After a beta where only 5,000 people got a chance to use the software, Aimi’s iOS and Android app is now available to everyone. The release brings the company’s generative music platform to mobile where it was previously unavailable. Engadget’s James Trew has been using the app since January. Since then, Aimi has made some tweaks to the user interface.
What hasn’t changed is the premise of the app. As before, Aimi is built around continuous music “experiences” that you can subtly customize by interacting with a handful of interface elements. If you’re familiar with platforms like Endel and Brain.fm, you probably know what you’re getting into. You can tap the thumbs up and down buttons to guide Aimi’s algorithm. There’s also a shuffle button if a section comes up that you don’t like at all. With today’s release, Aimi will also ask you to indicate whether you want to hear a section more or less often, as well as for a longer or shorter time.
Previously, Aimi planned to offer a premium tier of $10 per month with additional checks. During the recent beta, the company decided to make those controls free for all users. First, a ‘section’ view lets you isolate individual elements of a musical composition, including parts such as the harmony and melody, and adjust the gain and tell Aimi if you like what you hear. An additional “Composition” interface allows you to shape what you hear by adjusting a set of four sliders. For example, by moving the “Progression” slider, you can instruct Aimi to adjust the experience you listen to more or less often. Meanwhile, the “Intensity” and “Texture” sliders let you control the number of effects Aimi uses and whether a composition sounds organic or synthetic. Last but not least, there is a self-explanatory Vocals slider.
The release of a mobile app is part of Aimi’s wider plan to bring more people into the world of generative music. Later this year, the company plans to release Aimi Studio, which will allow users to create their own compositions in a more hands-on way. “One of the strengths of generative music is that we can use it to engage casual listeners with continuous music experiences and then introduce them to interactive music by letting them take ownership of their music experience,” said Edward Balassanian, CEO from Aimi, to Engadget at the beginning of the year.
Update at 11:01 AM ET: An earlier version of this article stated that Aimi planned to charge $10 per month for additional checks. During the app’s recent beta, Aimi decided to offer those features for free for now.