Can you create AI soundtracks for image films, commercials and YouTube posts with MusicGen. from Meta?
Your film project is finished, but it’s still missing the right soundscape? You need a catchy melody for your next commercial or a groovy beat for your YouTube contribution? With MusicGen, you have a digital music producer at your disposal who can respond to your wishes and spit out an individual soundtrack in no time. But beware, legally the use of the output has not been clarified yet. Also, you need some technical experience to create a round loop from the generated music snippets.
But the best thing is: you don’t need any previous musical knowledge to use MusicGen. A program for editing audio files within a given BPM scheme like Logic Audio or Cubase allows is recommended for post-processing.
Step 1: Get to know MusicGen
Think of MusicGen as your personal composer who generates beat-loops based on text input: You can find MusicGen online at: https://replicate.com/joehoover/musicgen
Step 2: Give your instructions (prompt)
Just tell MusicGen what music you need. Do you want a relaxed jazz melody for a corporate video, a powerful rock beat for a commercial, or a gentle acoustic ballad for your YouTube post? No problem, instruct MusicGen according to your ideas. You can even specify a speed, pre-hum a rhythm or melody, and more if you already have a precise idea in mind.
I have tried the following prompts:
This is how a MusicGen UI looks like in June 2023:
Step 3: Enjoy the MusicGen ideas
Often the output is unusable. But once you’ve given your instructions, MusicGen starts working. Be surprised at what the digital beatmaker spits out to go with your ideas! Usually, with some tweaking of the prompt, great results are possible.
MusicGen Prompt: “Melodic Trap Loop” (Looped and edited with Logic Audio)
MusicGen Prompt: “Melodic Summer Happy Hiphop” (Looped and edited with Logic Audio)
MusicGen Prompt: “sunny beach deephouse vibes” (Looped and edited with Logic Audio)
MusicGen Prompt: “jazz piano trip hop” (Looped and edited with Logic Audio)
Step 4: Adjust
Now it’s time for the audio sample. Play the generated tracka. Does it fit, does it sound terrible? If you want to change something, no problem. MusicGen can adjust your track until it expresses exactly what you’re looking for. Repeat the generation and adjust the prompt accordingly.
Will AI replace composers and producers?
AI can certainly take over some tasks that are otherwise tedious and time-consuming. It can generate endless musical ideas and mix different genres and styles, which can lead to unique creations. This can be especially useful when it comes to producing background music for image films, commercials or YouTube posts.
Still, AI is currently unable to replicate the emotional nuances and creative intuition that humans bring to music. Creating a piece of music often requires a deep understanding of the feelings it is meant to evoke and the message it is meant to convey. AI is not yet mature enough here to beat the human composer.
Music is not just a product of notes and rhythms, but also of human experience and creativity. While AI has the ability to recognize and replicate patterns, it lacks the human element – the ability to understand and express real emotion. The examples above SHOW what Ki is already capable of today, but also make it clear that, at least in the short term, it will continue to need humans to do the fine-tuning and directing.
In conclusion, AI like MusicGen provides valuable support and can accelerate and enhance the creative process. But will not completely replace human composers and producers in the foreseeable future. AI can help us make music, but the soul and spirit of music still comes from us humans.
