I started off curious

Honestly, I wasn’t exactly sure what I would discover when I started using Apple’s Logic Pro’s “session musicians,” who had promoted a major upgrade in version 11. Logic had a virtual drummer for years, but version 11 brought two additional players to the mix; a keyboard player and a bass player. But I was excited to find out what these virtual players had to offer. 

I’d long been interested in the ability to create completed musical compositions by myself, using a combination of my recorded guitar and bass along with MIDI-generated drums and keys. Recently, Wolfgang Van Halen showed us the power of what one person can do with the right tools. Wolf has the uncanny ability to play all the instruments in his creations and be the only human in his musical creations. The tongue-in-cheek videos he’s made, featuring several Wolfgangs rounding out the band players illustrate his superpower.

For those of us who do not have the skills (and equipment!) to play professional drums and keyboards, we’ll have to look elsewhere to bring those instruments into our creations. MIDI files and recorded loops offer some ability for the non-player to use these instruments, but require a unique skill set and offer little feeling of working with a human player.

The idea of an AI musician that can follow your song and play your creation as you have instructed them to felt like Nirvana. Always available, never late, ready to play when you are. For free. What could be better?

Worked in the software for a year

I’ve now created a full album of guitar-based instrumentals using the drum and keyboard session players within Logic Pro. Have worked with those session players almost daily now for a year. A fascinating experience, it was. The high point is that these session players “hold their own” as musicians and have allowed me, a lowly guitar player, to create full compositions using drums and keyboard-based instruments to create a complete soundscape in which to feature my guitar creations.

As I’ve mixed and edited the album, I’ve also reworked, rerecorded or updated these creations and a lot of that work was adjusting the session players’ controls to get the right vibe for the song. I’ll admit that turning dials and sliding levels feels comfortable, but the translation to what comes out the end is hard to learn. However, within the context of the song, the trial and error style does work and ultimately creates a mix that I’m happy with.

So what was missing? I should note that the human element was missed. A good relationship between musicians is a two-way rapport. Musicians “having fun” together. That level of closeness is somewhat impossible to have with the session musicians. The lack of verbal and non-verbal communication eventually catches up with you when you realize that one quick conversation with a competent drummer could replace half a day of trial and error attempts. Plus, that drummer might demonstrate a couple beats that would fit and allow a dialog that won’t take place with today’s AI players.

While the controls do allow you to push the virtual player, there’s a limit to that. You can’t encourage them to do something extra or take some musical risks and show off. They also don’t feed back to me, the guitar player, like real drummer and keyboard players might. They perform their parts and wait for the next take.

How did the session players do?

In the final analysis, the session players fill the role and play the songs pretty close to what was intended for them. That allows the artist to quickly create a semi-finished version of the song, without involving another human.  This feeds creativity and gives instant gratification along the song writing process. However, it’s unlikely that these players will be creating the ultimate piano accompaniment and drum baseline. They don’t take risks, they aren’t looking to show off and they keep to the tried and true rhythms and progressions.

I miss the human interaction most of all. Creating music in a band situation is a joyous human activity, even in the studio without an audience. A groups of humans, working together, huddled around a drummer was how we all started. Different models of band interaction have become popular, some using in-ear monitors and click tracks, degrading the human element a bit. Now, the introduction of AI-based players gets us even further from a huddle of humans.

While I never could have created a full album of my songs in a year without the session musicians I employed from Logic Pro. I’m pleased with the results and enjoyed the process. Helps me set the stage for more work. Hopefully with real live musicians, at some point. 

Eric Lundbohm serves as musical director for “Fret Salad,” an innovative project blending human artistry with AI musicianship. The album is available on all major streaming services. For more information visit www.fretsalad.com

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