The Future of Music Production: Virtual Instruments and AI

Machine learning has become a significant aspect of music production, with the rise of digital technology and reliance on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs). Music studios, sound engineers, songwriters, and independent artists with access to computer software can easily sift through virtual instruments and develop customized mixes.

How do things like virtual instruments and AI technology shape music production? Here’s a glimpse into what the future looks like with the growing popularity of such products and services.

Digital Audio Music Production

Technology growth has always contributed a crucial role in the music industry. Production software incorporates loops, pedals, and multi-track recordings which have assisted in the transformation of music. 

Before the days of AI, you could utilize audio software to create beats more efficiently, as well as go through the track to mix and master the sound for high-quality recordings. Some common production effects used in audio editing for your DAW include:

• Reverb (studio effect that provides echo, helps make the sound more full)

• Noise Gate (eliminates ‘extra’ sounds for clarity)

• Pitch adjustments (to keep the vocals or instruments in the proper key)

• Speed/time stretch (tempo adjustments for quicker transitions for a polished sound)

• Drum plugins

Altering the sound by adding effects is not something new. However, with the rise of AI software gives music artists the ability to create and release a complete album without having to tweak a single musical bar or line; it’s already done and polished, ready to play. 

AI in Music Production

There are multiple AI programs out there for the music, including Google NSnyth, AIVA, and Amper. You can use it to reimagine and adjust existing music tracks or create an entirely new song from scratch. With virtual instruments, you can play with the click of a button, and you can compose your own music without the need for playing a genuine instrument.

Spotify is one of the biggest applications for music service and streaming. They adopted AI early, pushing limits to see how to analyze factors like playlist analysis, geographic location, keyword searches, and music preferences for listeners. It provides a more personalized and highly attentive experience. 

Other streaming services have followed suit, using features to indicate or suggest new songs, build playlists, and analyze the musical choices of their listeners. It’s considered a helpful quality, bringing curation to the data that’s received.

How is AI Shaping Music Production?

It’s becoming obvious that AI likely is going to replace traditional music-making techniques. It has several uses to make it produce music that could be indistinguishable as to whether or not it was created by hand or with AI. Virtual instruments can be created by inputting particular data, and the AI can make the instruments sound as if they were being played by a master.

So, how does it do this? Data that describes music can break it down into genre, emotion, styles, and specific instruments that are used to compose a song. 

The application gets anything required to do the task and then develops a song note for note. Usually, then the song is converted to audio and is mixed and mastered to sound just like it was made in a high-quality sound studio. The crazy part is that it only takes seconds.

Now, AI can make music easy for content creators. Particularly when it comes to things like licensing music for YouTube videos, since using AI you can always compose your own music for your channel, so you don’t need a license. But, watch out - there’s always the possibility that compositions can sound alike and it may be confusing for YouTube’s algorithms.

Example of AI in Music

Ai can create songs that sound similar to those musicians who have passed on - think Amy Winehouse, Jimi Hendrix, or Kurt Cobain, for instance. Sony used technology with Flow Machine’s AI to create an entirely “new” Beatles song. The program was created with Sony CSL Paris. They took information regarding the group's previous arrangement within the program and music production created the song. 

Songs can be made through the AI program by utilizing something around thirty or more pieces by the musician or artist. It will focus on things like chord progressions, instrument solos, lyrics, voices and melodies, and rhythms. A question that isn’t completely understood yet is how well can the AI imitate the members of the original groups through virtual instrumentation and vocals. 

The recordings allow any person to listen to interpretations of great musicians. The AI used for AIVA’s intent is more for a soundtrack and background music purposes, with no intent to replace human composers. So, it is utilized as more of a tool to help boost the creativity in artists developing original works, and on the plus side, can be a significant attributor to writer’s block. 

The Future of AI in Music

Audio processing is where AI in music has a solid future. Machine learning can pave the way for new sounds to be made, possibly even an entirely new genre of music within the industry. AI can master processing operations since it already can promote, polish, and distribute musical tracks for artists.

Deep learning technology applications save time for artists with inspiration. You can take a song idea in your head and create the track for it in almost no time, demonstrating just how powerful this AI technology is in allowing you to quickly convert and monetize your own music compositions.

Does AI Software Squash Musical Creativity?

