Notes

Extended Essay Plan:

1. Research on online databases with keywords "artificial intelligence and music", "computer music", “CAAC”
2. List the headings of broader topics and resources that can be used for research
3. Try to narrow the focus in each of these topics and then rephrase the research statement as a question

super-topics:
auto-composing software: what does it mean: is it autonomous or just a supplement?
artificial intelligence and music (AIM): either in helping to perform music, or to help compose music.
computer music: based on a combination of music theory and math
computer music programming languages: includes MIDI
algorithmic composition: using algorithms to create music, also called Computer-Aided Algorithmic Composition (CAAC)

In the rising age of technology, music has developed such that electronic music has become popular among young audiences in types like house music, EDM, dubstep and electronic music festivals are increasingly growing in popularity like lollapalooza, sunburn, and tomorrowland. As the types of popular music has changed, the use of electronic music involves computers in changing the sound of instruments to make a computer like sound. However, a lot of the music which is produced today by DJs sounds very similar, to the extent that people have analyzed some specific DJ's music and found that they were simply using an algorithm to slightly alter their song which had become a hit, and to keep replaying the same sound repetitively in their songs.
In the broader perspective, we observe that in music these days artists are not composing all of their music themselves, instead they rely on computers to fill in the spaces between their compositional melodies, which makes the process of composing much faster and easier for them. An example of this would be to use a pre-made drum beat line in their song, or to write the beginning, middle and end and then have the computer fill in the spaces between to make the song sound more pleasant. This is an example of Artificial Intelligence in Music (AIM) in which softwares are used to create music for the artists, with minimal amounts of work required from the artists. Compared to other areas that have been impacted by Artificial Intelligence, music is a less popular area, although it is equally relevant in our lives. Here, the data is quite foggy since we don't know exactly how the computers are able to replicate what a human would have wanted to do, and what algorithms or databases are being used in creating this music. There is also the question of ethics, since if the computer is making all the music, can we fully take credit for it? And then there is also the question of computer autonomy in composing.
In looking at these topics, we will be brushing the surface of computer music and artificial intelligence and music. As a subtopic of both of these, algorithmic composition or CAAC is what I would like to explore more in this essay, although the specifics of the essay may not rely upon algorithms per se, and may lean more towards the use of databases or include both. Through the process of research and understanding, I would also hope to recreate an algorithm to either auto-compose or to fill in the spaces in a composition.

The problem I face in writing this essay is only a matter of comparing the algorithms used in the softwares. Since each of them has a cost (and probably isn't cheap), it will not be viable to buy all of them to compare them. At most, one or two may be bought if the algorithms used can be seen.