wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Hi there!,

I think there is a lot of feelings towards Microsoft that are behind the way people are reacting to the software.

It is a great software. Other than that there is a repulsive reaction to computers creating music. I remember hearing a WNYC podcast (radiolab) about the subject. An American composer, David Cope, create a algorithm that writes music in the "style" of the classical masters. He said on the program that once in a conference he got a punch in his nose for the audacity of saying that the computer was "creating" new Bach music.

There is something similar going on with songsmith.

cheers,

G-Ant

I've actually been having fun with Songsmith, and so have others, so why the hate? And since when are we supposed to get music advice from a "Tech writer for PC World"? The fact that he says "he's a musician himself" is pretty laughable - put up or shut up, please?

As much as I love wnyc, I don't think it has made me laugh hard enough to have coffee come out of my nose. The David Lee Roth in Soundsmith accomplished that today!

Angelo --

Microsoft licensed aspects of Band In A Box from PG Music to use in Songsmith. But to call it re-badged is a bit unfair because Band In A Box (as bizarrely Windows 3.1 as it is) is still far, far, far more useful than Songsmith.

There is a program that has been around for years called, "Band In A Box" (catchy, eh?) that is able to do this sort of thing. It is also used by musician's to hone their instrumental skills as it doesn't get tired or bored accompanying your practicing.
I believe that SS is probably a re-badged BIAB..

john--

thank you for reporting on this. this program is a total disgrace.

I think we need to break away from this romantic notion of the musician as "artist," and the fading 20th century protection of intellectual property. I personally don't see software like Songsmith stopping people from learning how to play instruments or write original music. Moreover, Songsmith brings the pre-mass media culture of music as a collective, folk tradition to the digital age.

How dare you use Songsmith on an Ozzy song. The Metal Gods have placed a hex on you.

oh my god this segment is killing me! Ozzy as Polka!?! yikes (but it makes for a good laugh!)

I love Ozzy, but i'm still crying....that Polka version is so funny!

For an 8-year-old kid, it's nothing like learning a violin, where there are bowing patterns to memorize, motor skills to build, and discipline to be instilled. You're lowering the bar significantly by having a kid learn music this way.

guitar hero and rock band are basically air guitar with rules. my friend was reading me the list of songs they had, and that made me think of my partner's wedding band song list and how much like a wedding band these games are like. much more wedding band than a rock band.

wii music is a great music game, much better than the guitar based games. but these are all still games, which i have to see songsmith as. and these things have their place. maybe fewer kids will go buy a 200 dollar guitar and make their parents buy them guitar lessons, when all they really wanted was to play at playing guitar, you know? because tons of kids spend money taking lessons and never really become musicians (and i have a loose definition of musician.) and playing guitar hero is more fun than just totlaly sucking at really playing and getting all frustrated and all that. i think this is the place for these products.

of course, that all said, i know a guy who tours the world playing music on a gameboy. and that's the original gameboy.

it is depressing to me that we use all this powerful technology to create more crap in an already crap-filled world

However, "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne to Polka is kind of interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFZvLprEIpw

That David Lee Roth bit was amazing, why isn't this a sound check smackdown?

Thank you for playing the David Lee Roth. I haven't laughed that hard in quite a while!

John, I'm sorry, but i am going to have to turn you off for a few minutes til you get thru this segment...it is gruesome.
back in a few....

You missed the connection between songsmith and the recent trend of recording artists hosting remixing contests - making the individual parts of their hits available for download and remixing - in essence music 2.0 -

I've already blogged on this here:
http://www.digitalmissive.com/music-20-for-everyone-else/

Make it stop, please!

Songsmith sucks. Just check out Microsoft's Ad for it, it's atrocious!

songsmith...YUK!

Music has always been "do it yourself." However in the past one needed talent, skill and hard work to make music.

Looking forward to this -- as the individual behind "Classic Hits by Microsoft Songsmith," I'm interested to see what Raftery and Keller's takes are.