Can AI Actually Help Musicians? We tried Moises.

This episode is sponsored by Sonora Cinematic.Check out Pure Steel String, the steel-string counterpart to Pure Nylon for Soundbox, currently on intro sale.Use the code COFFEEANDSOUND at checkout for an extra 10% off at Sonora Cinematic. The code is stackable with the current promotion.In episode 3 of the Sound Diaries Coffee Edition, we had a candid conversation about whether AI can genuinely help musicians and sound designers — not replace them, but actually support the creative process.The discussion starts from Charlie Puth joining Moises as Chief Music Officer and expands into a broader exploration of AI-powered music tools, including stem separation, transcription, lyric assistance, key and chord detection, practice features, and automated mastering.The panel looks at the real strengths of these tools, especially for learning, sketching ideas, speeding up workflows, and lowering technical barriers. But they also dig into the risks: de-skilling, over-reliance on convenience, loss of ear training, homogenized creativity, and the growing normalization of AI-generated “slop” in everyday listening environments.Along the way, the conversation branches into the importance of collaboration, why outside human perspective still matters in mastering and music production, and how useful tools differ from genuinely creative partners.The second half of the episode shifts into music tech and gear, with chat about Max/MSP, MIDI 2.0, the Suonobuono Polivera synth, the Erica Synths Steam Pipe, the ROLI Airwave and Seaboard, MPE controllers, and the joy of experimental workflows that make sound design feel playful again.A thoughtful and funny roundtable on the promise, limits, and unintended consequences of AI in music.In this episodeCharlie Puth joining MoisesCan AI actually help musicians?Stem separation and transcription toolsAI lyric writing and songwriting assistanceAutomated mastering vs human masteringThe risk of de-skilling and homogenizationWhy collaboration still mattersMax/MSP and AI-assisted codingMIDI 2.0 and experimental workflowsSuonobuono PolyveraErica Synths Steam PipeROLI Airwave, Seaboard, and MPE control