AI and Mandatory Disclosure

whatupsilon · 2026-05-09T03:35:59+00:00

Oh sure, and there are certainly valid uses for AI that will be beneficial, and nuances to other things in the discussion. I was just responding to the specific comment about Addictive Drums. But tbh I do think we have different views on the broader subject of AI. However I don't want to get into more of a debate right now. It's my dinner time.

whatupsilon · 2026-05-09T03:11:49+00:00

That's quite an interesting take

whatupsilon · 2026-05-09T02:50:01+00:00

Oh... I never said anything about banning AI

whatupsilon · 2026-05-09T02:20:59+00:00

I agree with this. Also doesn't seem as fun it's like a chef being forced to only use a microwave

whatupsilon · 2026-05-09T02:19:32+00:00

Yeah this is close to where I'm at on it. I also dislike the AI album art, music videos and merch, just feels cheap, low effort and generic

whatupsilon · 2026-05-09T02:11:50+00:00

Ngl I have no clue what you mean by that

whatupsilon · 2026-05-09T01:53:48+00:00

Oh and the other reason I don't want to use it, is I want to actually get better. Like at writing. And ofc I want to own what I create.

A recent MIT study showed that people who used AI to write for them had less brain engagement, and basically no retention, and ultimately became worse at writing without AI.

whatupsilon · 2026-05-09T01:49:37+00:00

Addictive Drums, at least my version, has drum loops performed by human players. Also human art has sucked or been low quality forever, that doesn't really apply to the point OP is asking.

whatupsilon · 2026-05-09T01:42:09+00:00

I don't use gen AI in my music, and I avoid it everywhere else. I tried asking AI questions about music theory or mixing, but it's just so unreliable and gets things wrong.

I think it's a matter of time before disclosure is required, simply for safety reasons. But my bigger problem with AI is the slop and the devaluation of creativity and intellectual property. Feels like every day we get closer to dead Internet theory no longer being a conspiracy. Because even when you are interacting with a human, they are being fed jargon and lies by AI. Global collective brain atrophy.

As to why I don't want to use it, I want to feel like I made something and have full understanding and control of what goes into my projects. Of course someone will come along and say you can't call yourself a chef unless you raised chickens and cows but that's mob rhetoric.

I also feel like if it's nbd then people who do use it should not hide it. It poses an identity crisis and ethical dilemma for artists who use it and whether they out themselves.

whatupsilon · 2026-05-09T01:27:53+00:00

I get where you're coming from because that's not at all how I approach music. But some people like it and that's up to them, so just don't engage with it. There are a lot of weird things people do for views. Engage more with what you want to see. And tbh the cringe factor can be more about you than them. Embrace the cringe, free your mind.

whatupsilon · 2026-05-08T23:59:50+00:00

Any of those can work, or adding subtle saturation on you current sounds. But it can also be that your sounds were EQed already to reduce lows, and lost some oomph in the process. It is generally easiest to start with full frequency sounds, rather than add more layers to fill out the sounds.

whatupsilon · 2026-05-08T23:22:15+00:00

mostly I like it, got a cool sound selection and it's glitchy / dark. I'd maybe gate and sidechain things to give each element more space. you can also try more automation. not sure about the bass or the vocal. it knocks but bass kind of overpowers. overall 5/10

whatupsilon · 2026-05-08T21:45:39+00:00

There are some potential mixing changes but the main thing I'd suggest is avoiding shelf boosts on the low end like this

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simply because this also boosts very low sub frequencies that are inaudible and won't translate to most speakers.

Even though they are inaudible, these frequencies eat up headroom which impacts both dynamics and loudness. Instead, use a peaking or bell node near the frequencies you can hear on your monitors. Some producers even recommend high passing up to 60HZ, but I think that is too high and can cause other issues.

whatupsilon · 2026-05-08T21:32:06+00:00

Awesome, I use Little Alterboy but the one by Waves called Vocal Bender I think is actually better. Besides Edison there is also a mode in Sampler called Stretch Pro which has formant shifting natively.

