The best AI music generator until now? | Udio AI

Mixed Signals
19 Apr 202420:30

TLDRUdio AI, a new entrant in the generative music AI space, is reviewed in this video. Released in beta and currently free, Udio has gained support from significant investors and music industry figures. The platform allows users to input prompts to generate music, with options for manual mode, genre tags, and custom or autogenerated lyrics. The video demonstrates the creation of a disco track about clowns, showcasing Udio's ability to produce music based on user input. The generated tracks are around 30 seconds long, but Udio offers the ability to extend them with additional sections like intros and outros. The video also explores Udio's remix functionality and its potential for generating more complex music styles, such as technical, virtuosic pieces, and classical music. The host concludes by acknowledging Udio's impressive capabilities, especially for electronic and disco genres, while noting the challenges in accurately reproducing classical music.

Takeaways

  • 🎵 Udio is a new generative music AI platform that has entered the market and is currently in beta, offering its services for free.
  • 🚀 Udio has gained support from significant investors like a16z and well-known figures in the music industry, such as rapper Common and will.i.am from The Black Eyed Peas.
  • 📈 The platform allows users to input prompts to generate music and has options to enhance the prompt or use manual mode for more control.
  • 🎶 Users can choose genres and whether they want autogenerated lyrics or to input their own, offering flexibility for different musical visions.
  • ⏱️ Udio can generate short tracks (about 30 seconds) quickly, providing two versions of each piece for users to select from.
  • 🔄 The platform includes an extension feature that lets users add intros, outros, and additional sections to extend the length of the generated tracks.
  • 🎛️ A remix function is available, enabling users to adjust how similar or different the new version should be from the original track.
  • 📝 Custom lyrics can be entered with specific formatting options, such as brackets for special effects and delineation of song sections like verses and choruses.
  • 🕺 The AI successfully generated disco and jazz tracks with specific themes and styles, showcasing its versatility in different genres.
  • 🎼 Udio's ability to generate classical music was tested, and while it may not perfectly capture the nuances of the genre, it produced pieces that evoke the desired atmosphere.
  • 🧐 The platform's performance in generating more complex and technical music was also explored, revealing that it can handle a variety of musical challenges.
  • 🔗 Links to all the tracks played in the video are provided for listeners to experience the AI-generated music for themselves.

Q & A

  • What is the name of the generative music AI discussed in the video?

    -The generative music AI discussed in the video is called Udio.

  • What are some of the features provided by Udio?

    -Udio allows users to input prompts to generate music, offers manual mode for precise control, includes genre tags for style selection, has an option for autogenerated or custom lyrics, and provides the ability to extend tracks with intros, outros, and additional sections.

  • How long does it take Udio to generate a track?

    -According to the video, Udio takes about a minute to generate a track.

  • What is the duration of the tracks generated by Udio in the video?

    -The tracks generated by Udio in the video are about 33 seconds long.

  • Which investors and musicians are mentioned as backing Udio?

    -Udio has the backing of investors like a16z and prominent musicians such as the rapper Common and will.i.am from Black Eyed Peas.

  • What is the default setting for the lyrics in Udio's music generation?

    -By default, Udio sets the lyrics to be autogenerated, which means it generates lyrics based on the user's prompt.

  • How does the remix function in Udio work?

    -The remix function in Udio allows users to adjust a slider to determine how similar the new remix should be to the original track, offering a range from a slightly different twist to something completely different.

  • What is the process for adding custom lyrics to a Udio-generated track?

    -To add custom lyrics, users can input their lyrics into the lyrics section of Udio's interface, where they can also use square brackets to include specific instructions or delineate different parts of the song such as verses, choruses, and bridges.

  • What type of music did the video creator challenge Udio to generate?

    -The video creator challenged Udio to generate a very technical and virtuosic piece, as well as a classical music piece with a lot of feeling, dynamics, and variation.

  • How did Udio perform when tasked with generating more complex music styles like classical or free jazz?

    -Udio performed impressively, generating tracks that captured the essence of the requested styles, although the classical music piece was noted to be one of the hardest to reproduce authentically.

  • What is the main takeaway from the video regarding Udio's capabilities?

    -The main takeaway is that Udio is capable of generating music across various genres with a high level of authenticity and detail, making it a potentially powerful tool for musicians and creators.

Outlines

00:00

🎵 Introducing a Generative Music AI: 'udio'

The video begins with the introduction of a new AI in the generative music space named 'udio'. The presenter expresses excitement to explore its capabilities and compares it to another AI, 'sunno'. 'udio' is noted for its significant advancement over Google's Music LM output from the previous year. The presenter mentions that 'udio' is currently in beta and free to use, with backing from investors like a16z and support from well-known musicians. The home page of 'udio' is showcased, featuring staff picks and trending music, but the focus is on the prompt input box, which allows users to input their creative ideas. The presenter discusses the manual mode, genre tags, and the option to generate lyrics or keep the music instrumental. A disco track about clowns is chosen as a test prompt, with the expectation of incorporating clown horns into the mix.

05:03

🔄 Exploring 'udio's Track Extension and Remix Features

The presenter discusses the length of the generated tracks, which are about 33 seconds long, and the ability to extend these tracks with an intro, a section before or after, and an outro. The process of adding an intro to a track named 'Funky Masquerade' is demonstrated, with two versions of the intro generated and evaluated. The presenter also introduces the remix function, which allows users to modify the base material by adjusting a slider for similarity and tweaking the prompt. Custom lyrics are explored, with the presenter showing how to input specific lyrical structures and commands to influence the AI's output. The presenter then tests the AI's ability to generate a chorus section using custom lyrics generated with the help of 'chat GPT'.

