# Robots vs Music

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robots-vs-music/854700>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 29, 2020, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robots-vs-music/854700 "2020-05-29T21:54:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robots-vs-music/854700/1 "2020-05-29T21:54:15Z")

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How much of this is practical effects, and how much is CGI?

I cam across [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAdqazixuRY) during the shutdown, and I have to admit it is pretty amazing.

One thing I cannot figure out, however, is exactly how much of it is actually robots programmed to play on instruments, and how much is CGI.

I can only assume that the end when the place is being cut down by lasers is all CGI, but the idea of programming a robot to strum a guitar or to hit notes on a piano would not be impossible to do.

There is a comment in the comment section claiming that it is mostly practical effects, but I don’t know if that person has any authority on the matter.

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**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robots-vs-music/854700/2 "2020-05-29T22:07:52Z")

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I don’t know about that set of robots, but there is a robot band called Compressorhead that plays heavy metal.

[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/b7nMZvueKNQ/maxresdefault.jpg "Compressorhead - Compressorhead") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7nMZvueKNQ)

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**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robots-vs-music/854700/3 "2020-05-29T22:45:44Z")

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> [@k9bfriender](#):
>
> How much of this is practical effects, and how much is CGI?
> 
> …There is a comment in the comment section claiming that it is mostly practical effects, but I don’t know if that person has any authority on the matter.

If you are referring to comments by “Phoenix Beyer” from March, 2020, I would say that person definitely has authority on the matter. I have no idea who he/she is, but (FWIW) based on what I know of visual effects - i.e., motion control and CG - the comments seemed spot-on.

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**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robots-vs-music/854700/4 "2020-05-29T22:56:33Z")

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> [@Dropo](#):
>
> If you are referring to comments by “Phoenix Beyer” from March, 2020, I would say that person definitely has authority on the matter. I have no idea who he/she is, but (FWIW) based on what I know of visual effects - i.e., motion control and CG - the comments seemed spot-on.

Fair enough, they did not seem to have any direct connection to the video, so I wasn’t sure if they were just guessing or if they had any inside information.

I do wonder if you could essentially just feed a midi file into the robots to make them play.