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WNAMM09: Sing Into Songsmith - Get a Backing Track

Microsoft's research product comes of age. 28-Jan-09

No flash plug

Microsoft Songsmith makes music 3:59 mins
Streaming:
   Windows Media 
Embed Flash (non commercial usage)

Starting life as a research project called MySong at Microsoft, Sumit and Dan analyzed melody to create backing tracks to a recorded mic input.

Now called Songsmith, they've teamed up with Garritan for the sounds and Band-in-a-Box for the styles and playback engine. The software analyzes a recorded input then puts chords, bass and a beat to it. Once recorded and analyzed, you have control over the style of the backing track by moving 'happy' and 'jazzy' sliders to change the chords, you can also ask it to suggest other chords that would work with the melody.

The results can be exported WAV or WMA the backing track, the vocal and also the MIDI data for importing into other DAW software. It's actually very cool, and you know it's only $30!!!

Dan and Sumit don't have plans to port this to any other platforms than Windows for now, but if it blows up really big then you never know.


5 Comments...  Post a comment    original story
robgs    Said...

Have you seen the trailer for this?....

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3oGFogwcx-E

I guess this product is aimed at people that can't sing.

28-Jan-09 04:31 AM

Nick B    Said...

Maybe, but I can see applications for people who say carry a dictaphone around to mumble ideas into, with this you could turn your random warblings into something more concrete no?

28-Jan-09 05:34 AM

robgs    Said...

Fair point, but I can only see this as a 'rough' starting point in a composition. Don't you think everything seemed very similar tune-wise, more akin to easy-listening coffee shop jazz than something new and edgy.

28-Jan-09 06:13 AM

Nick B    Said...

Sure, I'm really only interested in it throwing the right chords under it.

I imagine one sings a tune, you sort of have an idea in your head how the chords should be, this might get you there, I wouldnt expect to use the actualy arrangement lines etc

28-Jan-09 07:27 AM

anon    Said...

the microsoft guys song is freakin hilarious.

29-Jan-09 12:47 AM

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