The Steve Larson Distinguished Lecture Series honors the spirit of camaraderie and community evident in the career and life of UO music theorist, musicologist, and musician Steve Larson. This series is coordinated by graduate students of the UO School of Music and Dance.

“Artificial Intelligence, Deep Listening, and the “Crisis” of Automation in Music Production”
Mike D’Errico
Music & Computer Science
Albright College

Throughout the history of the recording industry, the creative practices of mixing and mastering engineers were viewed simultaneously as a dark art and a highly specialized skill set requiring years of training in critical listening. In the 2010s, the implementation of AI algorithms and deep learning in mixing and mastering plug-ins made these techniques available to casual users with a single button click. This lecture surveys the emergence of automation in the creative workflows of music producers, from AI drum machines and composition algorithms to the mixing and mastering “assistants” available in plug-ins.

Mike D'Errico is an Associate Professor of Music & Computer Science at Albright College, where he teaches courses in Music Production, Sound Design, Game Design, Songwriting, and User Experience Design. As an electronic music producer and sound designer, he makes hip-hop beats, electronic dance music tracks, and sound for video games and virtual reality applications.