You can create your own songs with the free Blob Opera, a machine-learning experiment created by David Li with Google Arts & Culture, modeled on the voices of opera singers Olivia Doutney (soprano), Joanna Gamble (mezzo), Christian Joel (tenor), and Frederick Tong (bass), who provided 16 hours of recorded material, with additional singing from soprano Ingunn Gyda Hrafnkelsdottir and baritone John Holland-Avery. As Li explains, “You don’t hear their voices, but the machine-learning model’s understanding of what opera singing sounds like, based on what it learned from them.” Below is a short tutorial on how to create your first song using Blob Opera.
You drag the blobs up and down to change pitch, forwards and backwards to change vowel sounds. The three blobs you’re not controlling will harmonize in real time, as their eyes pinwheel. You can disable each blob’s audio to create solos, duets, and trios. You can also record and share your song. And if you click the Christmas tree icon, the blobs will serenade you with a popular Christmas carol. Below, Li explains how he created Blob Opera. You should also visit the interactive choir that Li created for Adult Swim.