Everything you need to know:
- Daaci releases Natural Drums plugin for AI-generated drumming
- Open beta community opens their AI music tech to more feedback
- Focus on assisting musicians, not replacing them
British AI startup Daaci is opening up its drumming technology to more creators with the launch of an open beta community and first creator plugin – Natural Drums.
The software allows musicians and producers to use AI-generated drum patterns to quickly cook up beat ideas or riff off drum patterns synthesized on the fly. Natural Drums doesn’t rely on static precomposed patterns or pure randomness. Instead, it thinks like a musician, drawing on the expertise of real drummers.
We’ll take a look at what they’re launching and why it could be a game-changer for producing beats.
An AI drummer that jams with you.
Your drums co-pilot:
✓ Created by musicians, thinks like a drummer
✓ Real-time adjustments allow to fine tune beats
✓ You receive instant feedback
✓ No static pre-written parts
Daaci has been toying around with AI-generated music privately for a while. Now they’re ready to share the magic. They’ve just released Natural Drums, their first public “creator plugin”. According to Daaci CEO Rachel Lyske, it’s “an assistive AI co-pilot plugin that creates drum grooves in real time.”
In plain English, Natural Drums is like having a virtual drummer to jam with. Musicians and producers can use it to quickly cook up beat ideas or riff off drum patterns the AI comes up with on the fly. Already tried and tested behind closed doors, the $18 plugin opens the floodgates for more artists to experience AI beats.
Here’s an overview of the features it comes with:
✓ Trapifier: Generate trap-style hi-hat patterns with customizable parameters.
✓ Shuffle Every Loop: Recalculate the pattern based on your configuration at the start of every loop.
✓ Presets: Non-static presets guide you through different input/output relationships.
✓ Manual Toggle: Switch between manual and AI-assisted pattern creation.
✓ Flexible MIDI Export Options: Drag and drop to export the resulting pattern as a MIDI region.
✓ Structural Variation: Create detailed rhythmic variety throughout your beats.
Daaci takes an inclusive stance towards the music community. Lyske tells Music Ally “Our doors literally are always open to people, whether they’re producers, artists, professors of machine learning, university students, whoever it might be.” This open beta launch is about welcoming diverse input that shapes how their tools develop.
“We’re not doing this TO people. We’re doing this with people.”
Rachel Lyske (CEO of Daaci)
Their goal isn’t dictating what beats people use but fueling each user’s creative ideas. The company walks the walk too – Lyske is a session singer herself and knows musicians have “amazing people. Amazing minds, amazing experience and amazing knowledge.” That wisdom will determine whether Daaci’s tech helps or hinders the art.
Read more: How AI tools like “Natural edits” are automating music remixing
AI to boost musicians, not best them.
Instead of crafting AI to replace creatives, Daaci grounds their work in music-making needs. Lyske reveals “Our approach to this is that we are starting with the music and the musicians, and then the technology’s an assistive tool for that.” The software enhances what people already do, rather than trying to replace human input.
This musician-first mindset saw Daaci partnering with schools like BIMM, The Brit School and LCCM to get early feedback. Now they’re inviting the wider world to join the conversation. Beyond Natural Drums, bass, melody and chord-based plugins are in the pipeline too. All aim to fuel expression, not stifle it.
Despite buzz and early success, developing useful AI for music is a work in progress. Funding and strategic alliances will be crucial to scaling what they’ve shown is possible so far. In Lyske’s words, “We’re not in a vacuum and we can’t do this on our own.”
Judging by their open, collaborative ethos thus far though, Daaci seem well placed to evolve their tech for the better. By starting small with drums, maintaining transparency and keeping musicians front and center, they’re building faith in AI as a tool instead of a threat. Exciting times ahead as this startup continues innovating – with helpful feedback from fun-focused music fans every step of the way.
