When developing the DJuced AI assistant, the Hercules development team approached DJs to analyse their music libraries to crunch the song choosing data. Gauging the liveliness of the audience with the Energy Feature, DJuced can suggest songs not only through BPM matching but also through style and genre. With the direction of the DJ, the AI assistant will scan through queued folders of music to pick the best songs for the set.
A DJ set is more than mastering the hardware and technique, it’s about musical knowledge that goes deeper than finding awesome or popular tracks – a great DJ can gauge music’s danceability in a flash and define the next big sound. The Hercules developers believe that this deeply human and intuitive judgement call can be supported by AI, as a machine can analyse certain track parameters and suggest novel ideas for what to play next. It can alleviate a major pain point for all DJs, but particularly for those new to the practice.
‘When we looked at the history of DJing, we realised that beat matching was the first technique you need to master if you want to be able to mix properly,’ says Victorien Bourreau, a working DJ who is also part of Hercules’ development and design team. ‘But it’s not just about finding two tracks with a similar BPM. Francis Grasso, one of the DJs who invented the beat matching technique, found that music needs to be danceable while having a similar speed, rhythm, and tonality.’
These principles inspired the development team at Hercules, which set out to create an AI-powered tool that would guide beginner DJs and inspire them to craft better sets. As they worked on an algorithm within Hercules’ popular Djuced software, they noticed some subtleties that went beyond Grasso’s rules. The team turned to scientific literature and DJ common sense to figure out how to capture what made tracks fit well together.
‘You can have two songs with the same BPM in the same key, but one is danceable and the other one isn’t,’ Bourreau explains. ‘Djuced can tell if a song is no fun to dance to or if it’s freaky danceable – we call it Energy. This complex algorithm takes into account the repetitions in songs, rhythms, frequencies, song parts, loudness, changes of structure, type of sound, among other things.’
A complex algorithm that encompasses a wide range of musical features demands extensive testing and training. The team reached out to working DJs, asking them to let Hercules analyse their libraries and see if they could get it right. Though beginners remain their core audience, they needed experienced DJs to make sure the suggestions worked. ‘DJs have really cool ways of organizing their libraries, and they have ever-changing musical preferences,’ Bourreau notes. ‘So that’s why in DJuced, you can specify where the Assistant should look, your entire music collection or in a specific folder or playlist, and tell the Assistant how many suggestions to make.’
The the AI assistant can also be accessed directly from a controller while mixing. The IMA is linked between hardware and software with dedicated buttons, so the DJs doesn’t have to use a mouse on a computer screen. The DJ has direct access from the controller, so they can keep their hands on the controller and focus and what’s important when DJing: the music.
‘It suggests combinations of songs I would never have found by myself,’ Bourreau enthuses. ‘It’s a great way to improvise and explore.’
The discovery aspect is perhaps one of the coolest parts of AI, how a machine can find connections humans may not imagine, and do so very quickly. Though the Intelligent Music Assistant and Djuced want to get beginners rolling, the Assistant is built to leave them lots of room for creativity as they grow and improve. ‘You are still making all your own choices,’ Bourreau reflects. ‘The technology makes it easier and faster, but it’s all about you and what you want to play.’
More: www.hercules.com
