Lately, I’ve been having a blast messing around with AI music tools. They’re wild—you toss in an idea and, boom, a track appears like magic. But after that rush, I catch myself going back to my old setup, opening Koala or Ableton Note, and cooking up beats by hand. And honestly? I appreciate my own, non-AI beats more than ever.
Why?
Because every little sound is actually mine. The timing might be slightly off, or a hi-hat might hit a little crooked, but that’s what makes it real. When I sample something goofy or add a random sample chop just for fun, there’s a weird joy in hearing it back—like saying “this is me” without using words.
There’s something missing in AI-generated stuff. Sure, it sounds cool and sometimes sparks ideas I wouldn’t have thought of, but there’s no story behind it—no late night struggling with a melody, no weeks stuck trying to get a mix right. That struggle and messiness is half the fun for me.
And then there’s sharing. When I post my own tracks on Bandcamp or somewhere else, it feels like I’m actually putting myself out there, not just uploading something a bot spit out. The feedback means so much more, too. When someone gets what I’m aiming for (or doesn’t, but still vibes with it), that’s a feeling no algorithm can copy.
In the end, AI is a cool tool—but it’ll never replace the rush I get from making something from scratch. My own beats have my sweat in them. That means everything.
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