In a world where technology is seamlessly intertwining with every aspect of our lives, the realm of music remains a powerful testament to human creativity and emotion. As a classical music enthusiast, I’ve always been drawn to the intricate beauty and timeless elegance of symphonies, concertos, and sonatas.
With this album, I embarked on an extraordinary journey to blend tradition with innovation, utilizing the Music Transformer from the Magenta AI Research Group to create a classical music album. It was incredibly interesting to receive piano “riffs” generated by the AI, which I then had to manipulate by cutting, re-arranging, and discovering new movements to craft the final compositions.
"AI can be a tool for musicians, just as a synthesizer is a tool. It can help in the creative process but it will always require human input to truly resonate."
Deal with A.I
With this album, I embarked on an extraordinary journey to blend tradition with innovation, utilizing the Music Transformer from the Magenta AI Research Group to create a classical music album. This project marked my first experience with Logic Pro, and provided an excellent training ground for classical music writing.
The process was incredibly fascinating as I worked with piano melodies generated by the AI. These snippets of music served as a starting point, challenging me to manipulate them by cutting, re-arranging, and discovering new movements. Each step required meticulous attention to detail and a deep understanding of classical music structures. The AI-generated material offered a fresh perspective, pushing me to think outside the box and experiment with new techniques.
A significant part of this journey involved ensuring the piano sounded as realistic as possible. I had to carefully select a piano sound that captured the nuances and expressiveness of a live performance : this involved handling reverb to create a sense of space and depth, and adding subtle noise to mimic the imperfections of an acoustic piano. Balancing these elements was crucial to achieving an authentic and immersive listening experience.
3D Clips
In addition to the musical composition, I chose to work on 3D clips to visually enhance the storytelling aspect of the album.
My idea was to describe and illustrate a love story between an upright and a grand piano, symbolizing the union of technology and traditional “way” to see music. The upright piano, with its humble charm, embodied the innovative spirit of modern technology, while the grand piano, with its majestic presence, represented the classic way of doing things.
Through 3D animation, I was able to bring this concept to life, depicting the emotional journey of these two instruments as they discover and complement each other’s strengths.
