[Asia Economy] Emotionwave: AI-Composed Songs Performed by Metaverse Singers

The meeting of art and technology 'Emotionwave' CEO Jang Soon-chul Fusing AI technology and the metaverse... building a new platform Also showcased an automatic playing robot... MOU with performance planning companies

AI Pianist 'Hanwool' (Provided=Emotionwave)

Last month, the artificial intelligence (AI) pianist 'Hanwool' released a digital single album. Hanwool is a virtual artist who does not exist in reality but can communicate and be active with people in online and metaverse environments. His self-composed piano piece, 'Green Spirit,' features natural sounds mixed in, showcasing a stable yet cheerful melody that heals the mind and body.
It was the CEO of the venture company Emotionwave, Jang Soon-chul, who brought Hanwool to the world. In an interview with Asia Economy on the 10th, CEO Jang said, "Hanwool is content that fuses AI technology and the metaverse," adding that "the day will come when individuals' owned metaverse artists can sing and perform."
He said that AI composition technology is developing rapidly. If you collect various songs and convert them into digital sheet music and train an AI, it can create 10 or 20 songs. It can also generate songs specifically tailored to similar tendencies and styles.
For example, if one commissions a song with a classical feel based on the styles of domestic singer IU and international singer Ariana Grande, they can generate several songs with that tendency. Of course, human touch is still necessary to enhance the completeness of the song. CEO Jang said, "To present music that many people will like, something musical and moving, there are many parts that require a human hand, such as arrangement work." However, he added that "the AI's composition ability is improving rapidly to the point where even engineers are surprised," predicting that "in 20 years, an AI composer with frightening skill will emerge."

Jang Soon-chul, CEO of Emotionwave (Provided=Emotionwave)

Emotionwave is a company that creates new platforms fusing AI and the metaverse. In the metaverse environment, where socio-economic activities can take place in virtual reality, they dream of a future where anyone can be an artist. They can create various contents, such as an individual's owned metaverse character holding a microphone and performing a concert while singing songs composed by AI. CEO Jang said, "The company's technology and direction will continue to change," adding that "the previously held robotics and AI technologies will fuse with various contents and be able to move between the metaverse and reality."

Automatic playing robot used in the Jazz Mechatronica performance (Provided=Emotionwave)

He previously drew public attention by holding an art project called 'Jazz Mechatronica' in late 2017, where automatic performance robots collaborated with a jazz band. Drums, percussion, marimba, electric bass, and acoustic guitars were specially made for the automatic performance. The instruments connected to computers performed in perfect synchrony and interacted with the artists, showing a harmony between humans and machines. Similarly, Emotionwave's AI robot instrument 'RIMA' has reached a level where it can recognize music and instantly reproduce expert-level performances. Last year, they showcased RIMA at 'CES 2020,' the world's largest technology exhibition.
Meanwhile, Emotionwave recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with 'Haneul E&T,' a performance planning company famous for the musical character Byeol-mae, through Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Contents Agency. They are preparing to pioneer a new market in the performing arts industry, which has been suffering from stagnation due to COVID-19, by utilizing the metaverse.
Original article source :https://view.asiae.co.kr/article/2021081006352971928