Aiode Guide for Best Practices

This guide contains practical tips for getting you started with Aiode’s platform, navigating the different sections, and best practices for generating amazing music.

Getting started

This section contains a step-by-step breakdown of how to get started using Aiode.

Create an Account

Start by creating an Aiode account if you don’t have one already. You will find the JOIN NOW button at the top right of the page. This is true for all pages except the page “KNOWLEDGE BASE”, so make sure that you are not browsing that one. As Aiode is still in its Beta phase you will be directed to a page where you answer some questions and click to join the waiting list. You will receive a confirmation email

create an account
Log in to Your Account

Once you get selected to join Aiode’s Beta phase you’ll receive another email with the good news! You can then log in to your account on Aiode using the LOG IN button at the top right of the pages.

Pages/Navigation

This section contains a breakdown of the different pages inside Aiode, how to navigate between them, and a description of the different functions inside each one.

Aiode Musicians | Early Beta Dashboard

When you log in to your Aiode account you will be directed to the Aiode Musicians | Early Beta dashboard containing the core engine of Aiode. This page is your starting point whether you want to start a new project or carry on with a recent one. If you want to take a quick tour around Aiode’s interface then use the TAKE A TOUR button. It displays a number of handy and brief cards of information that tell you about the different sections, steps, and functions of Aiode.

aiode musicians
Start a New Project

To start a new project simply click on the New project button at the middle of the Aiode Musicians | Early Beta dashboard. You can also use the button with the plus icon on the top left of the page.

start new project
Open a Recent Project

To open up a recent project use the Recent Project section to the right of the Aiode Musicians | Early Beta dashboard. That section of the page will showcase the projects, their tempos, time signatures, musicians included, and the last time you opened the projects.

You can also use the panel on the left the Aiode Musicians | Early Beta dashboard. This panel shows your projects along with their tempos and dates of their creation. You can use that panel at any time while working on your projects as it remains in your view even after you recall a project and start working on it. You can hide the panel by clicking the Hide/Show Songs button with the arrow icon.

open recent project
Muses Tokens

At the bottom left of the Aiode Musicians | Early Beta dashboard is your credit of Muses. Muses are Aiode’s currency. They will be consumed as you generate new music regions in the Composition page. Make sure you have sufficient Muses balance to be able to work on your tracks.

The term “Muses” is derived from the ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses were the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric songs, and myths that were related orally for centuries in ancient Greek culture.

In Aiode’s Beta phase you are gifted 60 free Muses with your Premium Account.

muses tokens
The Composition Page

The composition page is the main page of your operations. Think of it as the main page of your DAW where you put your music together. Here you are able to upload your music, Set your project’s temp and time signature, and most importantly, create new music! You can access the Composition page by pressing the number on your keyboard.

composition page
Upload Your Music

The first thing you would want to do after having a new project created is to upload your music to the project. Your music can be in the format of MP3 or WAV of any length as long as it’s under 150 MB. Whether it’s a melodic vocal track, drum take, or a nice chord progression that you came up with, upload your music to Aiode to start adding layers of instruments to it created by our talented virtualized musicians.

In Aiode’s Beta version you can only upload one audio file; however, our engineers are working hard to allow for uploading more. Note that you can replace the audio track you uploaded with another one. To do that simply navigate to the secondary tab on the track’s header and click on the Replace Track button which has the swap icon 🔁 on it.

upload your music
Set Project Time Signature and Tempo

After you are done uploading your music to the Aiode project the following step to do is to set the project’s tempo and time signature. Of course you want them to match those of your uploaded music.

By default the project time signature will be set to 4/4. To change the time signature simply click on the button to the top left of the project’s grid, which will be displaying 4/4, and choose from a drop down menu of seven different time signatures.

By default the project tempo will be set to 120 BPM. To change the tempo simply click on the tempo button to the right of the time signature button, it will be flashing NO BPM in red. Once you click on it simply type in the tempo of your project and hit return on your keyboard or click somewhere on the grid with your mouse.

set project time signature
Add Musicians

Aiode’s virtualized musicians are the core of Aiode’s magic. To add a musician simply click on the plus icon in the track header panel. You will then be directed to the Musicians page where you can listen to Aiode’s virtualized musicians and add them to your project.

