Do you want to use AI as a tool for synthesis or composition?
That’s the question raised by the latest sonicLAB update to Fundamental synthesizer. Fundamental 4.1 an update that lets you use AI prompts to accelerate your sound creation and composition.
Fundamental 4.1 now exposes its sound engine through the Model Context Protocol, so any MCP-compatible LLM client can drive synthesis directly. You can use it with tools like Claude Desktop and Gemini CLI.
Fundamental lets you enter in prompts, which are translated into presets using AI. Here’s an example of the type of prompt that they suggest you can experiment with:
“Set the oscillator frequencies based on the distance of the planets from the sun in our solar system. Find the other planet frequencies proportional to Mercury which is assigned to lowest frequency as 150hz and becomes the first oscillator. Change the gain of the oscillators continuously according to orbits of each planet around the sun. Make the Earth full orbit 8sec. long and assign the other planet orbits proportional to it.”
Pricing and Availability:
Fundamental 4 is available for Mac & Windows for $136.00 USD. The update is free for existing users.
No. Why should I? If I fail to come up with my own ideas I simply stop doing music. It’s quite easy.
Again with the AI posts? Read the room, synthhead.
The topic is interesting nonetheless — even if you’re against AI, it’s still important to read up on the subject.
No. AI is garbage.
No. These AI posts may mean I unsubscribe from Synthtopia, just like when I bulk unsubscribed from people peddling crypto and NFTs. Planet destroying snake oil BS.
if you like to use AI, please contact your local government and request a data center be built behind your house. i don’t want it behind mine.
Nope.
For the most part, using AI for composition feels like wearing three condoms at once. I can see some interesting housekeeping uses for it, but I feel that I should turn the knobs until I find what I need. You need to be selective about where you use it. Making music shouldn’t be too easy.
Some people might argue that if turning knobs is involved, you’re not making music to begin with.
Nope. Getting my harmonies commented on is ok but I am in charge of my own glitches.
I don’t see why the hate. The video looks super cool. Great way to test some complicated intellectual ideas.
They’re a bunch of boomers.
People can hate all they want, but this looks amazing.
Just watched the video. Why in god’s name would I ever want to use such unmusical “sound effects” in my compositions? Is this supposed to be “Gas Music From Jupiter”? Plus, the second example effect has some really awful clipping.
I think the “awfull clipping” sounds rather delicat, and brings some nice caracter to the sound.
I do not care to use an LLM to generate patches, but it’s worth noting that the Model Context Protocol is basically a JSON API to the synthesizer, meaning that if you are so inclined you can write your own scripts/software to control the synthesis engine. Normally to do this you would need to write code that generates MIDI and then point it at the plugin or device of your choice, but that will only as good as the synthesizer’s MIDI implementation (whcih as we know is often lacking).
The MCP means you can directly control all the internal parameters and they will be correctly names as oscillator_1.pulse_width.modulation_source or whatever. If you want to do super-complex sequencing/modulation but you don’t want to get into the weeds of doing fourier transforms and writing the DSP to synthesize the audio in real time then this could be very useful. You don’t HAVE to connect it to an LLM to do this, the point of the Model Context Protocol is that it’s open to the outside world.
HAving said that I think this trend is probably going to be become ubiquitous and there will be a lot of craptacular AI-prompted patch libraries generated by people who have no real interest in or experience at synth programming.
“Do you want to use AI as a tool for synthesis ?” – Yes
“Do you want to use AI as a tool for composition ?” – No
No.
silly drones with silly “AI”
meh
fuck AI
No, I am quite capable of generating my own noise and unlistenable compositions. No help needed in that department!
The problem I have is not with the technology itself, but with the scale at which it’s been deployed, along with the problematic way these large models are trained.
The technology itself I think is very interesting, but because of the negative impacts of data centers and information within datasets obtained without consent, you can’t be surprised when people, especially artists, object to the use of it.
I think it’s entirely possible to use AI creatively…but at what cost? If this technology weren’t deeply harmful to people and the world we live in, sure, I would be happy to experiment with it. But I would be contributing to vast amounts of harm by using it.