10:06

🚀 Pushing the Limits: Technical and Virtuosic Music

The presenter challenges 'udio' by attempting to generate more complex music styles, including technical and virtuosic pieces, as well as classical music. A series of tags are added to the prompt to test the AI's ability to produce intricate and expressive music. The presenter listens to the generated tracks and provides feedback on their quality, noting that while there is some chaos and blending of sounds, the AI's performance is surprisingly good. The presenter is particularly impressed with the AI's ability to generate music that captures the essence of different genres, including the hiss characteristic of old jazz records.

15:07

🎼 Testing 'udio' with Classical Music of the Romantic Period

The presenter experiments with generating classical music in the style of the Romantic Period, using tags like 'emotional' and 'chaikovsky'. Two compositions, 'Whispers of the Heart' and 'Internal Nocturn,' are generated and reviewed. The presenter finds the crescendo in the first piece to be particularly nice, and while acknowledging some potential issues upon closer inspection, they note that the music is authentic-sounding enough to be convincing. The second piece is described as capturing the vibe of classical music, although it may not have been particularly standout in its era. The presenter acknowledges the challenge of reproducing classical music authentically with AI.

20:08

📝 Conclusion and Invitation for Audience Interaction

The video concludes with a summary of the presenter's exploration of 'udio' and its capabilities. They express their overall impression of the AI's performance and encourage viewers to experiment with 'udio' and share their creations in the comments section. A link to all the tracks played in the video is promised to be provided for further listening. The presenter thanks the audience for watching and signs off, indicating the end of the video.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Udio AI

Udio AI is a new entrant in the generative music AI space. It is a platform that allows users to generate music based on their prompts. In the video, the host explores the capabilities of Udio AI by creating different tracks and experimenting with its features. It is noted for its quick generation time and the ability to produce music in various styles.

💡Generative Music AI

Generative Music AI refers to artificial intelligence systems that can create original music compositions. These systems use algorithms to generate music that can be in different styles, genres, or based on specific user prompts. In the context of the video, the host compares Udio AI to other generative music AI models, highlighting its advancements.

💡Prompt

A prompt in the context of Udio AI is a user-provided input that guides the AI in generating music. It can include genre, theme, instruments, and specific instructions. The host uses prompts to create a disco track about clowns, demonstrating how the AI interprets and responds to these inputs.

💡Autogenerated Lyrics

Autogenerated lyrics are lyrics created by the AI without direct user input. Udio AI has the capability to generate lyrics based on the user's prompt, which can then be used to produce the music. The host chooses to keep the lyrics autogenerated for his experiment with the disco track about clowns.

💡Manual Mode

Manual mode in Udio AI allows users to have more control over the music generation process. It enables them to input their exact instructions without the AI adding enhancements. The host mentions this feature but decides to keep the default settings for his initial experiment.

💡Tags

Tags in Udio AI are descriptors that help the AI generate music in a specific style or genre. They are used to guide the AI towards a particular musical direction. The host uses tags to influence the style of the music generated, such as adding 'clown horns' to the disco track.

💡Remix Function

The remix function in Udio AI allows users to modify the generated music by either slightly altering it or creating a completely different version. It provides a slider to control the degree of difference from the original track. The host uses this feature to explore variations of the music he generated.

💡Custom Lyrics

Custom lyrics are user-written lyrics that can be input into Udio AI to generate music. This feature allows for personalization and creativity, enabling users to generate music based on their own lyrics. The host experiments with custom lyrics by adding a chorus section to one of the tracks.

💡Technical Music

Technical music refers to compositions that require a high level of skill and complexity. The host challenges Udio AI by attempting to generate technically complex music, which is typically more difficult for AI to recreate authentically.

💡Classical Music

Classical music is a genre that has a long history and is known for its emotional depth, dynamics, and variation. The host tests Udio AI's ability to generate classical music, particularly from the Romantic period, to see if it can capture the essence and complexity of this style.

💡Free Jazz

Free jazz is a style of jazz music characterized by its improvisational nature and lack of conventional structure. The host asks Udio AI to generate free jazz to test its ability to create music that is more chaotic and less predictable.

Highlights

Udio is a new generative music AI that has entered the market and is considered a contender in this space.

Udio has been making waves and is backed by big investors like a16z and prominent names in music such as Common and will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas.

Currently in beta and completely free, Udio allows users to generate music based on prompts.

The platform provides options to enhance prompts automatically or use manual mode for more control.

Users can choose genres and select whether they want autogenerated lyrics or input their own.

The AI can generate instrumental tracks without lyrics if desired.

The host creates a disco track about clowns as a test, with the option for the AI to include clown horns.

The generated track 'Under the Big Top Groove' is evaluated, with a focus on the music and lyrics.

The second track 'Funky Masquerade' is also generated and discussed, with different lyrics and a similar evaluation.

Tracks produced by Udio are initially about 33 seconds long, but the platform allows for extensions.

Extensions can include intros, outros, and additional sections to lengthen and develop the track.

The remix function allows users to create variations of the original track with a slider to control similarity.

Custom lyrics can be entered with specific formatting to influence the AI's output.

The AI successfully generates a technical, virtuosic track and a free jazz piece upon request.

When pushed to its limits, Udio also attempts to generate classical music, capturing the essence of the Romantic Period.

The AI's ability to generate music across various genres, including disco, jazz, and classical, is impressive and demonstrates its versatility.

The generated music is of high enough quality that it could be used in various applications without people realizing it was AI-created.

The host encourages viewers to share their own prompts and creations in the comments for further exploration.