Let Music Hit You, Hard!

I was on the phone when I heard this… “With AI and art, I feel that there is no end game”.

I feel like a songwriter or author that got haunted by a phrase that makes me run to a piece of paper. For me, it’s my computer and this blog you are reading. For the record, I'm not anti-AI. I’m not arguing against it.
I’m simply questioning the reality of the times we’re in.

Will it bother you if the voice moving you isn’t real?
If the lyrics that bring you to tears weren’t born from someone’s lived experience, but from a prompt?

It’s not like we’re 3D-printing chicken or letting AI father our children.
It’s just a tool, right?

Maybe.
But for me—yes—it does matter.

This is a A.I. Generated image by ChatGPT 5.0. I have not won a grammy or fixed my front teeth…yet!

The Day a Client Told Me He “Wrote” Five Suno Songs

I was speaking with a potential client who “wrote” five songs with Suno AI.

They were good enough.
But he didn’t want “good enough.” He wanted me to humanize his work.

So we talked—his story, his testimony, his faith, his scars, his taste. And in minutes, I discovered the truth:

The decisions he made on those AI songs had nothing to do with who he really was.
He had drifted away from himself.

When I asked why he turned to Suno, he said something I’ll never forget:
“I guess I doubted myself.”

And that hit deep.
Because my next question wasn’t technical—it was spiritual:

Who told you your ideas weren’t good enough?

Here’s a question for you too:

When does AI make you a songwriter—if all you did was type a prompt?
When does AI make you a mixer—if all you did was click “Generate Results”?
Can real art be generated? And if so… is it you, or is it a machine wearing your face?

Human Collaboration Is Still Miraculous, and Courageous

I explore the soul.
I live for the miraculous nature of human collaboration.
I’m mesmerized by the risk, the vulnerability, the venture of connection.

Dare to fail, and you just might stumble into treasure.

But here’s the deeper question:

If an AI-generated album won a Grammy… who are we honoring?
The human who typed the prompt?
Or the system that synthesized it?

That disconnect doesn’t scare me.
It just feels hollow.

Last Night I Remembered Why Humans Matter

Me (Left) with @chans.thomas & @LiveOutLoudBand and Super Agent @joshuatdada (far right) - Photo by @josuemlopez17

Last night I was mixing live audio for seven musicians and a vocalist-songwriter—Chans Thomas—inside an intimate glass house with about fifty people.

The band rehearsed in my studio.
I built the entire live mix on my console ahead of time.
Dialed the sound.
Shaped the space.

But the magic happened in the moment.

On the night of the show, I rode two reverbs and two delays in real time—four time-based effects woven into each lyric, each phrase, each shift in emotion.

You could say I became part of the band.

Audience members came up after and said the sound felt interactive.
They were right.

Chans and I were in conversation all night.
Her phrasing shifted; I responded.
My effects swelled; she leaned in.

For me, that’s jazz.
Yes, Live Out Loud is a neo-jazz-gospel band—but the real groove was the connection.

Someone said I was moving like a DJ.
That made me laugh, because I was a pro DJ in London’s West End.
But they were right—live mixing is DJing with souls instead of samples.

Typically, I’m ten fingers on faders, deeply locked in.
But last night?
I had to dance with four delays and reverbs, shaping the story, emphasizing emotion, pulling the crowd deeper into the room with us.

That’s ToneCrafting.

Why I Call My Business ToneCrafters

People often think mixing is about gear.
It’s not.

When I capture, manipulate, mix, and present music, I’m constantly shaping balance, frequency, panorama, dynamics, dimension, emotion and focal point.

I’m an audio artist,
A tone-shaper.
A sonic sculptor.

Just like in my DJ days, my goal is impact—emotional, spiritual, visceral.

As Bob Marley said:
“When the music hits you, you feel no pain.”

And history gives us an even deeper example:

David soothed King Saul with music, playing the lyre to relieve him from a tormenting spirit.
In 1 Samuel, Saul’s servants searched for a skillful musician—someone whose playing could bring relief, refreshment, and peace.
David’s music did more than sound good.
It healed.
It foreshadowed his role as the author of Psalms.

Music has always been medicine—spiritual, human, intentional.

Now Over to You

Look at your art.

Somewhere, somebody needs what only you can make.
The energy you put into your work is felt—viscerally, spiritually, emotionally.

No matter how personal your art is, we need to feel human.
So yes—we need you.

You need collaborators who get you, who help you, guide you, challenge you, keep you sane, and pull you out of isolation.

You weren’t meant to create in an incubator.

Ready to Create Something Real?

If something inside this stirred you…
If you want your next song, EP, or album to carry your story—not a prompt’s…

Let’s talk. (here is the plug lol)
Click below, fill out the short questionnaire, and let’s see if we’re a good fit.

If we are, we’ll build something honest and unforgettable.
If not, you’ll still leave with clarity and direction.

Either way—you win.
And your art wins.

👉 Start Your Project With ToneCrafters

Oh by the way, some sentences were reworded by ChatGPT 5.0. Be honest, does that bother you?