The Disruption of Sound Production: Is AI Really Worth It?

The future is closer than we think. Will algorithms take over the creative industry? 

What once sounded like science fiction now brings society closer to a cyberpunk reality where our creative skills matter less than high tech. AI is used by many people daily, and it's only at the beginning of its development. As Artificial Intelligence rapidly integrates into creative industries, questions are appearing: Will AI harm sound production?

To answer this question, I spoke to a variety of people, including musicians, people from a recording studio, and young adults. One of them was Simon, a musician from a duo band called Bent. Simon started his career in the late 90s, way before AI became a part of the industry. During our podcast, he shared his belief:

“AI can't create anything from its own imagination” 

Young adults, tend to have strong opinions on the use of AI in music.  Many of them were not involved in sound production but still had strong opinion on AI in music in general. Some mentioned how AI songs on TikTok started to get a lot of hype, because people didn't even know it was AI at the start. 

So, is AI really worth your time? A quick answer would be no, but it is helpful in some ways when producing. There is an Artificial Intelligence software which you can find in most digital audio workstations (DAWs), commonly referred to as AI tools: these include declipper, chord generator, stem splitter, voice AI, and automatic master. Many of these tools may be seen as potentially disruptive to creativity, but some are created to support the creative process rather than replacing it. 

To get a clearer perspective on this, I spoke to people from JT Soar a recording studio where all artists are welcome to work on producing or recording their music. When asked about AI-powered features in digital audio workstations like FL Studio, they explained:

 “It's approximation based on an algorithm of generic music which makes it a limited use” 

While opinions are still divided among the public, it gets a lot more interesting when you look at how musicians themselves are dealing with AI. One example of this is musician Lauv, who asked producer Jordan “DJ Swivel” Young to use AI voice-cloning software to translate his vocals into Korean for a song. The program which was used is Hooky, a popular AI voice cloning/licensing platform. This shows how artists beginning to experiment with AI tools in more creative way, which means it doesn't take away the individuality neither creativity. 

On the other hand, some artists are gaining attention specifically because they choose not to use AI in their work. Recently, musician Yung Lean from SadBoys released the music video for his new single ‘STORM’, which quickly became a topic of discussion online since no Artificial Intelligence was used in the production of the clip. People on TikTok shared how much they love the choreography and cinematography in the new Yung Lean music video. Sadly, some people from AI and tech spaces online began criticising the choreography and the ideas shown throughout the music video, with many not fully understanding the artistic message behind it. This may suggest that these critics saw the music video as harmful to the growing AI industry, as Yung Lean showed how much can still be achieved through real people, performance, and creativity rather than Artificial Intelligence.

Artificial Intelligence is not only changing the way artists make music, but also the way audiences interact with it. Fans online have started using AI to finish unreleased snippets by artists like Lil Uzi Vert. Most of the time, only a short snippet of a leaked track is available online, but people on platforms like SoundCloud tend to use AI voice-cloning and music-generation tools to create their own versions of the full track. This shows that fans are no longer just listening to music but are becoming part of the creative process. However, fans can tell when AI has been used to finish unreleased snippets. Typically, leaked songs have low-quality audio, which makes lyrics unclear; but AI-generated parts often have a clear sound and are smoother. 

In conclusion, AI in sound production has a lot of controversial opinions. It is clearly changing how music is made, but it also makes society question what “real creativity” means. The surge of AI in sound production rises a significant threat to the musicians, producers, and even public, as AI tools are now capable of composing tracks autonomously may reduce demand for human creativity. Whether it becomes a helpful tool or something that takes over creative spaces is still up for debate. While we can't change how AI will develop in creative industries in the future, change can start from you – in how you choose to support, use, and think about it.