AI is said to replace artists, it’s just as heartfelt as any prompt generated. 

Here at Room Eleven, we do not fear the increasing ubiquity of AI in music.

As the studio continues to work with many artists and musicians, we are able to see the capacity of human creativity that AI cannot replace, but only mimic through existing sources.

Some AI enthusiasts may argue that human music is no different, when it’s been continuing a cycle of influence of artists ‘borrowing’ ideas, inspired by already existing music and making it their own. It’s become a debate that we often forget that one of the two actually requires long-standing human effort. 

We cannot deny the advancements of AI that have made music creation accessible, one could not easily refute the convenience its recent technology has made for any creative. We only think this has made the efforts of human musicians, and human music, more valuable.

When others could argue about plagiarism, or what makes music original, we would like to emphasize on the skill it takes to hone a craft in the field. 

Music is not just about sound, it goes beyond what the human ear recognizes. The moment we let convenience dictate creativity, we lose the very thing that makes our music human. It has never been about the technical precision than it was the human determination that moves a listener. The intention to share, and be vulnerable, from your own voice and words is a lived experience that shapes your very sound. 

Humans and creators have their own will to create beyond what they’re actually capable of. It’s not to say their endeavors should be effortless. The struggle was never meant to be easy, but it’s somehow what makes it real. 

Ethical and legal concerns aside, we continue to believe that human artists’ outweigh the strengths of its AI counterpart. 

From the hours of practice on an instrument, late nights rewriting a verse and shows where nobody is watching but you perform anyway. It was never supposed to be easy, which is why some would find the humanity of their outcome comforting.

The music industry is a whole other affair entirely, where nowadays fast production and mass content are prioritized for faster revenue, engagement and continuous momentum. It’s become an artist’s fear of being forgotten rather than settling for mediocrity. 

Nowadays, it is not uncommon to have a client or two present their AI project. 

As we have witnessed the human process itself in making music from singer-songwriters to teams of sound engineers and producers, protecting integrity is prioritizing the human process: the hours spent re-recording, small breakthroughs during long sessions, the character evident in every voice crack and tone wavering.

We learn that AI is not the true enemy. The real threat lies in complacency, in settling for what is easy over what is meaningful.

While the studio continues to relentlessly advocate for an analog-digital approach, we don’t dismiss the possibilities of AI, we understand its ability to enhance what we already know. Reinterpreting technology through intent, not dependency.  

So when we often worry about originality, it was never about being the first to say something, but being the only one who could say it. AI could have access to your sound, but the limits are measured to what it can’t really feel.

The human impulse is drawn to connect, in the adrenaline of a finished set overlooking a satisfied crowd. 

Yet, it has never been about the music.

It’s what breathes through a live performance, the quiet focus of collaboration after hours of getting the perfect take before finally, a release. There’s a rush of what’s paid off. 

A shared look between playing your instruments, or vocalizing into a mic. You feel the weight of the guitar in your hand, the dig of the drumsticks into your palm or the push of keys to create a piece you can call your own. Real instruments continue to speak through sweat.

Real instruments accompanying your emotions when you finally triumph a take, with other humans, is something AI could only envy. What could make us human, what brings meaning into what we make, is the connection an artist never loses sight of and a vulnerability AI could not replace. 

This is why we do what we do.

From the local artists who are on the come-up with their own sound, to the producers who fine tune beyond a formula, a collaboration keeps the free-flowing work, creative, and non-dictated for the independent mind.

We want to be here for that process. Above the noise, and past the distortion.