and makes music fun when you are all by yourself in a room, it might be worth a try.