People don’t hate AI because we’re uncomfortable with change or new technology. We’re uncomfortable with unsustainable infrastructure, unethical business practices and irreversible environmental devastation.
Technology used to be cool and fun. But now we’re no longer using it as a tool. Now it’s using US. And that is most definitely NOT cool and fun.
Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
The problem I have is not with the technology itself, but with the scale at which it’s been deployed, along with the problematic way these synthesizers are made.
The technology itself I think is very interesting, but because of the negative impacts of non-sustainable fossil energy source & factories, you can’t be surprised when people, especially artists, object to the use of it. The Luthier was not destroying the planet we live in when crafting violins. He was only cutting old trees.
I think it’s entirely possible to use synthesizers creatively…but at what cost? If this technology weren’t deeply harmful to people and the world we live in, sure, I would be happy to experiment with it. But I would be contributing to vast amounts of harm by using it.
People don’t hate synthesizers because we’re uncomfortable with change or new technology. We’re uncomfortable with unsustainable infrastructure, unethical business (no need to name anyone), practices and irreversible environmental devastation.
Technology used to be cool and fun. But now we’re no longer using it as a tool. Now it’s using US. And that is most definitely NOT cool and fun.
Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
I feel like “They” want AI to replace all human creativity so people all just become consumers.
The ONLY thing I want from “AI” is a tool that I can feed a single instrument sample into and it will produce a variety of multisamples covering several keys and velocities. I do not want anything else from “AI”.
The more they force it down my throat, the less I care and want to use it. I’m pretty sick of it already since all I see from AI is mostly slop and insignificant stuff, so nope.
No. It is completely useless.
“Interesting” but not quite the hands-on exploration I seek.
(A) Would you use AI to get a simpler interface to write code for some synth scripting notation (CSound, SuperCollider, Faust)?
(B) Would you let AI create MIDI files, eg to generate arpeggios and melodies?
(C) Would you use AI to generate instrument performance soundfiles rather than using a musician / play your synth?
(D) Would you use AI to mix your sound stems?
etc, etc. Quite different scopes of “would you use AI”.
I might go Yes! Eww, NO! Err, no; Maybe – but point is it *could* be valid to use AI at any point in music production, while still being “creative”, depending on what your goals and focus is.
But you must (and quickly will) learn its strenghts and considerable weaknesses.
The LLM tech is good for average very common drudge work, but as soon as you leave the very middle of the road it just goes uniform-random, which never produces interesting results. Getting rid of druge work can be nice though.
Looks like some answered “Would you perpetrate full-stack AI-generated music” – to this the hard “no!” can’t get too aggressive. Producing low-resolution averages of ad-pusher music (mostly designed to cover air condition and city noise) is just pollution at every level.
(A) Would you use AI to get a simpler interface to write code for some synth scripting notation (CSound, SuperCollider, Faust)?
(B) Would you let AI create MIDI files, eg to generate arpeggios and melodies?
(C) Would you use AI to generate instrument performance soundfiles rather than using a musician / play your synth?
(D) Would you use AI to mix your sound stems?
etc, etc. Quite different scopes of “would you use AI”.
I might go Yes! Eww, NO! Err, no; Maybe – but point is it *could* be valid to use AI at any point in music production, while still being “creative”, depending on what your goals and focus is.
But you must (and quickly will) learn its strenghts and considerable weaknesses.
The LLM tech is good for average very common drudge work, but as soon as you leave the very middle of the road it just goes uniform-random, which never produces interesting results. Getting rid of druge work can be nice though.
Looks like some answered “Would you perpetrate full-stack AI-generated music” – to this the hard “no!” can’t get too aggressive. Producing low-resolution averages of ad-pusher music (mostly designed to cover air condition and city noise) is just pollution at every level.
No.
AI art is lame, and data centers will be the death of this planet. No thank you.
