Billy Corgan, frontman of the Smashing Pumpkins, has never been afraid to speak his mind. This time, in a recent interview with Goldmine Magazine (via Music Tech ), he shared his opinion on the use of digital audio workstations, especially Pro Tools , in the industry. He believes it makes the music culture obsolete in terms of creativity.
“In many ways, Pro Tools has made music much worse. It brought a lot of people into the music world who really had nothing to do with it,” Corgan said. “… Pro Tools , as a sort of way of making music, on some level, leveled the playing field, allowing people who can’t sing to sound like they can sing. And people who can’t play guitar now sound like they can.”
The use of AI in music
But the musician didn't just talk about using Pro Tools ; he also shared his opinion on the use of AI in creating lyrics and melodies. “OK, whenever a new technology emerges, people are right to sound the alarm,” said Corgan. “We can already see people using AI to generate lyrics, melodies, and chord changes. Streaming services are already buying companies to make AI-generated music so they don't have to pay humans. They can just take the money themselves.” This is a concern not only for Billy, as an AI-generated song was recently nominated for a Grammy.
Finally, Corgan pointed out: “I don’t want to get too technical, but we still use amplifiers. There’s no amplifier modeling; it’s all raw power. It’s guitars and amplifiers in cabinets and microphones. We still believe in air movement, while many rock records are made in a box.” This can be seen next month as his band lands in South America. The tour includes shows in Brasília on November 1st and in São Paulo on November 3rd.
READ ALSO : Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins uses artificial intelligence to speak Portuguese with fans.
