Artificial Intelligence in Sound Design: A Revolution or a Threat?

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the music and sound design industry, sparking a heated debate: will AI steal the jobs of sound designers, or will it become their greatest ally? From automating tedious tasks to generating innovative musical ideas, AI's capabilities are reshaping the creative landscape.

Yet, the irreplaceable human touch in sound design — steeped in creativity, intuition, and emotional depth — remains a formidable frontier.

In this article, Roman Ponomarenko, sound designer and composer with 20+ years of professional experience, explores the transformative potential of AI in sound design and what this means for the future of music.

Debates around AI in Music

Artificial intelligence (AI) is already making significant progress in music and sound design. However, will the sophisticated AI of the future eventually replace human professionals in these fields? Navigating such a complex issue proves to be quite challenging, as AI brings forth a mix of exciting opportunities and daunting challenges.

On one hand, AI demonstrates impressive abilities in sound creation and processing, providing automation tools for streamlining tasks, accelerating processes, and fostering innovation. For instance, AI is currently used to elevate the quality of recordings and music compositions. AI-driven systems can swiftly analyze audio files and recommend enhancements.

Previously, these tasks demanded hours of manual labor. Software solutions such as Izotope RX and Steinberg’s Spectral Layers excel in eliminating background noise, restoring corrupted audio, and fine-tuning instrument levels. These advancements notably alleviate the workload of sound engineers and designers.

Indeed, sound design transcends mere technical procedures — it is a form of art that requires creativity, intuition, and empathy toward human emotions. These qualities continue to define the unique human touch in the realm of sound design.

The adoption of AI in music production raises numerous questions and debates. Can AI truly replace human musicians? Will AI-generated music be able to evoke emotions and set the perfect mood for different situations? As AI becomes more sophisticated, how will sound designers and composers adapt to these changes?

These questions highlight the complex relationship between AI and the human elements of music and sound design and are extremely interesting to speculate on.

Current Capabilities of AI in Sound Design

AI can perform a variety of tasks related to music creation and sound design:

1. Generative Music: AI is able to compose music by analyzing existing pieces. Examples of this technology include services like Suno and Udio, as well as platforms like OpenAI's MuseNet and Google's Magenta.

   
   

   Fun fact: Major firms such as Sony Music, Universal Music Group, and Warner Records accuse Suno and Udio of committing copyright infringement on an "almost unimaginable scale." The companies' representatives allege that the software plagiarizes music to produce similar works, seeking $150,000 (£118,200) per infringed piece.

   
   

   The lawsuits, announced by the Recording Industry Association of America, are part of a growing wave of legal actions from authors, news organizations, and other groups challenging the rights of AI firms to use their work.

   
   

2. Sound Analysis and Processing: Nowadays, several kinds of AI are able to analyze audio files, improve sound quality, remove noises, and perform algorithmic mastering. Technologies like Microsoft’s Deep Noise Suppression (DNS) and Xiph.org’s RNNoise are good examples. AI can also restore damaged or low-quality audio recordings by filling in missing fragments and correcting distortions.

   
   

3. Automatic Soundtrack Creation: AI can select music to match specific videos, creating soundtracks that fit the mood and tempo of the video.

   
   

The Advantages and Limitations of AI

The benefits and disadvantages of artificial intelligence in sound design are as follows.

• Speed and Efficiency: AI can rapidly generate and analyze vast amounts of data, cutting down the time required for music and sound production.

  
  

• Accessibility: AI does not require a recording studio, expensive monitors, or a well-designed acoustic space. Today’s AI technologies are increasingly accessible, enabling more people to use them for music and sound creation.

  
  

• Reliability: AI doesn’t get tired, lose concentration, or lack inspiration. There’s no risk of AI making mistakes due to fatigue or lack of sleep.

• New Possibilities: AI can generate unimaginable combinations of sounds having only a human text prompt.

  
  

Limitations:

• Lack of Creativity and Originality: AI largely depends on the data it is trained on. While it can create music based on existing patterns, creating truly original pieces remains a challenge for it.

  
  

• Absence of Emotional Depth: Music and sound carry emotional nuances that AI struggles to replicate without human intervention.

  
  

• Individuality: Every composer, sound designer, and musician’s work is unique, reflecting their personal style and worldview. This individuality can hardly be reproduced by AI. Interestingly, mistakes (such as a wrong note in a score or an accidentally struck string) that people make while creating music can also add a bit of style, a personal touch to the final product. Those "happy accidents" could often lead to incredible and unpredictable results.

  
  

Collaborations and Experiments

There are artists whose music perfectly showcases the captivating blend of human musicianship and cutting-edge technology.

• Brian Eno is a pioneer of ambient music. He explores generative music and experiments with the elements created or organized through algorithms and systems.

• Aphex Twin. Richard D. James, known as Aphex Twin, is a progenitor of IDM (Intelligent Dance Music). His experiments with sound have made him one of the most innovative and influential musicians in electronic music.

• Hans Zimmer and his Soundtracks. For "Dune” (2021), Hans Zimmer, a renowned contemporary composer and sound designer, created a soundtrack that exemplifies the unforgettable, other-worldly integration of technology, unconventional melodies, and acoustic instruments.

A Look Into the Future

In conclusion, AI and new technologies have significantly enriched the professional arsenal of musicians and sound designers, introducing new creative possibilities. The adoption of novel techniques, unusual instruments, and alterations to sound effects can result in the development of fresh sounds that have the potential to reshape our understanding of music.

There is more: this can lead us to the emergence of new musical paths.

The emergence of advanced technologies in digital audio workstations (DAWs), sound synthesis software, and processing algorithms is expanding the horizons for sound designers. Additionally, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) present innovative approaches to sound manipulation and creation.

In the future, AI is expected to further enhance the capabilities of sound designers. However, it is unlikely that AI will completely replace humans in the foreseeable future. This is primarily due to the fact that creating music and film soundscapes involves a profound understanding of context and human emotions, which AI currently lacks.

The collaborative process between directors, composers, and sound designers continues to be crucial in the creation of soundtracks.

AI will probably take on a growing supportive role, enriching the abilities of sound designers and unlocking fresh creative possibilities, rather than completely displacing them.

Feature Image Credit: Denisse Leon/via Unsplash