How We DRASTICALLY Improved AI Vocals

Benn Jordan
4 Sept 202317:02

TLDRThe video discusses the revolutionary advancements in AI technology, specifically focusing on AI vocals. It explores the ethical considerations of voice cloning and the potential impact on the music industry. The speaker shares their personal journey with AI and music, dating back to Google's Magenta project. They highlight the importance of quality control in voice cloning and introduce an AI voice cloning workflow developed by a team led by DJ Fresh, emphasizing fair compensation for artists. The video also touches on the legal implications of AI-generated content and proposes a new model for artist compensation in the age of AI. Practical demonstrations of AI in music production are provided, showcasing the technology's potential and the need for professional standards. The speaker concludes with a call for fair treatment of artists in the evolving landscape of AI and music.

Takeaways

  • 🎤 The speaker has been exploring AI and music for seven years, starting with Google's Magenta project.
  • 🤖 AI voice cloning technology has advanced significantly, but still has room for improvement in terms of quality and ethical considerations.
  • 🚀 There's a new AI voice cloning workflow developed by a team including DJ Fresh that aims to sound better due to meticulous oversight from a top-tier music producer.
  • 💰 The economics of voice cloning technology need to be fair to artists, with the speaker's involvement aiming to solve the economic aspect of the puzzle.
  • 📚 A recent court decision ruled that AI-generated content cannot be copyrighted, potentially empowering artists like Taylor Swift to license their AI-regenerated voices directly.
  • 🎶 The speaker demonstrates a practical use of AI in music production, showing how a monotone recording can be transformed into harmonies using AI.
  • 🌐 There's a proposal for a new system that pays artists and vocalists fairly, allowing voice datasets to grow organically and include a wide range of voices.
  • 📈 Musicians could benefit from the recent changes in copyright law regarding AI, as they may not need record labels for AI-related music production.
  • 📝 The speaker emphasizes the importance of high-quality, custom-curated data for professional AI music tools, as opposed to noisy, hastily compiled data.
  • 👥 The voice swap AI is an experiment to set a standard for dealing with AI and artists, with the goal of fair compensation and control over the use of artists' voices.
  • 📌 The speaker is passionate about ensuring AI compensates artists correctly and invites feedback and questions from the audience on this topic.

Q & A

  • What is the main topic discussed in the video?

    -The main topic discussed in the video is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to replicate and manipulate human voices, specifically in the context of music production.

  • What are some ethical concerns raised about voice cloning technology?

    -The ethical concerns raised about voice cloning technology include issues related to consent, privacy, and the potential misuse of someone's voice for deceptive or harmful purposes.

  • How does the speaker's relationship with neural nets and music originate?

    -The speaker's relationship with neural nets and music originates from about seven years ago when Google's team was preparing the pre-release of 'magenta,' which required the installation of Linux.

  • What is the significance of the AI-generated voice in the context of copyright law?

    -The significance of AI-generated voice in the context of copyright law is that a recent court decision ruled that things generated with AI cannot be copyrighted, which could potentially disrupt the power dynamics between artists and major labels or media conglomerates.

  • What is the proposed solution to ensure fair compensation for artists in the AI music production space?

    -The proposed solution is to design a system that pays artists and vocalists fairly, possibly through equity ownership, optional royalty pools, and giving artists control over their own licensing terms.

  • How does the speaker's AI voice cloning workflow differ from other available technologies?

    -The speaker's AI voice cloning workflow differs because it is meticulously overseen by someone with a lifetime of top-tier music production experience, ensuring higher quality and professional standards in the voice models.

  • What is the role of the speaker in the voice swap AI project?

    -The speaker's role in the voice swap AI project is to help design a system that pays artists and vocalists fairly and to ensure that AI compensates artists correctly.

  • Why does the speaker believe that the current state of AI-generated voices does not sound convincing most of the time?

    -The speaker believes that the current state of AI-generated voices does not sound convincing most of the time due to a general lack of quality control and laziness in the data collection and training process.

  • What is the potential impact of AI on the music industry according to the speaker?

    -The potential impact of AI on the music industry, according to the speaker, is that it could democratize the field, allowing musicians to have more control over their work and potentially setting a new standard for fair compensation.

  • What is the speaker's view on the future of musicians and AI?

    -The speaker views the future of musicians and AI as a 'wild west' opportunity, where musicians can learn from past mistakes and build a better system that is fair and compensatory.

  • How does the speaker propose to handle the issue of unauthorized use of a vocalist's voice?

    -The speaker proposes that if a vocalist's voice dataset is behind a platform with favorable terms and conditions, they can reserve the right to control the use of their voice and potentially litigate in civil court if their voice is used without consent.

  • What is the speaker's stance on the current copyright ruling regarding AI-generated content?

    -The speaker views the current copyright ruling, which states that AI-generated content cannot be copyrighted, as an opportunity for artists to have more control over their work and negotiate their own terms with AI platforms.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Introduction to AI and Voice Cloning Ethics

The speaker begins by expressing how busy they have been and hints at the exciting content to come. They introduce the topic of using artificial intelligence to manipulate someone's voice, referring to it as a 'cool magic trick'. However, they also acknowledge the ethical dilemmas associated with voice cloning. The speaker then transitions into discussing the transformation of a non-human voice, like Lucy's, into a human voice and the importance of addressing this issue. They share their personal journey with AI and music, dating back to Google's Magenta project, and their experiences with voice cloning and neural networks. The paragraph concludes with a demonstration of how far voice cloning technology has come, with a humorous example of impersonating Barack Obama.