You can replace added musicians by navigating to the secondary tab of the tracks header and clicking the Replace Musician button with the swap icon on it.

add musicians
Create a New Region

In order to generate takes by musicians you need to select sections of the song where you want them to be. This is done by creating regions. To create a region simply drag over a section of the song inside one of the musicians’ tracks. So far in the Aiode Beta phase regions’ lenghts can not exceed 30 seconds long; however, we are working on extending that.

After creating a region you can move it around in the session to cover different sections, for example from bar 2 to bar 10. You can do that by simply hold-clicking and holding on a region and moving it left or right.

You can also extend or reduce the length of a created region. To do that drag from one end of the region and pull outward or inward.

create new region
Generate Takes

After creating regions you can generate takes for them. Each region can play one take at a time but you can generate an endless number of takes as long as you have enough Muses balance.

To generate a take simply click on the GENERATE TAKES button in red at the top right of the page. All newly created regions, and those queued for new takes, will have new takes generated for them. Aiode’s engine will take a few short seconds and new takes will be generated by our virtualized musicians.

If you don’t like a take that is generated for a specific region you can have it replaced. Simply click on the Queue New Take button by hovering over the top right of a region.

generate takes
Choose Page

You can choose between different pages from the top left of the top panel of the Composition page. Four buttons will take you to the MusiciansCompositionPerformance, and Channels pages.

choose page
Snap To Beats

This is a button with a magnet icon at the top panel of the Composition page. Use it to control the way regions move. When activated they move in increments of beats (each bar usually has 4 of them) when turned off regions move freely without constraints.

snap to beats
Auto Scroll

This is a button with a cursor and two arrows icon at the top panel of the Composition page. When activated the display will scroll automatically during playback to keep the currently playing song position visible.

auto scroll
Metronome

This is a button with a metronome icon at the top panel of the Composition page. When activated a metronome sound will play along with the song. The metronome follows the tempo of the project.

metronome
Playback Controls

Located to the right of the top panel of the Composition page are the project’s playback controls. There are three buttons: Play/PauseStop, and Repeat. Like any Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) you can press the Spacebar on your keyboard to trigger the Play/Pause button and press the Return key to trigger the Stop button. The Stop button moves the playing head to the beginning of the project.

playback controls
Generate Mode

This is a button at the far right of the top panel of the Composition page with a brush tool icon. The Generate Mode is currently under development. When it’s ready it will allow you to select any specific sections to regenerate within existing takes, and create a new take with the changes.

generate mode
Beat Ruler

The Beat Ruler is located at the top of the Composition page and under the top control panel. The ruler displays the bar counting of the different sections of the projects, similar to Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs).

beat ruler
Download Tracks/Takes

You can download entire tracks and/or individual takes. To do that simply click on the Download button at the far top right of the Composition page or press the letter D or the number 9 on your keyboard. The Download tab will engage at the right of the page and you will have the option to choose the format of the download weather in MP3 or WAV.

download tracks takes
Zoom In/Out

Use the buttons with plus (+) and minus (-) icons to zoom in and out of the project’s preview. They are located at the bottom right of the Composition page.

zoom in out
Project Settings

At the top right of the top control panel of the Composition page is the settings button with a gear icon. You can also press the letter or the number on your keyboard to access the settings tab. The settings tab is displayed on the right of the page. It shows your current account tear, how many Muse tokens you have left, and how many you receive monthly. The settings tab also lets you extend or reduce the length of your song.

project settings
Undo/Redo

If you want to undo an operation simply click the buttons at the top right of the Composition page when neither the Download nor the Settings tabs are engaged; or, use the common keyboard shortcuts ‘command/CTRL+ Z’ and Shift +  command/CTRL + Z’ to achieve that.

Account Settings/Sign Out

At the top right of  the Composition page is your account settings. Click on your name and/or the avatar icon to choose ACCOUNT SETTINGS or SIGN OUT. ACCOUNT SETTINGS opens a pop-up window that lets you change your name and email and choose your email preferences.

