Introducing Engram: An AI Sampler
Music startup Thoughtful Things has launched the Kickstarter campaign for Engram, its first instrument. This sampler and groovebox leverages AI to mangle incoming audio and generate entirely new sounds. Unlike typical 'push-button, get-song' devices, Engram focuses on creating experimental, uncanny sounds and pushing AI audio models beyond their conventional limits.
Engram is a sampler that turns broken AI hallucinations into music
Thoughtful Things describes Engram as a 'field recorder for latent space,' emphasizing its role in exploring AI hallucinations and experimental sound design. The device also draws inspiration from circuit bending, allowing users to tweak and even 'break' its tiny AI models.
Local AI and Ethical Training
Engram operates offline, running a 'tiny AI' model locally on the device. This in-house designed model is custom-trained, as detailed in the Kickstarter listing.
The company states its audio models are trained exclusively on open datasets with commercial use licenses, such as CC-BY, and explicitly avoids non-commercial, pirated, or stolen data.
Customization and Creative Exploration
Thoughtful Things intends to open Engram’s firmware, enabling users to tweak the device or load their own custom AI models. Founder Evan King demonstrated its capabilities in a campaign video, where a vocal prompt for 'piano' resulted in a glitchy, piano-like sound, highlighting its focus on exploring AI hallucinations and experimental sound design.
Kickstarter Pricing
The Kickstarter campaign offers a limited run of Engrams starting at $675, representing a 30 percent discount. The anticipated retail price is estimated to be between $850 and $900.
