6 innovations in AI music production and composition

The unveiling of Lejaren Hiller’s

Illiac Suite was a foundational moment in AI development.

The computer that composed the piece – the ILLIAC 1 – was the very first ‘supercomputer’ to be used by an academic institution back in 1956. It composed the suite by organising an array of algorithmic choices, provided by Hiller. While baffling to many at the time, the work of this computer is now regarded as astonishingly innovative.

ILLIAC 1 1956 EMI 1997

David Cope’s Experiments in Musical Intelligence program was initially conceived to offer new creative pathways when inspiration was lacking, but what Cope actually had stumbled upon was the means to emulate the style of any artist whose work was fed into the software. Cleverly recognising patterns, the software was then able to generate new compositions that mirrored the style. Computer generated music was being born.

CONTINUATOR 2012

First devised in 2001, the Continuator was a machine learning piece of software. It gathered data on how musicians played, and learned to smartly complement them by improvising along in real-time using the data gathered on how they played as its template. Its inventor, Francois Patchet, would go on to be a big player in Spotify’s development.

DAVID BOWIE’S VERBASIZER 1995

An artist always ahead of the curve, David Bowie decided to modernise his ‘cut-up’ lyric writing technique in the 1990s. By 1995, many of Bowie’s lyrics were generated in tandem with this simple lyric-shuffling software. While not ‘smart’ per se, Bowie’s openness to creatively collaborating with technology while writing offered a tantalising glimpse of the future.

ZYNAPTIQ ADAPTIVERB 2016

Among the first major applications of AI into music mixing plugins, Zynaptiq’s Adaptiverb inspects the source audio and, using the Bionic Sustain resynthesizer, crafts the perfect, bespoke reverb tail, by way of hundreds of networked oscillators. It set a new precedent of underlining the practical benefits of machine learning across production.

iZOTOPE’S ASSISTIVE AUDIO TECHNOLOGY 2016

A company that’s embraced the time-saving potential of AI like few others, iZotope’s helpful Assistive Audio Technology is the secret sauce behind such flagship products as audio-enhancing RX and sound perfecting Ozone. By intelligently analysing audio and applying quick fixes, iZotope have probably collectively saved professionals years of precious time in the studio.