Tamber Unveils Ethically Trained AI for Music Creation

Tamber is presented as an ethically trained AI for music creation, a creative suite designed by artists for artists that uses “sonic intelligence” to transform abstract thoughts and feelings into sound.

Founder and CEO Zoe Wrenn describes Tamber as an “ethically trained” creative hive mind and a “creative nervous system” that adapts to user prompts and emotions, and the system can capture impressions such as sunrise, sand between toes or the taste of a meal and conjure sounds to add to a track.

Its library of sounds is ethically gathered from real places — samples include jewellers in an Istanbul bazaar, drinks on a Rio beach and bustling cities — and the product messaging emphasizes “Nothing synthesised, nothing borrowed” and “Every sound carries the place it came from”.

Tamber does not train on any third-party audio, is controllable via arm gestures described as a “bionic arm for musicians” as well as by voice, and the Mac desktop app is available now with Ableton and additional DAW integrations scheduled later this year.

The venture is backed by $5 million in funding from Adobe Ventures and a network of artist-investors, and an early model of Tamber was used on Wrenn’s 2020 single “Hailey”.

Tamber is a creative suite designed by artists for artists that is presented as an ethically trained AI for music creation and is powered by what the company calls “sonic intelligence.” The system is described as able to transform abstract thoughts and feelings into sound and to function as a creative hive mind and a “creative nervous system.” Tamber adapts to user prompts and emotions and can capture impressions such as sunrise, sand between toes, or the taste of a meal to conjure sound to add to a track. Zoe Wrenn is the founder and CEO of Tamber and spoke about building the tool for artists.

The pool of sounds is described as ethically gathered with examples including jewellers in an Istanbul bazaar, drinks on a Rio beach and bustling cities. Product messaging emphasizes the phrases “Nothing synthesised, nothing borrowed” and “Every sound carries the place it came from.” Tamber does not train on any third-party audio and the company contrasts this with other music technology and AI companies that it says scraped a whole bunch of stuff and stole training data. Users are presented with the ability to use the tool without fear of where inspiration input has come from and with a product that the company says respects where the sound comes from.

The interface can be controlled via arm gestures described as a “bionic arm for musicians” and via voice control, and the Mac desktop app is available now. Integration for Ableton and additional DAWs is scheduled later this year. The venture is backed by $5 million in funding from Adobe Ventures and a network of artist-investors. An early model of Tamber was used on Zoe Wrenn’s 2020 single “Hailey”.

Zoe Wrenn said, “I built Tamber because I was sick of watching the music industry get sold tools that steal from artists and defend it by calling it progress.”

Zoe Wrenn said, “Artists shouldn’t have to choose between their values and their careers, but that’s the choice they’re being handed right now – use tools built by taking from your peers, or get left behind.”

Zoe Wrenn said, “There needs to be an alternative, one that’s built with artists, and that is ethically trained and takes its environmental impact seriously.”

Zoe Wrenn said, “We don’t train on any third-party audio at all.”

Zoe Wrenn said, “A lot of the other music technology and AI companies have scraped a whole bunch of stuff and stolen the majority of their training data.”

Zoe Wrenn said, “We don’t do anything like that.”

Zoe Wrenn said, “Nothing synthesised, nothing borrowed.”

Zoe Wrenn said, “Every sound carries the place it came from.”

Zoe Wrenn said, “It’s a tool that respects where the sound comes from, and it doesn’t have to hide how it works to feel like magic.”

Zoe Wrenn said, “It’s a tool that puts the future of music making back in the hands of the artist.”

Tamber is described as a “creative nervous system” that operates as an ethically trained, artist-focused suite and is powered by what the company calls “sonic intelligence.” The product is presented as adapting to user prompts and emotions and is described as able to transform abstract thoughts and sensations into sound that can be added to a track.

Examples cited for the kinds of impressions Tamber can capture include sunrise, sand between toes, and the taste of a meal, and the company frames this capability as a way to conjure sound from sensory input. The system is positioned as a creative hive mind that responds to user direction and emotional cues rather than relying on third-party audio for its outputs.

Tamber offers multiple input methods for control, including a gesture-based interface and voice control, and the arm-gesture interaction is described as a “bionic arm for musicians.” The Mac desktop app is available now, with integration for Ableton and additional DAWs scheduled to arrive later this year.

The company emphasizes that its sounds pool is ethically gathered from real places and that the product does not train on any third-party audio. The interface modalities are presented as ways for artists to steer the system in real time while preserving the asserted provenance of each sound.

Tamber’s Mac desktop app is available now, and the company says integrations for Ableton and additional digital audio workstations are scheduled to arrive later this year. The desktop release provides the primary user interface, and the planned integrations are framed as forthcoming expansions to workflow compatibility. The product supports gesture-based controls and voice control as interaction methods alongside traditional software operation. The company positions these interface options as ways for artists to steer the system in real time.

Tamber is backed by $5 million in funding from Adobe Ventures and a network of artist-investors. The funding is presented as part of the company’s early-stage financial support. An early model of Tamber was used on Zoe Wrenn’s 2020 single “Hailey.” The company describes its financial and creative backing as part of its artist-first positioning.

Tamber is presented as an ethically trained AI tool that aims to respect artist values and the origin of sounds without relying on third-party audio. The company states it does not train on any third-party audio and describes its sound pool as ethically gathered from real places, encapsulated by the phrases “Nothing synthesised, nothing borrowed” and “Every sound carries the place it came from.” The product is described as powered by “sonic intelligence” and operating as a creative nervous system that translates abstract sensations into sound, and its gesture and voice control options are presented as ways for artists to steer the system in real time while preserving the asserted provenance of each sound.

Founder and CEO Zoe Wrenn framed Tamber as an artist-built alternative to tools she criticised for taking from creators, and she said the tool was developed in response to a turning point where musicians were expected to produce more music at an unnatural speed while also becoming content creators. Wrenn described the product as ethically trained and intended to avoid tools that steal from artists, and an early model of Tamber was used on her 2020 single “Hailey.” The company presents Tamber’s positioning as empowering artists by supplying ethically sourced sonic material and control modalities that align with artist-first values.