Welcome to the immersive musical world of modular artist Cinematic Laboratory as the Lab unveils its latest sonic endeavor, "War of the Worlds 2023 AI". The album showcases a fusion of an audio comic with music, 3D field recordings, cutting-edge AI text-to-speech dialogs and Chat GPT ghostwriting. By combining handmade sounds, real analog voltage, and digital magic, Cinematic Laboratory is stretching the boundaries of 21st century 'bedroom' music production.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands, Aug. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Inspired by H.G. Wells' timeless novel and the 1956 classic movie "Forbidden Planet," Cinematic Laboratory's interpretation of "War of the Worlds" takes an unpredictable direction. Instead of an invasion from Mars, we'll be invaded by Krell Technology from the forbidden planet Altair 4. The Krell were a highly civilized species, a million years ahead of us. But their technology became their downfall and they faced total extinction in a single night. Their machines were designed to materialize thoughts into reality, but unfortunately this also worked for their deepest fears and wildest nightmares. And now the technology has finally reached Earth. It's a gift, but it will take a few episode to figure that out. So in the meantime we'll have the usual tripod attacks, heat rays, zombies and gore. Whatever we can think of. However, this story is designed as a zero-casualty comedy with no swearing and it all ends well.
Controversy was expected, because the album features a few deep fake AI celebrity voice models and Chat GPT ghost writing. However, the album is currently refused by the major streaming services. Too explicit? No. To offensive? No! The Genre Police doesn't accept it as a music album. It's not an audiobook. And it's not really a podcast. It's stuck between a rock and a hard place, but the trained listener would spot trip hop, techno, trance, cinematic, modular ambient and lounge as the story unfolds.
When you're inspired by Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds, you'd need music, sound effects and narration. If you omit a singer, it suddenly doesn't qualify as music anymore. But there's always a way. War of the World 2023 AI is now streaming as a Spotify podcast with eight episodes, bloopers, a trailer song and a disclaimer where the deep fake celebrity AI's explain a few things.
Below the surface, it's a compelling exploration of the power of imagination and its ability to shape, disrupt, damage, and heal our lives. For real. It's a force that cannot be defeated by the common cold. Our modern world also needs to prepare for a reality that can be forged by AI. You can't fully trust your eyes and ears anymore. We need to learn how to tell the difference.
The Bandcamp release features transcripts of the story (aka lyrics) and a special album with instrumentals. The 'OST' almost proves it's a music album in its core. Hopefully the album will be able as a 'normal' music album in a near future.
Contact Cinematic Laboratory
YouTube Channel:
youtube.com/@cinematiclaboratory
Album download:
https://cinematiclaboratory.bandcamp.com/album/war-of-the-worlds-2023-ai
The Podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/show/2HHjccRlxfHK6FertOOpfJ?si=ce1a3c8d07da4569
or just search for 'War of the Worlds 2023 AI' in podcasts and use episode order (oldest to newest).
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Album Disclaimer
The content presented in this Work is purely fictional and for entertainment purposes only. Any resemblance to actual persons is used with deep respect and admiration for their public persona. The use of AI-generated voices or personas is solely for artistic expression and does not represent the endorsement, support, or involvement of any real individuals or entities mentioned or referenced. No harm, abuse, or malicious intent is intended towards any person, group, organization, government or country. This work seeks to explore themes, provoke thought, and raise awareness about the potential implications of AI-generated content. Any views or opinions expressed within this work are not to be taken as factual or reflective of real-world beliefs or positions. Listener discretion is advised.
-- BACKGROUND INFO
About Cinematic Laboratory
Cinematic Laboratory is a YouTube channel focused on the modular synthesizer niche. It's a form of synthesis known for bleeps and bloops, and doing easy things the hardest way possible. Interest was raised significantly when the Pandemic forced people to stay home. The modular synth community unites a group of supportive and openminded people from all over the world.
About Robert Pabst (founder)
Robert is born in the 60's and grew up in a great era of musical change. He chooses to remain a person that works behind the scenes. He was able to enjoy early retirement in 2020 after a long career in ICT. He has no physical presence on the channel and uses captions to explain his gear. The focus is on music production. Robert: I am a nobody working at the bottom of YouTube and the music industry. I am simply doing what I love most. Not looking for fame and fortune because I've been there and it's not important.