Track Controls

The header of each track in the Composition page, which is to the left of the grid at the beginning of your song, provides you with a number of controls that are associated with each individual track. The controls are displayed in two tabs, you can switch between them by clicking on the little switch tab view button. The controls are:

  • Mute: Mutes the track, while other unmuted tracks play normally.
  • Solo: Solos the track, muting all other tracks.
  • Adjust Volume: Lets you drag up or down to change the track’s volume. The range is from -48dB to 0dB.
  • Download Track Audio: Lets you download the entire audio on the track from song start to finish, even if there are empty sections with no regions on them. Downloads in WAV format.
  • Remove Musician: Removes the musician assigned to the track and leaves the track empty. When you click on that button you will get a confirmation pop up before executing.
  • Duplicate Musician: Duplicates the musician in a new empty track.
  • Replace Musician: Transforms you to the Musicians page to choose and replace the musician.
  • Generate Musician Track: Generates takes for all empty regions on that track only.
track controls
The Musicians Page

The Musicians page displays Aiode’s virtualized musicians. Each musician is displayed in a separate tab with their names, photos, occupation, instrument, genre in which they shine, and their performance style. The Musicians page lets you listen to samples generated by the  musicians, favorite them, and add them to your projects. You can access the Musicians page by pressing the number on your keyboard.

musicians page
Play Sample

Click the Play Sample button with the music icon which you can find at the right of each musician’s tab to listen to a sample of that musician’s sound and playing style. Each time you click the button a new sample will be played so that you can make up your mind about whether to add that musician to your track.

play sample
Favorite a Musician

If you like a musician’s sound and playing style you can favorite them so that you can easily add them to your project if needed or add them to other projects. To do that simply click on the Favorite button with the star icon at the right of the musician’s tab.

Add/Remove Musician

To add a musician to your song simply click on the purple button with the plus icon. You can also remove the musician after adding them. To do that use the two buttons with the plus and minus – icons that will appear when a musician is added. They will be located in the far right of each musician’s tab, under the Play Sample and Favorite buttons.

add remove musician
The Performance Page

Currently under development, the Performance page lets you control how virtual musicians perform in your track. It lets you adjust dynamics, complexity, and articulation of the musicians’ performance. Want a part played with a pick? Or maybe muted? The Performance page lets you fine-tune every detail to match your creative vision and bring your music to life with just a few clicks. You can access the Performance page by pressing the number on your keyboard.

Coming soon – stay tuned for more updates!

The Channels Page

The Channels page works like a mixer in a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). You can access the Channels page by pressing the number on your keyboard. The page displays your tracks in a vertical channel manner with the name of the track/musician displayed on top. You can adjust the track’s volume by dragging the slider up or down. You can also type in the exact volume level you want for the track in dBs. The volume ranges from +6dB to minus infinity.

The Channels page also provides you with the following controls for each track:

  • Mute: Mutes the track, while other unmuted tracks play normally.
  • Solo: Solos the track, muting all other tracks.
  • Download Track Audio: Lets you download the entire audio on the track from song start to finish, even if there are empty sections with no regions on them. Downloads in WAV format.
channels page
Best Practices to Generate a Great Take

There are a number of handy tips that will have you generate great takes every time. Here they are:

Set The Right Tempo and Time Signature For The Song

Make sure you set the tempo and time signature of your song correctly. This is important as then you will be able to generate music takes that span an accurate number of beats/bars and is in sync with your song.

Put Your Song on The Beat

Make sure after uploading your song that it is in sync with the project. You can do that by dragging the song’s audio file left and right until the song is in sync with the Aiode project. This is important as it will allow you to generate music takes that fall nicely on beat with your song.

Create Regions One Bar Before The Targeted Section

In order to get great music takes make sure to have regions start at least one bar before the beginning of the section you want to generate music for (pick-up bar). So for example, if you want to create a bassline for the chorus section of your song which starts in bar 64, have the bassline region start from bar 63. This way you get the best out of Aiode’s virtualized musicians. In the case of a bassline for the chorus you might get a nice bass slide-in right before bar 64, which absolutely spices up your song!

Create Regions With The Right Desired Length

Make sure to set the region length to exactly what you’re looking for. This is important as you will not be able to extend the length of the take after it is generated. You will then have to generate a new take.

Listen To More Than One Sample Of Musicians’ Performance

In the Musicians page you can click on the Play Sample button to listen to a sample of the musicians’ playing. This lets you listen to their sound and playing style and make up your mind about whether to include them in your project. What’s amazing about Aiode is that you can click on the Play Sample button endlessly and listen to the musician many times until you’re absolutely sure.

Check The Genres In Which Musicians Perform Best

As Aiode’s virtualized musicians are modeled after real musicians, it is normal for each one of them to excel at some genres more than others. Each musician has their own sound, i.e. guitar and/or amp sound in the case of an electric guitar player, and each one has their own unique playing style. Make sure to read the little genre cards displayed on each musician’s tab in the Musicians page. This will help give you an indication of whether to add that musician to your project or not.

