The vocoder was never supposed to be a revolution in music. Its development began a century ago, when an engineer at Bell Labs was looking for a simpler way to send phone calls across copper telephone lines.
The Music and Sonic Arts (MSA) program is an industry-shaping program focused on music recording, production, audio programming, interactivity, and composition using contemporary tools including Ableton or Max MSP software. Offered at the Portland Community College (PCC) Cascade campus in North Portland, the program includes pathways for two-year associate's degrees in music, or one-year certificates that can be useful in music and other tech jobs.
I will not let my music be programmed, he told me. I'm not going to use it to do me and do the music I've done. He wasn't rejecting technology. He was protecting what he considers human territory. We can go on and on talking about technology, he said. But he was concerned with a different question. Let's see how you make things better for people in their livesnot to emulate life but to make life better for the living.
For decades, the country music industry has billed itself as the rough-hewn, rural cousin to the effete sounds of the city. That appears to be going out the window, as more and more country producers embrace San Francisco's AI over Nashville's homespun troubadours. In a detailed reporting on changes in the country music industry, spoke to a number of professional song-writers, producers, and artists about the rise of AI in country music. Their responses point to a scene that's changing fast - and leaving human artists in the dust.
See the full lineup of 40+ speakers, including Grammy-winning producers, chart-topping songwriters, A&R leaders, mastering engineers, music technologists, and industry insiders ready to help you level up your craft, share your demos, and get feedback from the pros. Music Expo 25 November 14-15, 2025 - Friday 1-6p - Songwriting Workshop Day - Saturday 11a-6p - Full Conference & Expo + Raffle/Mixer The Midway, 900 Marin St., San Francisco
Sesh's CEO, Iñigo-Hubertus Bunzl Pelayo, emphasized the importance of superfans, stating, "Even with a hundred superfans, you're going to be able to make a living instead of needing to do extra jobs for you to be able to pay for your instruments or your music career."