Waiting to get into this

UPDATE 28/8

12.4.5 has arrived, but with no Extensions. Getting bloatier every release, now up to 4.5G - sheesh. And no news from unAbleton, pages now out of date, their sullen silence is deafening:

https://www.ableton.com/en/blog/introducing-extensions-sdk/

https://www.ableton.com/en/blog/

Communication isn't their strong point, except to promote artists of a certain type. But never an ongoing conversation with their users on the blog, as to how things are going with releases. 

Odd, unfriendly people, really.

UPDATE 4/8

Still no release. My Suno phase is well and truly complete. The wait goes on, there is no news from unAbleton as to why it's taking so long. Don't bother trying to get any updates from a Reddit sub, as most of them seem to be flying monkey trolls who arc up when you merely ask for news on something unAbleton themselves trumpeted. I can't understand why they get so enraged at simple, innocent questions. (Maybe I can ha ha) 

A quick progress update is all we're asking for. Not a pre-emptive release. It's not as if there aren't bugs and UI fails they never will fix. Not too much to ask.

7/6

At long last, scripting/coding and Ableton Live converge! A dream come true.

https://www.ableton.com/en/blog/introducing-extensions-sdk/

The Extensions SDK has been released, but the Ableton update needed to use it hasn't happened yet, although it can be used in beta. I'm too unfocused at the moment, still having fun with my suno.ai adventures, to do the beta thing, happy to wait for the official 12.4.5.

I know my full attention will return to Ableton, not just for Extensions, but all the Roland, Cherry Audio, Arturia, GForce and Korg synths that I haven't fully explored. The ability to script everything will create some very interesting possibilities. And to enjoy open source Extensions from others. Going to be huuuuuge.  

Looking at the SDK package, it's all very familiar coding territory, using Nodejs & Typescript what's more, so after a decade of professional programming, this should be a relative doddle. The ultimate construction kit. Absolutely smashing!

https://ableton.github.io/extensions-sdk/

117 Victoria St

 Well, well, well! Third incarnation. Wow!

117-victoria-street-potts-point-nsw-2011-2020781229

As we've known since the mid 70s, the views are unsurpassed. Incredibly rich panoramas. 

 

Good colours

This is the time of year when the angle of the rising sun shines square on into my windows. Ideal for renewed experiments with prisms. Some of the most exquisite and rich effects I've ever seen. Not lasers, only the sunlight of 7:30am! Some of these rays seem to hover in a plane above the surface they are shining on.

Brilliant intensity in these re-re-refractions. Such subtle tints. By tuning the prisms into each other, you can cut the range of visible light into smaller segments and refract that into another prism and so on, setting up a random shower of refraction beams. A single tint can be selected in pin stripe brilliance. Superb, really.

Suuuuweeet to say the least!

My Taste

 After reworking most of the demo tapes from previous bodies of work, plus adding some recent Ableton works, the potential and limitations of Suno are evident. New insight into old pieces. Fascinating interpretations, interesting instrument combos, great vocals and vocal editing.

Without a lot of prep, Suno cannot deal with a thoughtful, changing composition. It want to roll everything into its aggregate learnings, truncating and just plain ignoring segments of the upload, and often formulaic and indecisive rendering. I've sent more versions to trash than I've kept. Supposedly it depends on use of the style prompts, but the AI is fickle and cheeky, and if you have a typo, or misspelling, or a key word that it can apply the opposite to, or ignore, it will. It also likes to throw up a 7 minute version of what it usually does in 2 to 3 minutes. But this isn't a properly fulfilled style prompt, either. It completely ignores the style prompts, adding vocals and vocalisations where not wanted. Try putting 'no guitars' - in some cases it just ignores that. Hilarious antics.  

But original composition remains paramount for me. I really cannot stand the bland slop it creates, the false excitement, the continually style changes without letting a groove set in, etc if there is no constraint.

However, it is fascinating to have scratched the surface. I did want a time out from Ableton work, as it's been 13 years of comprehensive use and huge amount of original material on hand. So many ideas. So I greatly value the Suno platform as a tool beyond Ableton, in a sense. 

It summarises your style and gives a capsule comment, here is mine after very many uploads and covers thereof.

Core sound: English-language electronic-jazz-funk with art-rock edge; exact-source fidelity, high contrast, dramatic focus.

Production: Synth-driven grooves, funk pocket, occasional orchestral pop lift, backing vocals, acoustic piano touches.

Lyrics & mood: Surreal wordplay, satire, tribute, social commentary. Admiration, irony, frustration, belonging.

Avoids: No heavy improvisation. No vocal ad-libs. No loose timing.

I don't let Suno improvise, as the original upload (my pre-Suno demo version) contains all the improvisations if required. The AI is just not (yet?) sensitive or subtle enough to be able to improvise my particular style successfully - in my opinion. 

@astext

Music theory

 This article absolutely confirms my lived experience, although I have also closely studied music theory along the way. 

you-might-understand-music-theory-better-than-you-think-regardless-of-formal-training/