Make Use Of The Performance Page

Aiode’s Performance page gives you an arsenal of cool controls over your project letting you control how virtual musicians perform in your track. It lets you adjust dynamics, complexity, and articulation of the musicians’ performance. Want a part played with a pick? Or maybe muted? The Performance page lets you fine-tune every detail to match your creative vision and bring your music to life with just a few clicks.

Adjust Volume Levels of The Tracks

Just like in a normal song mixing project, the Channels page gives you control over individual tracks’ volume faders. Use them to properly mix your song and make it sound as good as possible. You can also use the volume dials in the Composition page located at each track’s header.

Experiment With More Than One Musician

Aiode gives you an arsenal of virtualized musicians. Each musician has their unique sound and playing style. Make sure that you experiment with adding more than one musician to the targeted section you want to create a take for so that you get the best result for your song. Note, you can mute musicians using the Mute button located at each track header in the Composition page, and also using the track controls in the Channels page.

How To Avoid Common Mistakes

This section includes tips on avoiding common mistakes when using Aiode. Those mistakes might result in generating less than ideal takes and/or hinder your workflow and enjoyment of the process of making music using Aiode.

Mistake: Upload an Audio File That is Bigger Than 150MB

When uploading your song to Aiode make sure that the audio file of the song, whether vocals, drums, melody, or a full composition, is under 150MB, which is the limit on Aiode. You can achieve that by exporting the song’s audio file in MP3 file formats, it will be way lesser in size.

Mistake: Not Align Your Song To The Grid

When uploading your song to the Aiode project it is important to align it with the grid. This means that the song is in groove with the Aiode project. Achieving that will guarantee generating better takes for your song.

Mistake: Create Short Take Regions

When creating take regions for a selected musician make sure to have the region slightly longer than the desired take length for the targeted section. The addition could be only one bar long at the beginning of the section (pick-up bar). This assures that the generated takes cover the section fully and also any cool notes played by the musician leading to the first beat of the section are recorded.

Mistake: Choose The Wrong Musician for Your Song

When choosing virtualized musicians to be added to your song it is essential to look for musicians whose instrument sounds and playing styles match your song. On Aiode, each virtualized musician has their own unique sound and playing style, that is because they are modeled after real musicians. In the Musicians page you will find little cards on each musician’s tab showing which genre they fit best. Also, you can listen to endless samples played by the musician using the Play Sample button.

Mistake: Set The Wrong Tempo For Your Project

After creating a new Aiode project and uploading your song, it is essential to set the correct tempo for the project, that which matches your uploaded song. Failing or forgetting to do that will result in the mismatches between the playback’s metronome and the groove of the song. This might also result in generating takes that do not cover sections fully and thus sound incomplete. Make sure to set the correct tempo for the project using the tempo button, which is located at the top left of the grid in the Composition page. By default, the project will be set to 120 BPM and the button will be flashing NO BPM in red until you click on it and type in the tempo.

Mistake: Unintentionally Mute or Solo a Track

In order to listen to the full mix of your song, make sure that there are no tracks left unintentionally soloed or muted. A track, whether that containing your uploaded music or of a musician, will remain soloed or muted until you switch the action of. You can access track controls from both the Composition and the Channels pages.

Mistake: Open Multiple Aiode Tabs on Your Browser

When working on your music on Aiode it is preferable to have one tab opened on your browser. This helps streamline the music generating process on Aiode and results in less confusion and more organization for yourself.

Mistake: Add Too Many Musicians To The Project

Just like in a normal song mixing situation, having multiple lines, bass for example, might lead to a cluttered mix, and thus your song not sounding ideal. For example when adding a bassline to the chorus section of the song, start with one musician, then experiment with adding more if the creative and artistic nature of the song allows for it.

Mistake: Leave Unused Virtualized Musicians in The Project

When working on your music on Aiode it is preferable to keep your projects organized by removing unused virtualized musicians. Note, you can always save your favorite virtualized musicians for later use by using the Favorite button with the star icon at the right of the musician’s tab in the Musicians page.

What To Do When You Need Support

The Aiode team has got your back 24/7, if you run into any problems and/or need support about anything in Aiode, use the Help pop-up located at the bottom right of the composition page. Our team will reply to your message typically within minutes. You can also report a bug, request a feature, and read through some of the tips we have prepared for you.

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