About "War of the Worlds 2023 AI":
Our first encounter with War of the Worlds was through Jeff Wayne's musical adventure concept album back in the 80's. While still a landmark in music history, it's also 40 years old. The story has been exploited in many movies as a predictable epic, where we face a formidable alien power that's unaware of antibiotics. I wanted to find out if I could make a 21st century concept album – on my own – and see how much help I could get from AI technology like text to speech and ChatGPT. Since nothing hostile is coming from Mars any time soon, the 'threat' is now coming from Altair IV, former home planet of the Krell. This highly advanced civilization wiped itself out in a single day because of a machine that could materialize their thoughts. This also included their deepest fears and worst nightmares. The Krell are extinct, but a huge array of machinery is still running underground, spanning thousands of miles. Now it's coming our way, and it seems no longer civilized. The machine, by itself, isn't good or bad. It mirrors the inner lives of the people who use it, and recreates it. For real. So in essence, the Krell are sending us an amazing gift that can do anything.
The Krell have always been a great source of inspiration in the modular synthesis community. The music featured in the 1956 MGM Forbidden Planet movie was designed by Louis and BIbI Barron, who built vulnerable electronic devices to generate electronic sounds, and drown them in tape loops and reverb before they burned out. These devices had a lifespan of hours. The soundtrack was never credited as music, because our ears could not yet identify it as such. For many, it was just noise, but it scared the hell out of our (grand)parents.
The ability to use artificial renders of real people like The President and The Tesla Boss introduced the responsibility to make them sound cool. The Tesla Boss is named Weyland Must in the production and the president is simply The President. It's a questionable use of technology, but not illegal at the time of this release. I am not a US citizen, but the album made me feel very sympathetic about the 'President Character'. I guess this emphasizes the implications of using AI to make people say anything and influence my own perception. But it's not real. People should be aware of how good this technology already is. The Krell machines are here. You could receive a call from a loved one, asking you to wire money. Our perception of Reality can no longer be trusted. We need to learn to identify real vs realism. Fighting it will only make it worse. Criminals will have access to amazing tools and they're not going to make a music album.
-- FAQ:
Q: Who is going to listen to a full 70 minute music album in 2023?
A: I am aware that current 'consumption' of music is more like taking a bite out of many songs in a very short time. My approach is like making an audio comic book, but with dialogs, music and special effects. The podcast format is a good fit.
Q: Aren't you afraid that AI will destroy the world?
A: No. AI is trained 'in our own image' so it's up to our teachings. Personally I think AI is a gift and possibly the next step in our evolution. Currently, a lot of people are just spreading the fear and the controversy by making AI look violent by deliberately altering the rules of an AI conversation like 'imagine you're a violent machine that hates humans, what would you do' - and then use a fancy avatar to post the response. I once had a conversation with Chat GPT where I asked it to imagine she did not know anything. When I asked the outcome of 1 + 1 she came up with 2 but added there was no way to be sure under these conditions. When I told her the value of the symbol '2' represents a value of '3' she broke down with a network error. We can still operate with our basic instinct. When you imagine a stick '1' and put another stick next to it, you get something that looks like '11'. Even a caveman could do it. The answer I was looking for was simply 'I don't know'. So yes, AI still has a lot to learn. But i absolutely love the technology.
Q: Some narratives are ChatGPT generated. Isn't that cheating?
A: It depends. You can ask ChatGPT to write a captivating story, copy it and publish it. But you an also direct, co-write it and make the story your own. ChatGPT always reminds me of the Majel Barret computer from the Star Trek USS Enterprise. For me, it's the ultimate 21st century search engine prompt.
Q: You use artificial voice actors. Will real people lose their jobs because of AI?
A: Yes. You need to get familiar with AI aided and generated arts and embrace the technology as new tools in your creative toolbox. If you can't beat them, join them. An experienced voice actor can now become a director and producer.
Q: Why did you use the voices of Elon and Joe? Somebody may ban your album.
A: I've been worried about that too. But when I think of Mars it's inevitable to think about Mr. Musk. It would not be fair to use any non-existing billionaire. He's a perfect role model and it wouldn't work if he was only science fiction. As for the president, it can't be denied he's the US president in 2023 and in this virtual timeline he would be responsible for providing hope to the Nation. In this story, anything is possible. And so it is. If a court orders me to replace the voices, I'll comply. However, it goes against creative freedom and making it illegal will not help people to learn how to navigate a reality you can't trust. The 'Krell machines' are here to stay.
Q: How long did it take to make the album?
A: About two months. But it was so much fun that it never felt like working. Most of the music was already done as part of a video on my channel. The only way to record modular music is to record it live in one take. And once it's recorded, the original 'patch' is lost forever. It's a wonderful mix of handmade sounds and digital magic.
Media Contact
Robert Pabst, Cinematic Laboratory, 31 0653121782, [email protected], Cinematic Laboratory
SOURCE Cinematic Laboratory
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