“Exploring the creative potential of neural networks in sound design”: Meet the rePEDAL – a free AI overdrive maker that randomly generates digital stompboxes at the click of a button

Sampleson rePEDAL AI
(Image credit: Sampleson)

A new frontier of gear building may have just opened up following the launch of the rePEDAL, a free-to-download AI pedal plugin maker.

Labeled as “an experimental machine learning project” by virtual instrument builder Sampleson, it generates a randomized overdrive pedal at the click of a button.

“It works,” Sampleson says, “by randomizing the structure of the neural network, creating a new model with each iteration.”

The virtual pedal features one control dial for the Drive level, though its name, housing color, and – importantly – its tonal character changes when players hit the ‘Remake’ button.

Away from the pedal itself, the plugin features a noise gate, a Threshold dial, post-gain level control, and the ability to save a pedal so it doesn’t get lost in the infiniteness of auto-generation.

Checking out the firm’s demo video, there looks to be a fair amount of variety in the lottery pick-pedals. The Dror, for example, offers a very thick and warm fuzz sound, while the Worx delivers a much thinner and crisper tone, akin to a ’60s-style OD.

Of course, the downside is that, whatever the randomly working AI tech throws up is a complete gamble. It could take two clicks to find a killer boost, or 20,000. Regardless, it’s a very intriguing use of a technology that is still proving highly divisive.

“This project explores the creative potential of neural networks in sound design, moving beyond replication of hardware," says Sampleson.

rePEDAL - A.I. random pedal maker - YouTube rePEDAL - A.I. random pedal maker - YouTube
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The rePEDAL is currently in its beta phase, with Sampleson welcoming feedback as it looks to further its design.

Head to Sampleson to download.

The relationship between AI and the music industry has been intensifying in recent years. Some have embraced the technology, with Paul McCartney notably using it to finish The Beatles' Now and Then out of old tape recordings.

Meanwhile, longtime Jimi Hendrix producer Eddie Kramer has also mooted the idea of using it to bring more Hendrix into the world, while Alex Van Halen wants to adopt a similar approach to turn unfinished Eddie Van Halen demos into full songs. He’s already approached OpenAI.

Then there’s the Spark 2’s AI-generated tones, and the numerous other ways in which artificial intelligence hopes to revolutionize a player’s relationship with their gear.

On the other hand, arguments about the impact it has on human creatives – from artists to musicians, videographers, and beyond – and its ability to create fake songs and deep fakes of famous artists have raised concerns.

Phil Weller

A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.

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