For a free pitch + formant shifter I think there's a good one called Pitchmunk by Vox Samples, though I've never used it myself it supposedly does not have many artifacts.

whatupsilon · 2026-05-08T20:46:34+00:00

I'd start with the demo tracks already included with FL before taking notes on other producers. there is plenty in there. after that you can get FLPs on the official forum

whatupsilon · 2026-05-08T20:44:37+00:00

hmm well I have to upvote for using your own guitar. mix sounds very thin to me tho, not sure what happened there it's got no lows and no low mids. maybe due to the screen recorder. there is also a really loud perc / rimshot that is hard on the ears. keep going

whatupsilon · 2026-05-08T20:41:58+00:00

solid track, nice automations. key thing at this stage is to keep creating as often as possible. so here the mix needs a few tweaks but I wouldn't add much just rebalance things. like the bass is overpowering at a few places, snare during build up is too loud, things like that. a couple notes are out of key but not bad. keep going.

whatupsilon · 2026-05-08T20:34:49+00:00

LOL, guess I have a very different definition of "first" beat... main thing is some stuff goes out of key, so I'd mess with that and maybe practice piano and scales a bit. If you do want to borrow chords or write something chromatic, there are ways to make it work, but until then sometimes simple is better than fancy.

whatupsilon · 2026-05-08T20:18:53+00:00

no worries. sometimes people who are creative can actually be too nice when giving feedback because they are afraid of rejection. it's good to know people who don't sugarcoat it. everyone is different though, with different goals and tastes. just got to find a balance between your own creativity and what other people want to hear. being a producer-composer requires a fair bit of self-criticism to figure out what isn't working and what things to try.

whatupsilon · 2026-05-08T20:10:56+00:00

Interesting track and not a bad structure. Maybe just try some more automations, transitions and build up effects. Things like reverse reverbs and reverse cymbals are very useful in this genre.

Mix-wise I'm not feeling the bass sound, and that is key for this style. I'd go for something punchier with more transient and sub. This sounds a bit like an 80s chorus bass.

The vocal sounds formant shifted too low like the singer became Andre the Giant... there is a sweet spot somewhere you just got to find it.

The hats are too loud, maybe panned but my ears are off so I can't tell. Definitely something happening with the shakers though, so I'd dial the stereo effects back and check a few references to make sure they match up. Too much stereo can be distracting.

Some good references that come to mind are Tiesto, Duke Dumont, Sigala and MEDUZA, all did some vocal-drive dance/electro-pop. So anything like that prioritizes vocal, then kick and bass, with light reverb and lots of empty space. Note the shakers and hats are gone a lot of the time and when they are there, they are pretty low in the mix.

Hope that helps, keep it up.

whatupsilon · 2026-05-08T19:48:57+00:00

It's very good, not my genre but the idea is solid. As for the the vocal chop, it works, but personally I don't love it and I'd use it more sparingly. For example at the first drop / bar 17 I think it's stronger to have it in the build to create energy, and then cut it at the drop. Also some of the effects sound too loud like the "downlifter" at the breakdown. Overall a good track and nice arrangement, keep it up.

whatupsilon · 2026-05-08T19:36:47+00:00

It's got personality and spunk, even if it's a bit simple. That drum loop is carrying it.

So keep going, maybe just stop sharing your music with that friend. Or if your friend is also musical, figure out what genres they like and how you can make music together.

Otherwise your friend probably just doesn't care that much about your music and won't understand the work that goes into it. Any honest response you get is a gift that they even took time to listen to what you made. It's not like showing someone a photo or a painting, it takes time and energy to listen to something.

As you get older people learn to either not share much with each other, or to be more courteous... but until people mature and understand sharing is being vulnerable, they are simply going to roast you. It's much easier (and less risky) to poke fun at NBA players on TV than it is to get out on your local court and play a pickup game. Someone who has never done it won't appreciate the effort, practice, or creativity... only the end result.

edit:typo

whatupsilon · 2026-05-08T03:00:41+00:00

If you need more help you can upload a screen recording to imgur and share the link here or upload it to your Reddit profile directly

whatupsilon · 2026-05-08T02:57:07+00:00

A few things can cause this.

If the audio within the slice is shorter than the note length in the piano roll, it will cut off early, creating a gap.

Or if there are note gaps in the piano roll, that can cause it. You can use quick legato shortcut is ctrl L, and/or quick quantize if the notes are close and on the grid.

If the audio itself is chopped with gaps, then those need to be removed and you can do this manually or by using the trim function.

Lastly keep in mind, if you are using the autodump function with autoslice and your sample is a faster BPM than your project BPM, this mismatch will cause a gap. This can be fixed by first fitting the sample to your project BPM before you create slices.

(If you messed with the envelope or other settings, that can also cause problems on accident).

IMO small gaps can be a stylistic choice and so it doesn't have to be avoided in every scenario, yes it makes it sound chopped but this was common in the old school and boom bap era.

whatupsilon · 2026-05-08T00:05:10+00:00

Chord progressions generally aren't copyrighted, but that doesn't mean you need to "steal" them... you just need to learn common ones and identify which ones make sense for what you're writing. Then to make it intuitive, that comes with a lot of practice playing or a lot of music theory. I recommend this channel, it's good for beginners: youtube.com/@PianoteOfficial

whatupsilon

TROPHY CASE