How audio pros ‘upmix’ vintage tracks and give them new life

PLUS: a decades-long medical controversy and how to stop misinformation in its tracks. View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions  03.28.21 Think of the Beatles song "She Loves You." Recorded early in the band's career, it was captured live in the studio and tracked in mono, with all of the instruments and vocals squished down onto a single strip of tape. Now, imagine that you could somehow lift the sound of George Harrison's guitar out of that mix, isolating it from the rest of the band's glorious bashing so his intricately picked lines sound out all on their own. Until recently, this feat was possible only through countless hours of hands-on scrubbing inside professional audio production software. But recent advances in artificial intelligence, coupled with new approaches to audio processing, have made it easier than ever for professionals and enthusiasts alike to pick apart a song with stunning results. By disassembling a tune, the song's rights-owners could then use the raw material to dress the song up in new ways and inject it back into the marketplace. With all of the tracks properly isolated, an engineer could remaster the song to give it a more modern sound. Music supervisors could remix it in surround sound for use in a Netflix show, a Hollywood movie, or a video game. DJs and remix artists could take the components and retool them to create wholly new compositions. This phenomenon, known as upmixing, is a boon for recording artists, producers, and publishers, who are eager for ways to breathe new life into their most beloved works. It's also a big deal for fans, who get to hear vibrant, newly fleshed out versions of their favorite songs. Music journalist Jesse Jarnow traces the history of upmixing, interviewing the AI researchers, underground software hackers, and curious Abbey Road engineers standing at the forefront of innovation in this field. Michael Calore | Senior Editor, WIRED   How Audio Pros 'Upmix' Vintage Tracks and Give Them New Life BY JESSE JARNOW | 13-MINUTE READ Experts are using AI to pick apart classic recordings from the '50s and '60s, isolate the instruments, and stitch them back together in crisp, bold ways.   A Boy, His Brain, and a Decades-Long Medical Controversy BY SEEMA YASMIN | 16-MINUTE READ No one could deny that Timothy was sick. But when doctors can't agree on the cause of an illness, what happens to the patients trapped in limbo?   How to Stop Misinformation Before It Gets Shared BY RENEE DIRESTA AND TOBIAS ROSE-STOCKWELL | 8-MINUTE READ It's never been easier for mistruths to go viral, and content moderation is inadequate. What social media needs is some old-fashioned friction.   The DOJ Must Crack Down on the Scourge of Online Scams BY ANKUSH KHARDORI | 4-MINUTE READ A new FBI report proves that the Justice Department is failing to combat internet fraud. Here's how the government should address that.   Actually, Covid Optimists and Pessimists Are Both Right BY AMITHA KALAICHANDRAN | 7-MINUTE READ Mild and dire forecasting models serve different purposes, and they can be tricky to interpret. But when they appear similar, it may signal the end of the pandemic.   A Better Path to Tech Reform? Felony Charges BY ROGER MCNAMEE | 3-MINUTE READ This week's Big Tech hearing will surely be a waste of Congress's time, again. But the DOJ and SEC could buy time by raising the stakes. GET WIRED Save 66% on your subscription to WIRED. Get 1 year of WIRED for less than $1 per month, plus get a free tote! You can't see into the future, but you can subscribe to WIRED. Subscribe now.         This e-mail was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe or manage your newsletter subscriptions   Copyright © Condé Nast 2021. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.