How To Use AI In Audio (without Making Yourself Redundant)

Posted February 11, 2025 by Asbjoern Andersen in Sound Opinions

What does AI mean for us in sound? Many are understandably worried that it might take our jobs away, but in this Sound Opinions piece, sound designer and recordist Ana Monte argues that AI offers plenty of ways we can use it creatively - without making ourselves redundant:

By Ana Monte, with additional research by Wieland Müller

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AI is not here to replace us. It’s a powerful tool that, when placed in the right hands, unlocks new creative possibilities

As a sound designer, I’ve been fascinated by the growing role AI is playing in the world of audio.
But here’s my 2 cents: AI is not here to replace us. It’s a powerful tool that, when placed in the right hands, unlocks new creative possibilities.

AI can assist in a variety of ways:

– Restoring damaged audio: AI can remove clicks, hums, and background noise automatically, saving you time on tedious manual fixes. (Examples of tools to explore: Accentize dxRevive, Supertone, iZotope RX)

– Generating sound sketches: AI can create sketches based on prompts, giving you a quick starting point for sound design. (Examples of tools to explore: Krotos Studio Pro, Sonic Alchemist)

– Smart EQ adjustments: AI can analyze your audio and suggest custom EQ settings, streamlining the mix process. (Examples of tools to explore: Soundtheory Gulfoss, Sonible Smart: EQ 3, Oeksound Bloom)

– Editing audio through text: AI lets you edit audio by editing text, making dialogue editing faster. (Examples of tools to explore: Descript, Spext)

– Finding similar sounds: AI can analyze your sound library and help you discover similar sounds quickly, saving time on browsing (Examples of tools to explore: Sononym, Waves COSMOS Sample Finder)

– Isolating stems from a mix: AI can separate individual stems from a full mix, allowing you to extract elements for remixing or editing. (Examples of tools to explore: audioshake.ai, Audionamix ADX TRAX, LALAL.AI)

– Simulating reverb environments: AI can recreate realistic reverb spaces, allowing you to apply different acoustic environments to your audio without complex manual adjustments. (Examples of tools to explore: Accentize Chameleon, Zynaptiq Adaptiverb)

– Processing voice recordings: AI can process voice recordings, refining clarity, adjusting tone, and improving intelligibility in real-time. It can also adapt to different voice profiles, creating personalized audio outputs. (Examples of tools to explore: Auphonic, SoundID VoiceAI, Supertone Shift)

But here’s the thing, AI doesn’t have the creative intuition or understanding of human emotion that we, as sound engineers and sound designers, bring to every project (for writing, editors have seen this as well). It’s our artistry, vision, and expertise that guide these tools to produce something special.

Let’s embrace these technologies, not fear them! This way we can focus on what really matters: creativity, storytelling, and emotional impact. If you have suggestions for AI audio tools that empower us, be sure to share them in the comments!

About Ana Monte:

Ana Monte, co-founder and sound designer at DELTA Soundworks, is a leading expert in spatial audio. She specialises in creating immersive content for Fulldome, XR, and Themed Attractions. Learn more about her here

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