AI Music and Touchpoints in the Digital World

SGGP 05/04/2023 09:28

“Creation is not a simple process, requiring a lot of “humanity”, while AI uses human databases to learn and develop. Although we have witnessed AI composing, harmonizing and even performing, I think it is still a long way from “AI music ” finding the perfect touch with the audience,” musician and singer Hoang Dung expressed.

MV "Introversion" drawn with AI model by engineer Nguyen Hoang Bao Dai

AI goes with music

In mid-March, Ann was a completely new name but was enough to stir up the Vietnamese entertainment industry. She is the first virtual female singer in the country to have her own music product with the MV "How to say I love you", introduced to the public as a real singer. According to founder BoBo Dang, Ann was born based on AI algorithms and sound effects. The team confidently believes that her entry into the Vietnamese music market creates a new trend, minimizing some risks in the entertainment industry. Ann is planned to not only be a singer but also be able to act in movies, fashion shows, advertise, and participate in entertainment shows with some suitable approaches. The producer said that they will organize live concerts exclusively for her with Volumatric Hologram technology.

Previously, at the Ho Chi Minh City Music Festival - Hozo Festival 2022, two surreal virtual singers, Michau and Damsan, appeared. The duo performed alongside famous artists and bands from the US, Korea, UK, France, Spain, India, and Vietnamese singers such as Van Mai Huong, Uyen Linh, Bich Phuong, Vu Cat Tuong... They performed live on stage with real dancers through Hologram projection technology.

At the Tech Awards 2022 event, engineer Nguyen Hoang Bao Dai (29 years old, studying for a master's degree in AI in Singapore) presented a performance combining the power of AI models in the problem of artistic creation. His music-writing AI model, which can create 10 songs in 1 second based on 30,000 Vietnamese songs, was released in early 2021 and has been upgraded to version 2.0, which can write harmonies in parallel with melodies. To update the AI model of music composition combined with painting, he said that when combining the two models, it will create 60 paintings in 1 second, combined to create a music video . However, according to him, AI is used to write songs, harmonize, come up with ideas for MVs, while the stages of arranging, recording, mixing, mastering, etc. still require human hands.

Musician HUY TUAN: "Only humans can bring the deepest emotions. AI is a trend of the times, it may be enough for entertainment products, music festival events, but to demand a deeper position, it will probably take a long time. AI is not enough for products that lean towards depth, carrying the strong personal voice of the artist"

The Boundaries of Art - AI

Keeping up with the flow of AI applications in music production and performance like many countries, Ann, Michau, Damsan or the AI model of writing music combined with painting are products created by a Vietnamese creative team, marking a new step in the Vietnamese music market. In the world, virtual singers have become a trend, created from human creativity with the support of leading technologies such as 3D design, AR, AI, CGI, and motion solutions.

Of course, the “encroachment” of AI has caused many conflicting opinions. Ann, Michau and Damsan are said to still bring a “phonograph” feeling. Engineer Bao Dai’s model has also received a lot of debate, because the boundaries of art and the artist’s own creativity are always highly valued. Especially for artists who create day and night, AI music is still not a fully accepted concept. As musician Quoc Bao expressed: “I do not write music for AI and do not use AI to write music for people to listen to”. For him, to write good music, each artist must exhaust all their emotions and talent to create.

Producer and musician Huy Tuan believes that we cannot underestimate the impact of AI on life. However, in the field of culture and art, especially music, the story is not simple because this is a field where emotions always play a leading role.

“In fact, machines have intervened in the process of composing and producing music for a long time. We can arrange a complete song with just 1 computer, 1 midi controller (recording device) and virtual sound boxes without having to prepare a studio with real instruments. However, with large projects that expect high quality, music producers still prioritize choosing musicians and singers to play live with real instruments. This is what makes Dung believe that the audience's trust in the "human" element in music is very strong and difficult to replace," musician - singer Hoang Dung shared.

It is undeniable that AI is increasingly asserting its position in the flow of technology and music is not outside its influence. The answer to whether virtual singers and the songwriting model will deeply impact the music industry or quickly fall into oblivion will be proven over time. With the Vietnamese music market, everything is still in the exploration stage. From an open perspective, it can be seen that these events can pave the way for a new niche market - where artists can explore many new opportunities where AI is a powerful assistant, not a competitor.

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