Beat Block Is Dead: How I’m Using an AI MIDI Generator to Unlock New Ideas
Source: Dev.to
The Problem
Last week, I was stuck trying to write a Neo‑Soul track. I play guitar comfortably, but my keyboard skills are limited, and I kept falling back on the same safe triads.
- Key: E Minor
- Complexity: High
- Genre feel: Jazz / Soul
The first AI‑generated result was unusable—completely dissonant with no clear harmonic direction. This is one of the realities of working with generative tools: they don’t feel music the way humans do.
Why Using AI Doesn’t Make Your Work Less Authentic
There’s a fear that relying on tools like this makes your work less authentic. I don’t agree. Using autocomplete doesn’t make you a fake developer; it just removes friction.
How I Use an AI MIDI Generator
Generate Structure, Not Final Ideas
I use the AI for chord progressions or arpeggiated patterns—not melodies.
Humanize Aggressively
Raw MIDI is often perfectly quantized. I manually push notes off‑grid to introduce swing and imperfection.
Velocity Editing Matters
AI often outputs uniform velocities. Adjusting dynamics is where the MIDI starts to feel playable.
Tool Experimentation
While testing this approach, I experimented with a few browser‑based tools and some open‑source projects. I also briefly tried Freemusic AI during this phase. What stood out wasn’t the “intelligence” of any single tool, but how quickly I could extract MIDI and bring it back into my own environment, where I had full control.
Practical Results
- For every usable idea, I discard many others.
- Melodies are hit‑or‑miss: AI is far better at harmony than emotional hooks, so I almost never use generated MIDI for lead melodies.
- Context is missing: The generator doesn’t know the energy or purpose of your track. You still need to curate aggressively.
When it works, it saves meaningful time. I recently finished a background track for a video in about two hours—a process that usually takes most of an afternoon. The AI handled the harmonic starting point, and I focused on sound design and mixing.
Takeaway
If you’re a developer, a musician, or somewhere in between, an AI MIDI generator doesn’t replace creativity—it removes inertia. Think of it as a calculator for music theory: it generates possibilities, not decisions. You still choose the sounds, the timing, and the emotional direction.
It won’t write your best song, but it might help you escape the same four chords you’ve been looping for years. And sometimes, that’s all you need to move forward.
Have you experimented with generative tools in your creative workflow? I’d be curious to hear how others are using them.