05:00

🎼 AI Voice Cloning in Music Production

The speaker delves into the practical applications of AI in music production, emphasizing the need for quality control in voice data sets. They introduce Dan, a drum and bass legend and software developer, who has created an AI voice cloning workflow that produces high-quality results. The discussion then shifts to the economic aspect of the technology, with the speaker sharing his involvement in ensuring fair treatment for artists and performers. The paragraph includes a demonstration of how AI can be used to create harmonies and natural-sounding music, highlighting the potential of AI in revolutionizing music production.

10:02

📚 Licensing and Legal Considerations for AI in Music

The speaker explores the implications of licensing AI-generated music and the potential for using AI to bypass traditional media gatekeepers. They discuss a recent court decision that AI-generated content cannot be copyrighted, which could empower artists like Taylor Swift to license their AI-cloned voices without interference from major labels. The speaker presents a vision for a fairer system for musicians in the age of AI, suggesting that artists could benefit from the technology and have more control over their work. They also touch on the challenges of creating a system that compensates artists fairly and the need for ongoing adjustments and legal considerations.

15:03

🎉 Conclusion and Call for Fair AI Use in Music

In the final paragraph, the speaker summarizes the potential of AI in music production and emphasizes the importance of consent and terms when using high-quality voice data sets. They stress the ethical considerations of AI music tools and the need for collaboration with artists. The speaker discloses their passion for the project, their involvement in the company, and their desire to ensure fair compensation for artists. They invite feedback and questions from the audience, noting that the channel is non-profit and encouraging support through Patreon for continued content creation.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡AI Vocals

AI Vocals refers to the use of artificial intelligence to replicate, modify, or generate human vocal sounds. In the video, the creator discusses how AI technology has drastically improved the quality and capabilities of AI-generated vocals, allowing for more realistic and higher quality results in music production.

💡Voice Cloning

Voice cloning is the process of creating a synthetic version of someone's voice using AI. The video explores the ethical issues and potential misuse of this technology, such as using it to impersonate individuals without their consent. It also touches on the advancements in voice cloning that make it a powerful tool for musicians.

💡Neural Nets

Neural Nets, a subset of machine learning, are computer systems modeled after the human brain. They are used in the context of the video to explain the technology behind AI vocals and voice cloning. The speaker shares their experience with neural nets in music, dating back to Google's Magenta project.

💡Text-to-Speech Engine

A text-to-speech engine is a technology that converts written text into spoken words. The video script mentions the speaker's past experience with cloning their voice into a text-to-speech engine, highlighting the evolution of technology from being underwhelming to impressive.

💡Audio Neural Network

An audio neural network is a type of neural network designed to process and generate audio signals. The speaker discusses how their voice was processed through an audio neural network for only two epochs, resulting in a significant improvement in the quality of the replicated voice.

💡Vocal Model

A vocal model in the context of the video refers to a specific configuration or set of parameters used by an AI system to replicate or generate vocals. The speaker emphasizes the importance of meticulously overseeing these models to achieve high-quality results in music production.

💡Economics of AI in Music

The economics of AI in music pertains to how AI technology can be integrated into the music industry in a financially sustainable and fair manner for artists. The video discusses the potential for artists to license their AI-regenerated voices directly, bypassing traditional labels and publishers.

💡Copyright Law

Copyright law is the legal framework that protects original works of authorship. The video mentions a court decision that AI-generated content cannot be copyrighted, which has significant implications for how artists can control and profit from their work in the AI music space.

💡Data Sets

Data sets in the context of AI vocals are collections of voice samples used to train the AI models. The video emphasizes the importance of high-quality, custom-curated data sets for achieving professional results in AI music production.

💡Fair Compensation

Fair compensation refers to the just and equitable payment or recognition given to artists for their work. The speaker discusses the need for a new system that ensures artists are fairly compensated when their voices are used in AI applications.

💡AI Manifesto

The AI Manifesto in the video is the speaker's personal declaration or statement of principles regarding the use of AI in music. It outlines their vision for ethical AI use, fair compensation for artists, and the potential for artists to have more control over their work in the age of AI.

Highlights

The video discusses the use of AI to replicate human voices, a technology with both exciting potential and significant ethical concerns.

AI voice cloning technology is advancing, becoming more accessible to musicians, but still has room for improvement in terms of sound quality.

The ethical issues surrounding voice cloning include consent and the potential misuse of individuals' voices.

The creator has been experimenting with neural networks and music for seven years, dating back to Google's Magenta project.

AI technology can now be used to create harmonies and humanize the timing of vocal layers for a more natural sound.

There's a growing number of startups offering voice swapping, but many results still don't sound convincing.

The speaker suggests that the quality of voice cloning is directly related to the effort put into creating the data set.

Dan, a software developer and music producer, has developed an AI voice cloning workflow that prioritizes sound quality.

The project aims to be fair to artists and performers, ensuring they are compensated for their voice data.

AI-generated content cannot be copyrighted, which could empower artists to control their own licensing.

The video demonstrates a new workflow for licensing AI regenerated voices for use in various media, including television shows.

The creator proposes a system where artists are paid fairly and voice data sets grow organically, including a range of voices.

Artists could have more control over their voices in AI applications, including the right to negotiate terms for use.

The video stresses the importance of professional standards in AI music tools to achieve high-quality results.

The creator is passionate about ensuring AI compensates artists correctly and invites feedback from the audience.

The video concludes with a call to action for musicians to engage with AI technology in a way that is ethical and beneficial.