SoundLabs is an artist-founded AI technology
company, focused on creating responsibly trained generative AI
tools for the next generation of music makers
MicDrop is a cutting-edge vocal plug-in, that
will allow artists to change their voice into any voice in real
time
SANTA
MONICA, Calif., June 18,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- SoundLabs, An innovative
new AI technology company offering responsibly trained,
next-generation AI tools for music creators, and Universal Music
Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, today
announced a strategic agreement that will enable UMG's global
family of artists and producers to use SoundLabs MicDrop, a
cutting-edge AI vocal plug-in, to create official ultra-high
fidelity vocal models for artists using their own voice data for
training while retaining control over ownership and giving them
full artistic approval and control of the output.
Launching this summer, MicDrop is a real-time (AU, VST3, AAX)
plug-in compatible with all major DAWs. It empowers artists and
producers to explore bleeding-edge vocal transformations, including
voice-to-voice, voice-to-instrument, speech-to-singing, language
transposition, and a myriad of previously impossible vocal
transformations. Together, UMG and SoundLabs are collaborating to
allow UMG artists to create custom vocal models that will be
available for their exclusive creative use cases, and not available
to the general public.
SoundLabs was founded by Grammy-nominated producer, composer,
software developer, and electronic artist BT. With a career
spanning over 25+ years, BT has released, produced, and remixed
platinum and award-winning music for A-list artists including
David Bowie, Madonna, Sting, Death
Cab for Cutie, Peter Gabriel, and
Seal. He has also scored #1 box office and Oscar-winning films such
as Monster and The Fast and the Furious. As a software developer,
BT has revolutionized music creation tools and pioneered new
techniques that are heard in albums, scores, and trailers daily. He
has patented and developed award-winning audio plugins like Stutter
Edit, BreakTweaker (iZotope), Polaris, and Phobos (Spitfire Audio),
among many others, which are used by countless audio professionals.
His software products have generated over $70 million USD in gross sales.
SoundLabs founding team also includes award-winning, veteran
software developers Joshua Dickinson
and Dr. Michael Hetrick of
Unfiltered Audio, a brand known for redefining the limits of
typical creative audio tools. Joining SoundLabs, they expand this
pursuit into the realm of AI where they continue to explore the
augmentation of human creative potential.
MicDrop is the first in a suite of interoperable AI tools and
services developed by SoundLabs for sound design and music
generation. It gives artists new "music super-powers" and
completely reimagines how music is made, enabling them to expand
what is possible.
SoundLabs' goal is to place powerful new compositional tools at
artists' fingertips, while supporting proper management of their
intellectual property. SoundLabs was founded with a foundational
respect for intellectual property rights and is focused on helping
artists retain creative control over their data and models.
SoundLabs founder BT said, "It's a tremendous honor to be
working with the forward-thinking and creatively aligned Universal
Music Group. We believe the future of music creation is decidedly
human. Artificial intelligence, when used ethically and trained
consensually, has the promethean ability to unlock unimaginable new
creative insights, diminish friction in the creative process and
democratize creativity for artists, fans, and creators of all
stripes. We are designing tools not to replace human artists, but
to amplify human creativity."
Chris Horton, SVP, Strategic Technology at Universal Music
said, "UMG strives to keep artists at the center of our AI
strategy, so that technology is used in service of artistry, rather
than the other way around. We are thrilled to be working with
SoundLabs and BT, who has a deep and personal understanding of both
the technical and ethical issues related to AI. Through direct
experience as a singer and in partnership with many vocal
collaborators, BT understands how performers view and value their
voices, and SoundLabs will allow UMG artists to push creative
boundaries using voice-to-voice AI to sing in languages they don't
speak, perform duets with their younger selves, restore imperfect
vocal recordings, and more."
UMG has long recognized and embraced the potential of
AI to enhance and amplify human creativity, advance musical
innovation, and expand the realms of audio production and sound
technology with responsible and ethical applications that respect
copyright. Recently, UMG and Roland published the Principles for
Music Creation with AI (aiformusic.info), a series of
clarifying statements relating to the responsible use of AI in
music creation and advocating for their adoption across the music
industry and creative community. The principles highlight the
opportunity for innovation with AI in music production,
composition, and songwriting while underscoring the need for
transparency, equity, and community involvement. SoundLabs is
pleased to have signed on in support of these shared
principles.
About SoundLabs
SoundLabs is a cutting-edge music
production and software company founded by BT, Joshua Dickinson, Dr. Michael Hetrick and Lacy
Transeau. With deep roots in the music industry, SoundLabs
is poised to revolutionize music production with its next
generation tools. This deeply dedicated team of veteran musicians
and developers brings unparalleled expertise, having created
award-winning plugins, groundbreaking albums, blockbuster film
scores, and top-selling sound libraries. Blending human creativity
with the vast power of AI, SoundLabs crafts intuitive, inspiring,
and ethical tools that transform imagination into reality,
redefining what is possible in music production. For more
information, visit soundlabs.ai
About Universal Music Group
At Universal Music Group,
we exist to shape culture through the power of artistry. UMG is the
world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of
businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing,
merchandising, and audiovisual content. Featuring the most
comprehensive catalogue of recordings and songs across every
musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and
distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially
successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation
and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services,
platforms, and business models in order to broaden artistic and
commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences
for fans. For more information on Universal Music Group, please
visit universalmusic.com.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/soundlabs-and-universal-music-group-announce-strategic-agreement-to-offer-responsibly-trained-ai-technology-and-vocal-modeling-plug-in-micdrop-to-umg-artists-302175739.html
SOURCE Universal Music Group