Composing music with AI

To me, nothing compares to the feeling of being able to compose music.

You can produce short sequences using any instrument, even individual notes, then mix them, often ending up with a completely different sound than the one you started with.

Composing with AI platforms, like ElevenLabs, is much the same. What I like with this platform is the ability to prompt tracks in certain styles with isolated individual instruments, or just voices alone, then combine them, or bits of them, to create my own compositions.

In other words, with today’s AI tools, not knowing an instrument is no longer a barrier. You can think like a composer, experimenting with instruments, arrangements and melodies until the music becomes your own.

I use a Mac and also record my own sounds, such as keyboards, nature ambiences and street recordings. With AI, I tend to do a part of the work with prompts, then I sort the generated tracks by instruments or style in Music (formerly iTunes), bring my favourites into GarageBand and start arranging them together.

I’ve recently finalised my first album, Innocent Games. The project took about ten months from start to finish, and I feel a real sense of accomplishment. Watching each track gradually come together was one of the most rewarding parts of the process. Some pieces, such as Tenderness, went through five or six completely different versions before I was finally satisfied with the result.

I’m now creating the accompanying videos, which I’ll release on YouTube and other platforms. At the same time, I’ve already started work on my second album. It will be completely different, both musically and structurally. Whereas Innocent Games tells a story and is designed as a one-hour musical journey, the new album will consist of independent tracks. It will still have an ambient foundation, but will blend retro-futuristic, chill-out and classical influences.