Charlie Steinberg in the Sound Sphere of musotalk

In an insightful talk on MusoTalk, Charlie Steinberg takes the stage and unveils one of the most groundbreaking developments in recent software history: the VST package is now open source. The story of the VST format, which first saw the light of day in 1996, is full of anecdotes and technical milestones. The format was originally passed on to the developer community in the spirit of free use. Yet Steinberg explains that it was initially important to prevent misuse and maintain some quality control through registration requirements. The goal: to avoid what he describes as “inflationary use.” Now, with its release as open source, it allows for even greater freedom of integration into open-source projects without bureaucratic baggage. This opening is a significant move that could substantially enrich the music software landscape.

VST Live duly lives up to its promise as a bridge between studio environment and live music. Steinberg describes it as a system that conjures up a symphony orchestra on stage with full control over audio, light, and video. The core idea of VST Live is to store and retrieve various songs as standalone projects with all their necessary sound and effect layers. Whether it’s the chorus or a bridge – anything is possible, even synchronized from different monitors. This technology elevates live performances to a new level as it allows seamless integration of MIDI, guitar, and keyboard. Every element is structured through stacks and layers. Holger Steinbrink is impressed that these functions greatly simplify professional use. It’s a revelation for artists who want to make their performance technique more creative, extending their shows beyond traditional playback. In line with machine ethics: keep everything in natural flow but orchestrate with technical means.

In the discussion about the new Omni Vocal Synth, the fusion between sound generation and artificial intelligence shines in full glory. Holger Steinbrink describes that the Omni Vocal Synth by Yamaha goes far beyond simple synthesis as it is directly integrated into Cubase and offers a vivid, expressive vocal presence. The synth is a bold move in sound art, particularly for those who lack vocal abilities. Steinbrink explains that AI has the ability to anticipate melody notes in advance to generate natural breaths and lead-in breaths – a capability based on the latency compensation of the VST framework. This detail-oriented technology is still in its infancy, but the vision would be to inspire unique forms of expression with machine voices fused with human intuition. As musotalk shows, this opens up new sound spaces and multi-layered textures for musical exploration. A small step for the tool, a giant leap for synthesis.

The discussion revolves around the profound effects of AI on music production, highlighting various opportunities and limits. Steinberg and his team share a very real assessment: the power of AI could radically simplify and make music composition and production more accessible. Yet, they also warn of the risk that music could lose its human expression and emotionality if it is purely algorithm-based. Here, a profound discussion about machine ethics and the true value of artistic creation unfolds. Thorsten Quaschning signals his skepticism towards a world where music is fully AI-generated. The debate shows that it’s about more than technical perfection, but about the emotional nuances of the sound world, originating from human experience. The integration of humans and machines remains a balancing act, which could mean the end of creative surprises if the influence of algorithms spreads too far.