A majorty of these post have nothing to do with the actual product, its not being forced down your throat by soniclab, nor synthtopia. The instrument it self can be used with or without the use of ai. Consideting the companies experimental aproach to instrument/ effect generation the use and implementation of ai in this product is an enhancement not a deterant, that has both feet firmly planted in experimental/avant garde traditions while looking for further boundaries to push. The debate about ai is important, i cant see though how this debate fits in with the well thought out compositional mplementation of ai in this device?
“Artificial intelligence” is a legitimate computer science subfield, applying the label “AI” to consumer products and software has largely become a marketing buzzword used to make standard algorithms and automation sound magical, advanced, or autonomous…
i remember when “VST” came along and people were reacting the same way ..
Unsustainable infrastructure, unethical business practices , irreversible environmental devastation and Pope Leo XIV’s recent manifesto aside ..
This new development in the software world is revolutionary…
Stop your mewling .. get on over to github and start owning it ..
Dont throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Why would I want to automate creativity? Why would I want to eliminate the process that allows me to create a musical language?
I find it annoying as hell that people think Ai means replacing human creativity. If you are replacing your own creativity then you are misusing one of humanities greatest tools. And of course no artist in their right mind would do that.
The world could learn a thing or two from the music industry and how it has handled new technology. Algorithmic composition has been around since the 80’s. They had systems that would compose music for you, in any style you wanted (i.e. David Cope’s Liza System).
When musicians found out the “composer” was a machine, they refused to play it. Instead musicians learned to use these algorithmic tools in modern day DAWs. Some musicians have taken it even farther and use tools like Max to actually implement code that creates music.
I am super excited to see how I as a musician and composer can use these new Ai tools. I have a lot of ideas, none of them are Ai making music for me.
I used AI to give me some jumping-off points for modular patches. Is that an acceptable use?
Honestly, even that should not really be acceptable. A lot of AI use like that is just outsourcing your brain. You already own those modules (or have them installed if you’re on VCV Rack or whatever). OK, you didn’t use it to write a song and you may have changed the patch, but that’s besides the point, this is still an example of AI use to substitute original thought.
There’s nothing stopping you from connecting those modules differently to last time. If you’re not being aware enough of how you’re using your gear and turn to AI for help that’s lazy.
If you need another input for your creativity, find a human collaborator to work with. Let the other person inspire you in ways the AI never could. Get on forums like Modwiggler and Reddit to find a community of folks you can relate to. It’ll help you better than any AI service. You might also end up inspiring that person as well.
I’m not interested for one reason – LANDR doesn’t allow anything detectably made with AI – including the artwork, so this might be against TOS or, if it’s detectable, make a track ineligible for release.
Reading the comments makes me think of Pete Seeger going bananas at Newport after Bob Dylan plugged in an electric guitar. Also reminds me of people complaining about music that you can’t understand the lyrics and also complaining about rappers because you can understand the lyrics. Thank you Synthtopia for my daily dose of bread and circuses!
Yes for composition. Like some people use drum loops, I’ll get a start on a bassline via Logic. Honestly the suggested lines haven’t been used unaltered. Much as I play bass, my in the box tracks have benefited from some help. These work off what I have for melody/chords. Largely playing on my own the alternative inspiration helps. It’s hard to be “good” at everything.
No AI for sounds or mixing. I am happy with my skills there.
No. Nor for anything else.
Fundamental 4.1 celebrates sonic exploration and badass technology. Check out SonicLAB’s philosophy statement:
“SonicLAB exists at the intersection of science, sonic art, and pure mathematics. We build instruments that reward curiosity — software that doesn’t constrain but opens new sonic territories. Every product reflects our commitment to unique visual design, audio rate precision, and an uncompromising approach to innovation. We don’t follow trends; we explore systems.” https://www.sonic-lab.com/#about
Inspiring, heady, a raison d’être I can embrace. If you, the composer or pilot, want to use an AI chatbot to crunch math and apply automated algorithmic frameworks, carpe diem. Give it everything you’ve got, like Xenakis and Stockhausen, those monsters of sound.
Not really, no,
Nope.