While some argue that it takes away from creativity, or even replaces it altogether. But AI can help to enhance productivity for musicians. 

With this technological advancement, independent artists and those working in the studio can spend far more time being creative with the sounds and music that’s being made. Its purpose will assist in broadening the market of music as a whole, giving people the opportunity to explore new avenues.

The dilemma that stems from AI software is that music applications evaluate market and consumer behavior in addition to composition, performance, and music production. But, will it put an end to people playing instruments or singing their own songs? The future isn’t clear, but it doesn’t seem that the appreciation for genuine on-stage artists is going to go away anytime soon.

AI is a way to give creators and other budding musicians the ability to convert ideas and concepts into real music. While it won’t win you any music awards, it can help include analytical abilities and expand the boundaries of music. The future of AI with music production will be a great tool for more collaborations.

Written By Nicole McCray

-

If you need help with your music, we offer audio production and online mixing and mastering services that will help you elevate your sound and bring your song to life!

We look forward to being a part of your success.

12 Ways to Upgrade Your Gibson Les Paul

Sometimes it may seem like a guitar requires more work than it actually does to be customized. You can make considerable changes to your Les Paul's playability, tone, or look with just a screwdriver (or power drill), a socket wrench, and a pencil. There is no need for soldering, weird tools, or experience.

Certain guitars, like the Les Paul, maintain a particular place in certain players' hearts, despite the fact that they aren't constructed to the highest quality standards. They are frequently used by beginners as the only accessible guitars. Others might view them as a trustworthy foundation that is inexpensive and adaptable. In any event, if you want to improve your technical guitar abilities, having examples of how to improve your guitar is necessary. Even though some of them may seem obvious, following these 12 steps will result in a Gibson Les Paul that is substantially better than the one you started with.

These ideas are for you if you find guitar modding entertaining or if you have a deep emotional connection to your first instrument. Perhaps you're in dire need of money and believe you can sneak in some expensive features at a lower cost than anticipated.

Where To Begin And What Should Be Upgraded First?

When trying to upgrade your guitar, you might wonder where to begin. While luthiers and seasoned players strongly advise playability, most musicians will advise upgrading elements that have the greatest influence on tone.

Give your Les Paul a thorough run-through for a week or longer, and pay particular attention to your gut feelings. Pay attention to what disturbs you the most and what makes you feel odd. The guitar will inform you of the perfect mod to perform first and the greatest upgrade to perform subsequently.

Go to the pickups if the sound is your primary concern. Start with the nut, then take the tuning keys into consideration if you want your guitar to stay in tune and feel better.

Do not, under any circumstances, modify the instrument beyond what it actually requires.

What might be thought of as the best way to modify or upgrade Les Paul is as follows. Depending on your priorities and what you now require, you can go back and forth on the list.

1) The wiring

Low-cost guitars frequently have subpar pots and switches, and overwound pickups are a common sight. They typically sound overly thin and bright—without clarity or punch—and use ceramic bar magnets. The warm sound that this guy was seeking in a Les Paul-style guitar is definitely not there in them.

The first stage involved utilising a Les Paul wiring kit to rewire it with better guitar parts.

Make holes for the control pots in a piece of cardboard that has been cut into the shape of the control cavity. While you work, hold the pots in this position, and your pre-wired circuit will fit perfectly! (It's so much simpler than attempting to wire up anything while it's buried deep inside the control cavity!)

2) New Pickups

One of the early modifications musicians made to their Gibsons with bridge humbuckers included this. At the time, it was widely believed that removing the pickup covers made them louder. Because the capacitive effect of the coverings induced high-frequency roll-off, players who removed them were likely just hearing a tiny bit more treble. Microphonic feedback can also be brought on by loose coverings. Early covers, especially heavy brass ones, gave the upper-frequency response no favours. In contrast, vintage nickel-silver covers were extremely thin and minimized treble loss.

3) The fretboard's condition

Any Les Paul, regardless of price, will often have a rosewood fretboard. Any dark wood could always use some treatment, even when the CITES treaty temporarily skews the market toward Pau Ferro or ebony. Tung oil, which is reasonably priced and available at most hardware stores or on Amazon.com, is my preferred fretboard oil. The look and feel of your fretboard can be instantly improved by conditioning, a simple process requiring absolutely no technical expertise. Take a rag and gently wipe each fret with a small amount of the oil (you may also use lemon oil). You're done once you've allowed it to dry, and you may even lightly sand it if you think it dried in an uneven pattern.

