Note: This site is currently "Under construction". I'm migrating to a new version of my site building software. Lots of things are in a state of disrepair as a result (for example, footnote links aren't working). It's all part of the process of building in public. Most things should still be readable though.

Roxanne thru Songsmith

If you haven't already heard about Microsoft's Songsmith, you can check out the the official Microsoft Research Songsmith page for a quick video about it. Basically, you feed it vocals and it comes up with music for you. I thought it was a joke when I first saw it, but it's real. Several folks around the net have taken to feeding it the vocal tracks from popular songs and seeing what it comes up with. Everyone I have heard has been universally bad. Some have been at least entertaining, but a few actually like Running with the Devil actually hurt my brain a little. Another example that isn't quite as bad is this version of The Police's "Roxanne": While it doesn't cause physical pain, it seems to go on forever. Normally, Roxanne isn't that long a song. With the Robo-Latin beat produced by Songsmith, Microsoft has managed to find a way to slow time.