Development of a Website for Automatic Music Creation

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Department of Computer Science and Engineering

Final Year Thesis Oral Defense

Title: "Development of a Website for Automatic Music Creation"

by

CHAN Sheung Yin

Abstract:

This project overcomes the constraints of current AI-powered music production 
technologies by creating a comprehensive web platform that enables 
algorithmic music composition for both amateur and professional musicians. 
The platform allows users to create original music by selecting factors such 
as musical style, emotional mood, chord progressions, pace, and duration, as 
well as complete incomplete works by analyzing uploaded MIDI files. Unlike 
many existing systems, which either overwhelm users with complexity or 
oversimplify the creative process, our method uses a streamlined single-mode 
interface to enable easy access to robust music generating capabilities while 
avoiding unneeded complexity.

The system was built using Flask as a web framework, with a flexible UI and a 
rule-based music creation engine that combines fundamental music theory 
concepts. This assures that the result is not only technically correct but 
also emotionally meaningful, addressing the common objection that 
AI-generated music sounds predictable. The platform enables multilingual 
support (English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese) to reach a 
larger global audience, as well as output in both MIDI and audio formats for 
smooth integration with professional Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs).

User testing with 15 participants revealed high levels of satisfaction with 
both the intuitive interface and the quality of the created music. 
Participants particularly valued the unified interface's combination of 
simplicity and control, with the music generation parameters structured in a 
clear, progressive manner. This research demonstrates how smart interface 
design, when combined with clever algorithmic composition, may effectively 
bridge the gap between creative inspiration and technical music production, 
allowing people to create sophisticated music regardless of formal musical 
expertise.


Date            : 30 April 2025 (Wednesday)

Time            : 16:05 - 16:45

Venue           : Room 2129A (near lift 19), HKUST

Advisor         : Prof. HORNER Andrew

2nd Reader      : Dr. WU Daoyuan