Dec 27, 2021I Don’t Buy NFTs but I’ll Gladly Sell You OneI thought NFTs were lame before you’d ever heard of them. I started making generative art in 2018. At the time, NFTs were esoteric, and no one was paying millions of dollars to buy one. On a few different occasions, a stranger would suggest I take a look at the…Nft4 min readNft4 min read
Aug 26, 2021How to See Unminted Output from Any Artblocks ProjectExplore NFTs from alternate realities — Artblocks works by minting a limited number of artworks from any of the generative algorithms it hosts, but have you ever wondered about the output that didn’t get minted? Each algorithm can technically produce an infinite number of artworks, but the Artblocks site only allows users to see the ones…Nft3 min readNft3 min read
Nov 15, 2019Member-onlyBetter Computer Music“AI” does not stand for “automatically interesting” — For the last year I’ve been building generative music systems — little programs that produce music that doesn’t end or repeat. This software-based generative music is a form of “computer music,” which is a broader term that refers to a variety of ways computers, software, and algorithms can be used…Music5 min readMusic5 min read
Sep 30, 2019Thoughts on the Ownership of Generative MusicSay you write a song, and show your friend how to play it. Your friend records himself performing it and makes $10,000 by selling the recording. Are you owed anything? Say you build a music box which plays an original piece of music. You give this music box to your…Music2 min readMusic2 min read
Aug 29, 2019Member-onlyHow Mubert (Probably) WorksGenerative music at scale — Mubert is a generative music streaming app available in the browser and on mobile devices. It features a collection of music streams organized by genre and the activities they’re intended to complement, like “sleep” and “work.” …Music11 min readMusic11 min read
Jul 22, 2019How to Host a Generative Music Platform on The WebA technical explanation of Generative.fm — Generative.fm is a personal project of mine which hosts a growing collection of ambient generative music systems. Generative music neither ends nor repeats, and is created by a system. That might sound strange, but there’s a chance you have a generative music system hanging on your porch. I’ve been building…JavaScript12 min readJavaScript12 min read
Jun 28, 2019The Corruption LoopsDigitally disintegrating music — I just published a website called Corruption Loops, which you can visit at corruptionloops.alexbainter.com. This site generates a unique, short piece of music and plays it repeatedly. As it plays, the audio data is slowly corrupted, and you can listen to the music transform into noise. Here’s how it works. Inspiration …Music8 min readMusic8 min read
Jun 10, 2019Member-onlyGenerative Art in a Recorded WorldAdvantages of infinitely long artworks when “content is king” — My life is made up of many obsessions. Be it an artist, YouTube channel, TV show, music, or even an animal, when I find something that interests me, I can’t stop myself from consuming as much of or about it as possible, as quickly as I can. I focus my…Music9 min readMusic9 min read
May 31, 2019Randomizing Program Execution with Random Number GeneratorsDifferent ways to use Math.random() and its equivalents — Utilizing randomness in software isn’t something I’ve had to do for professional work, but it’s the basis of most of my creative software projects. Most notably, I make generative music hosted on Generative.fm. This involves a great deal of randomization, such as scheduling events at random times or making random…JavaScript5 min readJavaScript5 min read
May 4, 2019Member-onlyComputers Only Do One ThingWhy algorithms can’t replace artists (so quit freaking out) — In March of this year, music industry giant Warner Music Group signed a 20 album deal with Endel, a startup which uses its own custom software to generate music. While some people reacted with interest, there was a noticeable tone of unease in many of the responses. I even saw…Art9 min readArt9 min read
