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What if computers could enjoy music?

Bristol University puts on a steady stream of public events and talks throughout the year and next Wednesday 20th June sees the latest of them, when Dr Tijl De Bie of the Department of Engineering Mathematics gives a free public talk entitled “What if computers could enjoy music?” The event starts at 6 pm and will be held at M Shed, Princes Wharf, Wapping Road, Bristol, BS1 4RN (map).

When we generic carbon-based humanoid units listen to music, we unconsciously unravel it into its constituent parts: notes, rhythm, chords, repeated melodic motifs. What makes music appealing to us is a delicate balance between such structure and a degree of surprise. We take our ability to enjoy music for granted; however, for a computer the understanding of music audio is a daunting task. Dr De Bie will discuss the main challenges from an artificial intelligence perspective, the extent to which they have already been overcome, and what this means for human music listeners and producers.

Although the event is free, advance booking is required. Some places remain and can be secured either by emailing Amanda Edmondson on cpe-info (at) bristol.ac.uk or visiting the online booking form.

Visit Bristol University’s information page for the event.