How My iPhone 16 Transforms Everyday Objects Into Stunning Macro Art Quick Links BandLab SongStarter ChatGPT CassetteAI LANDR Composer Soundful
Making your first tentative steps in songwriting can be daunting, but thankfully, AI technology is here to help. The following tools will generate a quick sketch to offer inspiration or even assist you in crafting a complete track.
1 BandLab SongStarter
BandLab SongStarter is designed to help you quickly generate musical ideas via a simple online interface. You start by entering a few basic cues about the type of track you want written, and then you can experiment with different styles, tempos, and keys.
To start, I was asked to enter a few of my favorite bands and artists and select a genre for my track. SongStarter immediately generated three tunes, including a relaxed R&B groove with swinging 8th notes on the hi-hats that would make a solid foundation for a complete track.
I selected it and clicked Edit in Studio, which brought up an online audio editor with individual tracks for the melody, chords, bass, and drums.
From within SongStarter's audio editor, you can record vocals, adjust levels, add effects like reverb, and fine-tune your composition. While I wouldn't choose to use it for a polished demo, it is a powerful brainstorming tool that helped me generate song ideas quickly and efficiently.
2 ChatGPT
While ChatGPT is mainly known for generating conversational text, it's also capable of writing song lyrics and can even help you come up with sounds and melodies. You can prompt the AI with various themes or even specific topics, and it will generate lyrics to suit your preferences.
While ChatGPT can create full verses, choruses, and even bridges, I believe it is best used to spark inspiration rather than as a substitute for your own lyrics.
In testing, I prompted ChatGPT to write song lyrics about Van Gogh's Sunflowers using an AABA structure. While these lyrics looked uninspiring to me, most lyrics do when unaccompanied, and they could quickly form the basis of a convincing song with some further editing.
I also asked the AI to write a melody over the chords Am7, D9, G11, and Am7. Surprisingly, it wrote a simple melody in guitar tablature, which would have translated well as a vocal line.
ChatGPT can also assist you in overcoming creative blocks. If you're stuck in the middle of a song, you can ask the AI for suggestions on how to move forward.
While I initially balked at using ChatGPT for creative purposes, I have softened to its abilities as a helpful tool to get you off the starting blocks or to inspire a new direction when your musical creativity wanes.
3 CassetteAI
CassetteAI stands out as an innovative online platform that combines AI with MIDI technology to generate unique songs tailored to your creative preferences. The program is designed for beginners, but even as a seasoned composer, I could use it as an inspirational tool and for quickly creating professional-sounding backing tracks for content creation.
I entered a couple of prompts to test CassetteAI. The first was "Compose, a summer hit in A major with a beach vibe," which yielded impressive results. Even the MIDI guitar sounded convincing enough.
Next, I tried the more complex prompt, "Write a space-themed song with sci-fi elements and an intergalactic feel," which I felt worked well as incidental music that would suit various forms of media.
What sets CassetteAI apart is its ability to convincingly compose entire songs and its use of various "Finetuned" models that work to different genres. You can also input multiple parameters, such as the song's genre, tempo, and desired mood, with the click of a button. The AI will then handle the creation of the beat, the melody, and even the arrangement, with the option to customize the song further.
4 LANDR Composer
LANDR Composer is a premium AI-powered music creation plugin that allows you to create a song from scratch or refine an existing composition. It generates arpeggios, basslines, melodies, and beats based on your input and is available in Audio Unit and VST3 formats for Mac and Windows systems.
Some of the standard features of LANDR Composer are its ability to generate intricate chord progressions, its smart MIDI sequencing, and Song Mode, which allows you to create entire compositions from multiple musical ideas.
LANDR Composer is available for around $75 and is compatible with all major DAWs (digital audio workstations). While it is an effective tool for those getting started in songwriting, an understanding of the fundamentals of DAWs and plugins is required to get the best results.
5 Soundful
Soundful is a user-friendly online platform for creating unique, high-quality tracks in various genres. For those looking for a solution that does all the heavy lifting with minimal creative input, Soundful is likely the most suitable program on this list.
After signing up, it's simply a case of choosing your favorite genre, selecting a style, and hitting the Create Preview button. Your track will be delivered in under a minute, and you can then change various parameters, including major or minor chords, tempo, and key, to fine-tune it to your requirements.
Once you're happy, you can name your track and download it to your music library. The result was a convincing uptempo pop/rock track that would rival most karaoke backing tracks for quality and sound decent with a vocal accompaniment.
Like most AI-generated music, Soundful tracks lack the depth and complexity that a human touch offers. With that said, it's perfect for background music or quick projects such as content creation, but professional musicians may find it limiting for more advanced compositions.
As a guitar player, I like that I can generate music in any key or tempo and riff over the top of it when practicing my scales and modes.
