I think these platforms are not really much different from presets in gear, some people will use them some won’t, some will use them as jumping off points etc.
Just like how drum machines didn’t render drummers redundant, these platforms and AI won’t replace musicians/producers, for some they will provide new work opportunities too.
To put things in perspective, the vast majority of producers and musicians won’t ever make much, if any money from their music, it has nothing to do with loop libraries, AI, lack of talent, or anything else than luck. That has never changed.
and like, the most versioned song in reggae history is a preset off a junk shop keyboard.
It really doesn’t matter!
I guess in response to the OP, I would say:
Pop hits are a very nebulous thing. But the good news is, even having a pop hit doesn’t really sort you out for life now, so none of us should be chasing that as a reason to make music anyway.
I think the idea that you can somehow “make it” and stop having to worry is a really corrosive thing that stops people enjoying the present and just creating.
tbh, if what you want from music is to be a massive star onstage with loads of people cheering you what you need to do is be good looking, get a gimmick, make identikit beatport electro/trance using Splice loops, Dj tirelessly and then get lucky. Then pay someone else to make the music while you get in the gossip mags.
but that’s probably not what any of us are into making music for anyway right?
I think if you want to search for ideas aka… make a layout, I think loops could be useful.
I worked in 3D Industry, there you got “kitbashing” for lets say sci fi thingies.
You could clutter layouts together… but then you want to make it yours.
I don’t think thats really necessary with the options you have - is it a beatbox or a daw.
But it could be nice to have, if you want to make music that way.
In the end its something individual.
I for myself do not need that. I want to fiddly on my own, because it’s my hobby.
As mentioned in my first answer here… there are too much options.
No, they’re just a resource. Loop and sample packs have existed for decades, it’s nothing new. It may seem like all these good-quality sounds at your fingertips might be a cheat code, but it’s not, nor has it ever been.
All tools are valid once the results are worthwhile. I had a phase where I would find the worst or most annoying loop possible and try to make an entire track from mangling it. Great fun!
It’s much better for your headspace and creativity to focus on your own music, and not how you imagine other people make theirs.
Seemingly every plugin launched today says it has an advanced machine learning algorithm (but also available by some miracle of pricing for just £50!) From what I’ve seen; none of these things are even closely resembling AI, but they act more like probabilisitc algorithms (see: Polyend Tracker for example). The reason people don’t talk about a fancy bit of advanced probability based computer code in their marketing is because it sounds very geeky, but AI sounds like THE FUTURE.
From what I’ve seen, the possibilities of AI are usually overblown, and even if it is happening - these kinds of advances have a long way to go to reach us mere mortal consumers of music gear. If you’re not convinced - ask yourself this. Do any of these AI enabled softwares produce a complete piece of music for you; without any need for you to check that what the AI produced isn’t complete garbage? In my experience, that has never happened. I have had software give me interesting ideas or starting points from a limited selection of options, which is absolutely brilliant and kinda how it should be.
Where we are from what I can tell, is that your classic drum machine is probably now a VST and can now do things like suggest similar samples, generate patterns or create subtle variations on a pattern for you. Things like that are subtle enhancements rather than ceding control of what you’re doing to the machine. To me this is like cruise control in a car that keeps you a safe distance from the car in front. The software is helping you, but it’s not driving for you. You still have to drive the car and be ready to do most of the important stuff yourself.
Blimey!
I imagine most of us have a story about noodling around with a software and finding a preset or a loop that was used in a song we know. I can think of one or two obscure ones; I found a band I liked used a slightly modified Garageband loop in a well known Swedish pop tune. I’d probably struggle to prove it now, it was about 15 years ago - but I heard of loads of other examples of the same thing when Garageband became a thing. That said, it’s hard to beat the Umbrella example here, with that being one of the most popular songs of the 00s.
gotta say i think the idea that loops and AI generated music could be depressing is just an indication that whoever holds that idea has a drastically different perspective on music and its purpose as a whole. seems i see this opinion popping up from the “music is how to get famous and rich” crowd and i gotta say, i think the depression comes from that perspective on music, not from the scary AI and easy to produce “two click” songs.
…disillusioning in the context of too many choices, too much business, too much time consuming to choose the “right” pieces instead of just gettin’ started with something u can hear in the back of ur head but then it’s already gone…?
The only thing new about it, is the integration with DT.
Loopcloud, also known as Loopmasters has been. Around a very long time.
As mentioned over and over, nobody is making a “perfect” song with a few clicks. And even if they did, they’d still have to navigate the industry to make it a hit.
Tons of people making amazing music but it doesn’t mean someone else is going to hear it.
And if you don’t believe anyone saying this… just try it yourself. Try to make a perfect song with just a few click to see what’s possible.
Loop libraries are not just for musicians but also video editors who often have to wear every hat of production to remain competitive.
Usually, a shortcut results in something inferior in some area. If you take a shortcut to a destination, you might miss out on certain sights. If you used premixed spices, your dishes may all taste the same.
If you know what you want and that’s what a shortcut would give you, then it’s efficiency. If you just want to get something out of this activity besides a certain product, no matter how it ends up, it’s just a shortcut - and, usually, you can tell…
I don’t prefer canned loops because I can make loops myself. But sometimes a sample makes you feel something and you turn it into something new. So, it’s no longer either a shortcut or an efficiency then, it’s just making stuff. I say, make stuff, whichever way turns you on, and be earnest about it. If you like what you hear on Loopcloud, if it makes you feel something, and you have the money to pay for it, yay. If it does nothing for you, then yawn loudly and get on with your life. But personally, I don’t like the idea of one using canned loops as a shortcut. It is like finding out that a restaurant buys all of their apps and desserts pre-made and frozen. I realllly don’t want to hear a sample I used in my song in a dozen other songs. Maybe 1 or 2 but enough people get on this platform you know that’s gonna happen.
Loopcloud has the wrong vibe. Elektron needs the arty leftfield stuff from a collab because that’s what they’ve started losing imo. Should have gone Samples From Mars or something
Using unoriginal material is a constant source of tension in every form of art.
If you set up an outdoor easel and make a painting that represents the landscape in front of you, isn’t some of your work just copying what’s already there? Is it better somehow to paint from a combination of memory and imagination? And if it is, how come you’re not expected to make your own paint from scratch?
On the other hand, if you are too free about relying on what already exists, you wind up painting by numbers.
I think that part of the answer to these questions comes from asking two questions about any work of art: (1) What did it draw from other sources? (2) What did the artist do with those sources?
