DailyDirt: Making Sweet Music

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Thu, Apr 12th 2012 5:00pm — Michael Ho

Plenty of people complain about how pop music sounds formulaic and that several boy bands seem to be manufactured with minimal variations between them. Someday soon, though, computer algorithms might create more pop music than humans can even attempt to compose. Here are just a few steps towards a world filled with machine-made music.

Researchers have developed a piano tuning algorithm that can perform the task almost as well as a trained human ear. Yet another job that robots are going to take away from humans.... [url]
Genetic algorithms are often taught in machine learning classes, and these algorithms have been applied to all sorts of fields -- including music. Computer-generated fugues might not sound too pleasant, but neither does trance music... [url]
Using a 'Hit Potential Equation', computers can analyze pop singles and predict future hit tracks. The researchers behind this project admit, "musical tastes evolve, which means our 'hit potential equation' needs to evolve as well." [url]
To discover more interesting tech-related content, check out what's currently floating around the StumbleUpon universe. [url]

By the way, StumbleUpon can recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

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Filed Under: algorithm, machine learning, music, pop, robot, trance

7 Comments

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Chancius, 12 Apr 2012 @ 5:12pm

I read about some of these before...
...and I can tell you that the first thing I'd do is record music with as many mistakes and leave in as many natural outtakes as possible. Of course, this is already happening for the most part in main stream music today which is a big reason why the music industry is flailing. It's the same reason Nirvana hit so big when they came out and why The Beatles were so good. Even though Nevermind was over produced, their unplugged album left all the scratchy, humanity in and The Beatles producer and engineer left a lot of mistakes in their recordings.

In fact, I once heard an all covers album of Beatles tunes that was auto tuned and sounded terrible! To be IN harmony with something you have to be different while TRYING to be the same, not the same being the same! All the vocals were auto-tuned and trying to sing with each other which produced a chalk on blackboard type experience!

Free album download at www.facebook.com/chancius
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Anonymous Coward, 12 Apr 2012 @ 7:17pm

It is a little generous to call computer composition "music" judging by the results I have heard so far.
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- Anonymous Coward, 13 Apr 2012 @ 2:16pm
  
  Response to: Anonymous Coward on Apr 12th, 2012 @ 7:17pm
  Just wait until computers start suing each other for IP infringement because a few of the notes are similar
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Ed C., 12 Apr 2012 @ 9:31pm

Well duh...
Using a 'Hit Potential Equation', computers can analyze pop singles and predict future hit tracks.

Considering that today's "pop singles" are practically formulized, that's hardly a stretch.
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Piano, 12 Apr 2012 @ 10:17pm

"Yet another job that robots are going to take away from humans.... "

Well, they can tune a piano but I bet they can't tuna fish.
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Pixelation, 12 Apr 2012 @ 10:22pm

Comment being held for moderation
My last post said, "Comment being held for moderation ". What's happening? Copyright cops on the case?
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Kevin (profile), 13 Apr 2012 @ 7:37am

For my next song, Robbie the robot
One thing that no computer has nor will have and that is imagination.
None of these tools are any good without the human mind.
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