Bergen Centre for Electronic Arts

Join us for a workshop at BEK where we dive into an artistic approach to A.I. and
neural audio synthesis applied to sound and music. The three-day workshop focuses
on the workflow behind training generative AI models and developing an artistic
practice using these tools, such as RAVE (Realtime Audio Variational autoEncoder)
and open source multi-modal audio generative systems. This workshop offers
participants the opportunity to understand and implement the pipeline of neural audio
synthesis—from data collection and model training to artistic implementations for
sound design and musical expression.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
June 3., 4. and 5., 10:00-15:00 each day, including a light lunch.
BEK, C. Sundts gate 55, floor 9.
Instructor: Hexorcismos aka Moisés Horta Valenzuela
Free, sign up here.
We will make room for participants to work individually at BEK during the workshop dates. 
Changes in time can occur.

Throughout this three-day intensive workshop, participants will develop practical skills in
gathering and preparing audio datasets specifically for training neural networks. You’ll learn
to train custom RAVE models that capture unique sonic characteristics and explore the
creative possibilities of latent space navigation, timbre transfer, and decoder-only generation.
We’ll also investigate complementary architectures such as Stable Audio Open for
text-to-audio generation, expanding the toolkit available for your sonic explorations.
A significant focus will be on SEMILLA.AI, a tool created by hexorcismos that enhances
real-time manipulation of sound characteristics, allowing for deep interaction with the latent
space of sounds. This musical instrument enables musicians and sound artists to navigate
and transform sonic material with unprecedented fluidity. We will explore how SEMILLA.AI
integrates with other neural audio tools to create dynamic, responsive sound environments
that can respond to performer input in real-time.

This workshop emphasizes hands-on experimentation, providing a blend of theoretical
understanding and practical implementation. Each day builds toward greater creative
autonomy, allowing participants to develop personalized approaches to neural audio
synthesis that can be integrated into their artistic practice. Discussions will include both
technical aspects of implementation and the aesthetic implications of these new tools for
sound creation.

The workshop will culminate in a collaborative multi-neural network autopoietic listening and
improvisation session, demonstrating the interactive and evolving capabilities of neural
networks in a live setting, with feedback logics. Participants will also engage in discussions
about the philosophical and ethical aspects of using AI in sound creation, ensuring a
comprehensive understanding of the state of discourse in the field.

Requirements

Participants are expected to bring their laptops, alongside their own custom
dataset, a corpus of audio of 1 hour or more in .wav format. Prior installation of Pure Data
(free download via puredata.info). No programming experience is required, although
knowledge in Python and Pure Data is certainly welcome.

Hexorcismos aka Moisés Horta Valenzuela

Moisés Horta Valenzuela (1988, he/him) is an autodidact sound artist, technologist
and electronic musician from Tijuana, México, working in the fields of computer
music, Artificial Intelligence and the history and politics of emerging digital
technologies. Recently, he served as guest professor at the Tangible Music Labs at
Kunst University Linz and completed an artist residency at the Ligeti Zentrum
Hamburg. His work has received support from institutions including the Ny Carlsberg
Fund in Denmark and Musik Fonds in Germany.

As hexorcismos, he crafts an uncanny link between ancient and state-of-the-art sound
technologies channeled through a critical decolonial theory lens in the context of
contemporary electronic music and the sonic arts. In 2024, he released MUTUALISMX,
a collaborative AI music album, on Nicolas Jaar’s Other People label. His projects,
including SEMILLA.AI, explore the intersection of traditional sonic practices and
cutting-edge generative technologies. His work has been presented internationally at
venues and festivals including Ars Electronica, MUTEK México, Transart Festival,
MUTEK: AI Art Lab Montréal, Elektron Musik Studion, and CTM Festival: Music Makers
Hacklab, among others.

Part of New Perspectives for Action – a project by Re-Imagine Europe, co-funded by the European Union.

Accessibility

BEK’s space unfortunately is not wheelchair accessible. Please send us an email at bek@bek.no if you’re using a wheelchair, and we’ll do our best to facilitate your needs. Our space has all gender toilet facilities. Service dogs are welcome. We also provide the option of a quiet room.

Images: 1-2) SEMILLA.AI. Photo: Hexorcismos aka Moisés Horta Valenzuela 3) Hexorcismos aka Moisés Horta Valenzuela. Photo: Carsten Rabe