New AI-Powered App Lets Anyone Make Music Mashups, No DJs Required

Ever think of yourself as having great taste in music? Or perhaps a master mixer of the perfect playlists? Well, there’s a new application that will allow anyone to put together a mashup of their favorite tunes, no DJ expertise required.

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Center for Music Technology have developed Mixboard, a simple tablet application powered by artificial intelligence (AI). All users have to do is drag and drop up to four songs from a music library, sit back, and let the system do the rest.

According to the team, the software works by segmenting songs into four components: vocals, bass, chords, and drums. Then, the AI uses information from open-source music libraries to identify a track’s tempo, keys, and music stems before breaking it up into 32 bars.

Users can choose from templates of basic song structures to remix the tunes while relying on the algorithm to aid them in matching the desired tempo and key. However, one issue the scientists will have to grapple with is the dark cloud of licensing restrictions.

Due to the strict copyright laws surrounding music, it may take a while before Mixboard is released commercially for public use. The team explained that the idea behind the software was to democratize music production and help music lovers explore their creativity.

“I think everyone can become creative with music. Maybe not everyone knows all the theory that is required to compose a piece of music on a note level, but almost all people like music,” said Professor Gil Weinberg.

[via New Atlas and Knowridge Science Report, cover image via Georgia Institute of Technology]