Three minute reads for audio engineers and music makers

By Thomas Dulin

Hey Reader, here's this week's Take Three email.

Quick reminder. If you're part of the PhaseLock beta and you do not want to receive my awesome weekly emails, you can opt out of these here.

TAKE ONE: QUICK LINKS

• UAD's Moog Model D synth is 80% off ($29) if you buy it through Plugin Boutique.
• Why Your USB Hub Could Be Corrupting Your Studio Drives, via Production Expert​
• MusicTech's "best new plugins, free and paid" this week has some great mentions. Link here.​

TAKE TWO: GEAR HIGHLIGHT

My Apple Cinema Display from 2010 appears to finally have bit the dust this week. Luckily I had this Arzopa 16" display on hand.

I bought this a few years ago to use on tour and it did magnificent at that. When I'm home I use it as a second display in the studio.

Doesn't need power, fits in your backpack, has its own little kickstand, and it has 2k resolution. It's honestly one of my favorite non-mic pieces of gear.

TAKE THREE: AI COMPANIES ARE PAYING BIG FOR YOUR ATTENTION

I declined an offer this week to show you an ad in this email.

The ad was for an “AI company” who sells courses teaching folks how to use AI. Their courses cost hundreds of dollars per month. I want to be clear that the company doesn't do generative AI, but I just felt like it wasn't a great fit.

Instead of including their ad here, I've decided to write this issue about how prevalent AI marketing has become in the music world.
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In the last year or two, companies who make generative AI have ponied up millions of dollars to creators in order to try to make robot art normal. It doesn't really seem to be working.

Someone I follow on Instagram recently posted a reel showing off new Suno features. Look at the comments they received:

In a recent survey of professional musicians and artists, 66% of participants said they feel worried that generative AI will make it impossible for them to make a living making art. (Source)​

It baffles me that brands and musicians haven't learned this lesson yet.

And listen, I want to clarify: I’m not anti-AI. I want a super computer that has knowledge of all of human history to help cure diseases that we currently can't cure, or help with solutions to improve the quality of the air we breathe.

But I'm not interested in hearing that computer sing a song and clearly I'm not alone in that feeling.

I hope you'll permit this slightly off-topic essay this week. Is this take too strong? Is there a place for generative AI in music that I'm missing?

Hit reply and let me know your thoughts.

Until next week, happy music making, Reader.

Thomas Dulin Producer / Engineer / Mixer