New Monday #2
AI Music
Undoubtedly AI is the future of music production, just like the microwave is the future of cooking.
Suno.ai is fun in a scary way. Make an account for free, put in a prompt, and get a song a few seconds later.
The prompt was “Romantic pop ballad about alien abduction.” The result is this link here.
It’s not bad, and there are even some interesting chord changes leading into the chorus that are stealable. Humans have written worse songs.
Sorta wish the lyrics were more like, “Gorgax strapped me to a table and pulled out a machine” rather than “Star crossed lover looked in my eyes” but perhaps the AI was set for PG.
What do you think? A good way to generate ideas? A fun thing to do on Valentines Day? A creative way to tell your boss to take this job and shove it? A means of singing goodbye to your career in music?
Will.I.Am has some very cogent thoughts on the topic of AI. See the short vid here...
All Hail the Dyna Comp
Exploring unintended uses of audio equipment ranks high among Dan’s top studio pleasures. Enter The MXR 102 Dyna Comp: a guitar compressor pedal from 1972.
It's far from being the most Hi-FI piece of gear but it possesses genuine character and is readily accessible.
The brain of this circuit is an OTA (Operational Transconductance Amplifier), which adjusts signal volume based on its input. An Envelope Detector calculates the magnitude of the signal and gives the OTA current feedback relative to the input volume, boosting weaker signals. The distinctive sound of this pedal is linked to corrective equalization which helps tone down the noise. This makes it a perfect candidate to "use and abuse" in unintended ways.
Dan’s fave use, believe it or not, is as a really aggressive vocal compressor. It's over the top, in a great way, and helps create unique sounds that catch your ear.
It's also been rumored that the legend Randy Staub used this as a kick drum compressor.
Don't forget, these things run at instrument level, so you'll need to convert to/from line level before you patch into your rig. There are dedicated devices that make this process simple, like the Radial Engineering EXTC. Or you can use a reamp and DI box to get the job done.
You can also just plug the damn thing in and see what happens, but whenever you do frankenstein games like this, don’t wear headphones and keep the speakers off or really low until you figure out if it’s working. You only get one set of ears.
Happy experimenting!
Dan and Luke
Feel free to send us comments. We always love to hear from you.
