Describe A Song And AI Will Make It With Google's MusicLM; Text To Music Is Here
Things are getting interesting...
I wrote and performed the following piece for today’s newsletter. Press play below.
Yes, that was created using AI.
The prompt: relaxing string & piano creating a sense of comforting solitude. Slow low tones evolve in the background, add to the ambiance. Slow. Wonder.
Here’s what the interface looks like.
Input what you want to hear on the left, and get a song on the right.
Does this mean creativity in music is dead? I think it’s the opposite. Leapfrogging the need to learn a complex music creation tool will unlock a new generation of humans trying out music for the first time.
Instead, the ability to acutely describe the sounds and emotions you want to hear will be a determining factor.
For my fellow video editors out there, you know that picking the right music is both incredibly important and painstaking.
Text-to-music apps like this will give you custom music to steer the mood & emotion of the video.
Welcome to the future.
Get Started With Google’s MusicLM
To get started, sign up here using your Gmail account. The software is in a closed beta. You should get an email within 48 hours to join the free beta. Use the Google Chrome web browser.
Before you hear more music, it’s important to note that the music generated doesn’t always sound great. For the most part, playback quality sounds like you’re listening to hold music on a phone call. It sounds muddy and crunchy.
With all AI tech, this is the worst version that will ever exist. It’ll only generate better songs with time.
Here are some use cases along with the prompt I used at the bottom.
Describe A Vibe
The most impressive thing about text-to-music is describing the type of vibe you want to hear. If you’re descriptive enough it does a pretty good job.
Prompt: Soul that feels like driving through new york city in black and white. Slow bpm r&b Smooth driving baseline.
I’m on a 1970’s funk wave right now so I made a bunch of this style. Most of them sounded like cheesy music you’d hear while on hold with an insurance company because the audio quality is so crunchy AHAHA.
Allow the tech some time to improve and the hold music issue will be a thing of the past.
Video Game Lobby Music
I wanted to recreate the lobby music from Modern Warfare 2.
Prompt: Build tension for intense hand to hand combat someone is about to get into, slow bom, driving
Trap Beat
Trap drums are a staple in American music.
Prompt: Trap drum beat. complex rhythm with a driving 808 baseline. hip hop flute as melody. instrumental only.
Spooky Vibes For Games & Movies
I love this one. Solo game designers & small teams don’t need years of music expertise. Just describe the vibe!
Prompt: Repetitive melody that creates an eerie, unsettling atmosphere
The Future
To get full control over the final product, I anticipate complex music software will implement text to music. You’ll get individual audio tracks for each instrument (called stems) to add finishing touches manually.
There will also be beginner-friendly versions that make intricate music easy to make.
Text-to-music AI in its current form is great for getting something on the page to draw inspiration from.
There will be musicians who are against this. It’s understandable. But this is just technology. AI won’t replace great musicians in the same way computer keyboards didn’t replace great writers.
If you can’t produce a compelling message, it doesn’t matter what tech you used to make it. “Great” is simply creating something that people resonate with. Do people relate to it? Does it evoke emotion? Yes? Then it’s great.
With the barrier of entry to create music being lowered, we’ll get more music. Which makes it harder for musicians to get discovered.
That’s why I think curators will play a larger role in the future. Curating work will be as valuable as making the stuff that gets curated.
That’s what I’ve got for you this week! I hope you enjoyed the long weekend in America & enjoy the short work week the next three days.
Spend time outside!
:)