Creative AI: Computer composers are changing how music is made

You’ve probably heard music composed by a computer algorithm, though you may not realize it. Artificial intelligence researchers have made huge gains in computational – or algorithmic – creativity over the past decade or two, and in music especially these advances are now filtering through to the real world. AI programs have produced albums in multiple genres. They’ve scored films and advertisements. And they’ve also generated mood music in games and smartphone apps. But what does computer-authored music sound like? Why do it? And how is it changing music creation? Join us, in this first entry in a series of features on creative AI, as we find out.

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I can see PWM working to this music

I worked in this horrendous place that bent and shaped steel for roofs for a few days

through my ear muffs I could hear this music being played by one of the long timers

when the music stopped I couldn’t hear any difference between that and the noise of the machines

and no it wasn’t heavy metal

Way way back, in about 1988 I went along to a computer-generated music short course. The course included the theremin, use of synthesisers, and multitracking. This was before the days of sound sampling.

Much more recently I attended a computer music concert at Monash Uni which was all about surround sound and lack-of melody. The concert had about four “composers” who all seemed content to stay out of the limelight. In one piece all the audience clapped at the wrong time, during a quiet passage before it was finished. In another piece some of the audience walked out, because it was too loud and frightening.

> But what does computer-authored music sound like?

I’ve often wanted to write computer-authored music myself. One that I heard of many years ago was when a programmer got a computer to analyse the intervals between notes used in pieces of music written by Mozart and use that to generate new music. The result was said to be of no artistic value but sounded strangely like Mozart.

I’d like to expand on that, not just Mozart but input other famous pieces. So I could dial up such factors as note repetition, consonance/dissonance, humour, depth of harmony, how classical the structural form is, orchestration, and listen to the results.

> You can listen to one of Cope’s experiments below.

Yes, that sort of style, but who would want to listen to a Bach Prelude? :-( Add some swing.

> Iamus Computer — Adsum, for orchestra … Iamus was alternately hailed as the 21st century’s answer to Mozart and the producer of superficial, unmemorable, dry material devoid of soul.

Not worth listening to. But no worse than much modern classical music.

> Mezzo AI, which composes soundtracks in real time in a neo-Romantic style based on what characters in the computer game are doing

Reminds me of the sound tracks that used to be played for silent films. But not as good.

I’m not conceited, very, but I think I could do better than all three of those mentioned in the article with computer-generated music. My ideal would be to set it up to generate an infinite number of great pieces of music pieces I wouldn’t have to listen to the talking on classical music radio.