4) Replace your jack plate

The Les Paul's jack plate is its weak point since the thin plastic plate is all too easy to break. Every guitar design has certain weak points. Simple: use a metal replacement as a replacement. Although this alteration is inexpensive and reversible, make sure the screw holes on the new plate match those on the old one. Simply attach the plastic plate on top of the metal plate if you want to maintain the original appearance.

5) Change the tuners

Another apparent one, but it's also extremely important and not at all difficult. People are eager to point out to you that not everyone has the equipment and experience that I do when I recommend changing the tuners on a guitar or headstock. The old tuners can simply be unscrewed to make room for the new ones by using a socket wrench or, if you're cautious not to scratch the washer, a pair of pliers. It is that easy and can significantly increase tuning stability to simply screw in the new ones and make sure they are snug.

6) The Nut

Musicians frequently disregard the nut. The most important upgrade to make to your Epiphone Les Paul in order to maximise performance is definitely this one. Never forget that one of the two important anchor points that transmit vibrations from the strings to the body is the nut. A high-quality nut will enhance the general playability of your instrument as well as the tone and sustain of your open notes. An excellent guitar can be identified, for example, by how precisely and neatly the nut is cut and fitted.

Because of the way the nut is cut, most cheap guitars have the issue of easily going out of tune. Many cheap nuts will never sound properly, even with a nice setup. Usually, this prevents a player from picking up the instrument or from practising further.

7) Electronics Mod

Almost all guitar players immediately upgrade their pickups. Getting superb-sounding pickups can transform your tone from being suitable for the basement to a stage. It is debatably true that the pickups account for 80% of the guitar's tone.

Consequently, it is best to first improve the elements that influence the pickups' sound, and this is where upgrading your Les Paul's electronics will pay off handsomely.

8) Wiring Mods

Try out the wire mod in the style of the 1950s if you feel comfortable using solder. It is among the easiest and least expensive modifications you can make to your Epiphone Les Paul.

Gibson maintained this connection until 1962.

The volume and tone controls become more interactive since you can lower your volume without distorting the sound by connecting the tone control to the inner or output tag of the volume instead of the outer or input tag.

9) The Strings at the Top

Top wrapping the strings, reportedly giving them a much slinkier feel and better sustain because of the increased string to tailpiece-to-body contact, is a technique frequently used by Joe Bonamassa. This one is quite easy to execute; simply feed your strings through the tailpiece backwards, with the string now pointing away from the headstock and toward the body. Rewind the string by passing it back over the tailpiece, up to the tuning machine as usual, and over the bridge as usual. It's time to wrap the thread around the bridge and tailpiece.

10) The bridge and tailpiece

The guitar bridge and tailpiece constitute the second anchor point for transmitting string vibrations to the wood.. They play a crucial role in the acoustic sound of your instrument because they convey vibrations from the string to the body.

Your Les Paul will perform and play better if you replace the bridge and tailpiece, but first, make sure the replacement bridge will fit in its place. This is one of the more challenging Les Paul mods on this list due to the possibility of purchasing the incorrect-sized parts for your guitar.

Gibson's stop tailpiece was first made of aluminium in the 1950s. Later, this was changed to zinc, which is now a standard component on many modern versions. While supporters of zinc maintain that their favoured metal has a better bass end and sustain, some players feel that aluminium delivers extra woodiness, higher treble, and a wider dynamic range. The Pepsi Challenge is worthwhile given that you can purchase a lightweight aluminium one for £30.

11) Heighten the pickup as needed

Screws on both ends of humbuckers allow you to change the pickups' height. Similar to this, soap bar P-90s feature two tiny screws that do the same thing that passes through the covers. The pickup coils' close proximity to the strings has a significant impact.

The pickups may sound extremely harsh and midrange when they are set very high (the magnetic pull may even reduce sustain). Pickups might sound sweeter and more open when they are adjusted lower, but if they are set too low, they can sound flat and unresponsive. The only tools you need to improve your tone are a screwdriver and your ears. Before investing in a new set of pickups, take some time to experiment.

