Startup Thoughtful Things has introduced Engram, a novel hardware sampler and groovebox designed to transform artificial intelligence hallucinations into experimental audio. Unlike typical prompt-to-song generators meant for mainstream pop production, this device embraces glitchy artifacts and unpredictable model failures to foster creative sound design and circuit-bending experimentation.
Operating entirely offline, the device runs a custom-trained tiny AI model locally on the hardware. The developers state that their audio models are trained exclusively on commercially licensed open datasets, avoiding unauthorized data scraping. Furthermore, the firmware will be open for modification, allowing enthusiasts to tinker with the code and implement their own custom AI models.
Currently launching via a Kickstarter campaign with early units priced at $675, the hardware aims to bridge the gap between advanced machine learning and avant-garde music production. By treating latent space like a physical environment to be recorded, Engram offers producers a hands-on approach to generative audio.
- Engram is a hardware sampler that turns AI audio hallucinations into experimental music.
- It runs a custom tiny AI model locally without requiring an internet connection.
- The firmware is open for modification, enabling users to tweak or load custom models.
- The project debuted on Kickstarter with a starting price of $675.
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