Instructions for Option A: Compare AI and human music
- Pick one of your favorite music genres, such as trap, folk, country, etc.💡 It’s better to be choose a rather specific style, rather than a generic category like Pop or Classical.
- Now choose a musical work composed and played by a human that you think exemplifies the best traits of this genre.⚠️ You must be able to find a publicly accessible recording of this song that does not require a login, such as Soundcloud, YouTube or a standalone audio file (eg, MP3) on your harddrive.⚠️ Others cannot listen to a Spotify track without logging in, so don’t use Spotify.
- Now find an AI tool that generates music. Create a free account if necessary.💡 Examples include Soundraw, Udio, and Suno, and Mubert.⚠️ The service must let you download or link to a generated song.
- Use the tool to create a music track as close as possible to the human-created track you chose. Be sure to specify the same genre, and if possible other parameters like instruments, tempo, vocal style, and so on.
- In WordPress, create a post with a title like Task 11: Mary Gonzalez. Add the Task 11 category to your post.
- Under the heading Human-generated music, upload (via Add Media) or link to (via the ⛓️💥 button) the first audio file. Name the artist, title, and genre.
- Under the second heading AI-generated music, upload (via Add Media) or link to (via the ⛓️💥 button) the second audio file. Name the tool, genre, and any other information about the track.
- Under the third heading My evaluation, write a paragraph of at least two sentences contrasting the two tracks in detail. How well did the AI song capture the traits of the human one?
- Then write a second paragraph forecasting your thoughts on the future of music. How much will generative AI impact the genre of music you chose, for better or worse?
- Publish your post and complete the post-task survey to get full credit.
Instructions for Option B: Create an AI soundscape
- Visit https://app.audiogen.co/login to create an account (this will bypass the waitlist screen that normally appears).
- Write text prompts to generate at least two ambient sounds related to a single scene depicted in any other exercise this semester (eg, from your actual soundscape recording, your hoax, or your “break a cliché” storyboard. Find the photograph you took or generated to represent this scene.
- In an audio editor, mix the results in an audio editor. You can use the Audacity or Oceanaudio app you downloaded for your previous Task.
- Evaluate these aspects of the result:
- The quality of the entire mixture as it relates your scene. Does it include all the sounds that you would expect? Does it give the same sort of feeling of the scene that was depicted?
- Which sound portions might be better off excluded, or could be improved. Why?
- Is the result a stereotype of the environment’s soundscape or a revelation about it?
- Make some sort of change based on your evaluation. This could be adding a track, replacing a track with something different, or trying to refine a track with another attempt at the new location.
- Re-mix your results and export as an mp3 file.
- In WordPress, create a WordPress post with a title like Task 11: Mary Gonzalez. Add the Task 11 category to your post.
- Under the heading Subject of My Soundscape, add the picture and short text description for the scene your ambient sounds are meant to depict.
- Under the heading My Prompt and Results, add your instructions to the audio generator as well as the first and last clip you generated.
- Under the heading My Process and Evaluation, add a paragraph of at least four sentences explaining how you tried to improve your first ambient mix and evaluating the results, e.g.:
- Does the final mix include all the sounds that you would expect?
- Does it give the same sort of feeling of the scene that was depicted?
- Compared to your actual field recording for a previous Task, did AI produce a stereotype of the environment’s soundscape or a revelation about it?
- Under this same heading, attach all of the individual audio clips (not the final mixes) used in your process.
- Publish your post and complete the post-task survey to get full credit.
FAQ
What’s the grading rubric for Option A?
- You named a human musical composition with a specific genre: from 0 to +1 points
- You uploaded or linked to a playable version of the human track: from 0 to +1 points
- You named an AI musical composition with a specific genre: from 0 to +1 points
- You uploaded or linked to a playable version of the AI track: from 0 to +1 points
- You described the contrast between the two in detail: from 0 to +2 points
- You explained the impact of AI music for the genre you chose: from 0 to +2 points
- You were thoughtful or imaginative: from 0 to +2 points
- You were late: from 0 to -3 points, with one point off per week.
Your grade is the total of all points times 10, for a possible maximum of 100%.
What’s the grading rubric for Option B?
- You added a picture and description representing your subject: from 0 to +2 points
- You wrote a detailed prompt crafted to produce the best possible soundscape: from 0 to +2 points
- You included the first and last audio mix, showing a progression from one to the other: from 0 to +2 points
- You described your process and included individual clips for isolated sounds: from 0 to +2 points
- You were thoughtful or imaginative: from 0 to +2 points
- You were late: from 0 to -3 points, with one point off per week.
Your grade is the total of all points times 10, for a possible maximum of 100%.
Can you suggest some other music generators for Option A?
This video reviews some recent tools: 6 Best AI Music Generators of 2024
Where can I get help with editing a soundscape for Option B?
Can I see a model answer?
As one example for reference, here’s a sample A+ assignment for Option B. Your submission may look quite different and still get a good grade if you follow the rubric. (☹️ Unfortunately there is no model answer for Option A yet.)