12) Add a Tremolo/Bigsby Arm

The Vibramate and Towner systems, among other technologies, have made this process remarkably simple. The only thing to keep in mind in this situation is that the upgrade will be quite expensive but still simple. But if you add a Bigsby, your guitar will be able to vibrate beautifully, and it also just looks awesome. The Bigsby B3 kit from Towner enables you to add a Bigsby B3 set to a Les Paul-type guitar without drilling; nevertheless, it is a pricey mod and costs more than $200. But if you want a Bigsby and don't want to pay a technician to install it, choose this option.

Conclusion

The parts of a guitar should be of fine quality while being upgraded so that they can be used in the future.

It might be expensive and time-consuming to upgrade a guitar, but there are also creating opportunities to be explored. Not all components on your Les Paul require an upgrade. Only the most necessary modifications to your suit choices will be made.

Your guitar will become more customised and improved with each modification, and finally, it will reflect your artistic style. Enjoy your upgrade!

-

If you need help with your music, we offer audio production and online mixing and mastering services that will help you elevate your sound and bring your song to life!

We look forward to being a part of your success.

5 Steps to Create the Perfect EPK for Musicians

An electronic press kit, or EPK, is a means of showing off your work to promoters. Think of it as an audiovisual resumé that markets you to your target audience. Whether you want to get your music on a streaming platform or score a spot on the bill at a music festival, an EPK can help you reach your goals as a musician.

EPK VS. ARTIST WEBSITE

Not to be confused with a website, which is geared toward fans who recreationally enjoy your work, an EPK is a straight-to-the-point method of letting industry connections get to know you from a business perspective.

Interested in learning how to make or improve your EPK? Below are five tips to help you:

1) COVER THE BASICS

One of the primary purposes of an EPK is to help your target audience reach you. Make sure you simplify the process by making your email, phone number, social media, website, and other relevant contact information easily accessible. Also, ensure to include a bio that gives insight into what you’re all about while also taking the opportunity to pitch your uniqueness to your audience. Many artists include two biographies in their EPKs: one short and one long. Quick facts that the press can use should be included in the short bio, while the long bio can go deeper into your story as an artist, which also can be used as promotional material.

2) SHOW YOUR WORK

It’s time to show off what you’ve got. Displaying tracks, album art, and music videos is key for your EPK, so make sure they take centre stage. It is important to stand out so make sure your tracks are professionally mixed & mastered, this can make your track stand out among the rest. List your most popular releases first, as music promoters likely won’t have the time to stream your entire discography when deciding whether they want to take you on or not.

Don’t forget to include projects featuring your music as well. This way, you can give promoters a sense of how your songs have been used in the past and how they can display them in the future.

3) INCLUDE REVIEWS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

While your work should speak for itself, featuring external opinions makes it so it’s not just your word convincing promoters you’re worth their time – other people agree. Professional endorsements hold immense value when marketing your work in an EPK, especially if they’re well-known names giving their input.

4) SELECT HIGH-QUALITY VISUALS

Just because an EPK is an industry document doesn’t mean you’re limited to a text-laden PDF document, rather the opposite. Use images and videos to capture your audience’s attention and give a better idea of your artistic aesthetic. Including a video introduction, pictures of your stage setup or tech rider, promotional shoots, or even performance clips can help promoters get a sense of how to portray you in the media. Pro tip: ensure promotors can download the images from your EPK so they can use them.

5) HIGHLIGHT IMPORTANT DATES

Including a calendar or list of important upcoming dates lets promotors know when they can contact you for an interview or book you in for gigs in the future. Showing your performance calendar gives the reader a sense of your demand as an artist. You can also include release dates, interview appearances, and meet-and-greets, among other future resumé events.

CONCLUSION

An EPK can help you immensely as an artist when building connections in the music industry. From helping you get your band on a ticket when starting to helping you reach out to more prominent names to get featured in the press, an EPK is essential for public relations and marketing. Hopefully, these five tips will help you in crafting the best EPK you can

Written by Midhat Mujaddid

Do you have an EPK? Will you be adding any elements to yours? Let us know in the comments!

-

If you’re wanting to learn more about music production and business, we are developing a course called Producer Launch that will take you from beginner, all the way to knowing how to become a successful producer for a living!

Sign up here to be notified when it launches for an exclusive 50% off!