At Thorgate, we’re always exploring how technology can transform industries. Many of our team members share a deep passion for music—our marketing specialist Kreete Mi is an avid DJ, while Merili and Grete have years of experience organizing events. We’ve also had the opportunity to contribute to several music-related projects. So, when we were invited to a seminar on the future of music and its intersection with AI and software, we knew we had to take part.
We were especially proud to have Karl Õkva, Thorgate’s Business Development Manager, as one of the three speakers. He shared insights into Thorgate’s contributions to the music industry and listened to experts discuss how technology is shaping the future of music creation and production.
Markus Palo – The Role of AI in Music Production
Markus Palo, a renowned music producer and sound engineer, kicked off his talk by demonstrating how AI can separate stems in Logic Pro. While he had also tested AI for instrument generation, he found it less useful for musicians who already know how to play their instruments.
His talk highlighted areas where AI is making a significant impact, including:
- Effect modelling: AI is proving valuable in crafting sound effects with precision.
- AI-assisted sound design: Tools like Synplant 2 can generate creative sound textures.
- Voice modification: AI can alter a voice’s gender or age, helping artists achieve specific vocal effects.
However, Markus also pointed out AI’s current limitations. While AI can assist in music production, it lacks the subtlety required for professional mastering. Additionally, audiences often react negatively to AI-generated lyrics and album art, considering them less authentic.
Beyond sound design, AI is also streamlining music-related workflows. Markus emphasized how AI-based solutions can automate tedious tasks, like generating graphs and visual data, allowing musicians to focus on creativity rather than administrative work. This sparked an engaging conversation on the fine line between creative inspiration and reliance on AI-generated content that concluded with the thought that AI in music is still in its early stages and often still lacks the sophistication needed for more deep creative assistance.
Kristjan Nõlvak – Digitalizing Music Creation with Scoremusic
Kristjan Nõlvak from Scoremusic introduced his company’s work in bringing digital tools to orchestral music. One major challenge for musicians and orchestras is the lack of easy access to musical scores. The traditional process of publishers shipping out the sheets and the orchestra needing to distribute the physical scores is often cumbersome and inefficient. In some cases, it takes as much as 40 hours for a symphony orchestra just for the distribution process. Through Scoremusic, this process is digitalised, taking as little as 15 minutes. Their platform allows musicians to:
- Rent, read, annotate, and share sheet music digitally.
- Collaborate more efficiently by enabling conductors to make and share annotations with the entire orchestra.
- Ensure copyright compliance while eliminating the hassle of handling physical scores.
After that, the work can continue individually where every performer can make individual annotations specific to their instrument or set. The platform has already been adopted by many prestigious institutions such as the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and is being used by over 12 000 musicians worldwide.
Karl Õkva – Thorgate’s AI Projects and the Future of Music
Karl Õkva took the stage to discuss ways AI can inspire music creation rather than just replicate existing sounds. He addressed the age-old question: is AI a tool for inspiration or plagiarism? The answer, he suggested, depends on how it’s used. When leveraged properly, AI becomes a creative assistant rather than a replacement for human input—it can become a valuable collaborator rather than a threat to originality. A tool such as Every Noise at Once was shown as an example of an auto-generated assistant for exploring different music styles.
Karl also highlighted Thorgate’s contributions to the music industry:
- The Estonian National Opera: Thorgate helped digitize their intermission orders process, enhancing the audience experience.
- The Veljo Tormis Virtual Centre: From proof-of-concept to MVP, Thorgate played a crucial role in developing this platform, preserving the legacy of composer Veljo Tormis. The project earned Thorgate a nomination for the "Culture Friend 2024" award. The core idea of the Veljo Tormis Virtual Centre is to enable the legacy of the composer to be collected, stored, accessed, and shared digitally while retaining the effects of being able to learn about the history of the composer.
- Music Discovery and Collaboration: Thorgate has been involved in creating solutions for sharing and discovering new music:
- A mobile app for discovering regional music in Africa.
- Architecture and concept design for a web-based platform that uses machine learning to connect music creators based on keywords and data analytics.
These projects demonstrate the growing role of technological solutions in promoting collaboration between the audience, artists and producers across different regions, genres and expressions.
Future possibilities and challenges
Throughout the seminar, several key themes emerged, both from presentations and the Q&A that followed regarding the future of technology and music:
- Ethical concerns: Is AI-generated music truly original, or does it cross into plagiarism? The consensus seemed to lean toward AI being a tool to assist the creative process but not replace it.
- Artificially generated sounds and music production: AI shows great potential in separating stems, generating unique sounds, and assisting in modelling sound effects. However, creating entire AI-generated songs that match human artistry—especially in less mainstream languages and genres—remains a challenge.
- Music discovery and collaboration: Several presenters showed examples of how digital tools can better help creators to connect collaborate and share their work across the globe, helping to break down barriers between genres, regions, and cultures.
Final thoughts: merging technology and creativity
The seminar confirmed that the relationship between technology, especially AI and music is far from one-dimensional. While there are still challenges to address, the potential for innovation in the music industry is quite remarkable. At Thorgate, we believe in the power of technology to empower creators and are excited to contribute to the ongoing evolution of music.
If you’re working on a music-related project or have a creative idea you’d like to explore, we’d love to hear from you! Get in touch with our Key Account Manager Evelin Mutli at evelin@thorgate.eu to discuss your project or schedule an e-meeting.
