Making a Song with GrimesAI (AI Vocals)
Love Music More · hosted by Luke F. Walton · Solo episode
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Topics discussed
Host note
Three AI tools, one song: ChatGPT for lyrics, Splice AI for instrumentation, GrimesAI for vocals. The only way to actually understand the hype (and the weaknesses) of these tools is to build something with them, so that's what I do here, live, on record.
GrimesAI turns out to be the most interesting piece: it's not a Vocaloid trick, it keeps my vibrato, my articulation, my breath, which raises real questions about identity and where a voice actually lives. Splice works differently. It pays musicians to record small loops, and using it means outsourcing a chorus of other producers into your beat without ever meeting them.
I don't land on a clean verdict. There's something between missing breaths and genuine collaboration that I want to keep digging into, a kind of sympathy between the tool and the musician I'm not ready to explain away yet.
Selected moments
- The Call to Experiment with AI 0:00 I introduce the experiment with AI tools, setting the stage for a hands-on exploration.
- Questions About Identity and AI 1:24 I reflect on the deeper implications of AI and identity, sparking philosophical questions.
- Collaboration with AI 12:50 I discuss the collaboration between myself and the AI tools in creating music.
- Musical Connection through Tools 3:45 I elaborate on the synergy between humans and their tools in music creation.
- Exploring AI Vocal Technology 8:22 An overview of how GrimesAI functions as a voice-changer to modify my vocal inputs.
- Making a Disco Beat 11:15 I explain the process of creating a beat using Splice's AI-assisted library.
Selected excerpts
But I think that we're kind of missing the point, maybe the why of it all... Have we thought this through all the way? No, absolutely not.
When you actually start using this stuff, I'll show you an example... There is a missing breath, that I just think the concept is off.
The genius of what this GrimesAI stuff is, it's not Vocaloid... It maintains my vibrato, my articulation, my internal breath.
What Splice does is they pay musicians to record little loops, and the magic of where they're going is... it's outsourcing a bunch of different producers to build beats.
This is a collaboration with my tool and myself... It's got an interesting vibe but again this is a bunch of different musicians that are all kind of coming together into an AI-led vision.
I want to have that time to dig into that in the next podcast because I do think that there is sympathy there; there's some sort of energy between the two.
FAQ
What AI tools did you use to create a song in this episode?
I used ChatGPT for lyrics, Splice AI for instrumentation, and GrimesAI for vocals.
What are the main philosophical questions raised about AI in music?
I discuss the implications of identity and emotional depth in music as AI takes a more central role in the creative process.
How does GrimesAI work in generating vocals?
GrimesAI functions as a voice-changer, allowing my voice to take on the characteristics of Grimes' vocals while maintaining my original vocal traits.
These pages are host notes, not a full transcript. An automatic transcript is on the Spotify episode.