In this episode of RealMusic.ai, David O’Hara sits down with Paul McCabe, musician, composer, and Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation at Roland, where he leads the Roland Future Design Lab. Paul shares his 40–year journey from the early days of MIDI and music retail in Canada, through his time as a product specialist and eventually CEO of Roland Canada, to his current global role shaping the future of instruments and music technology.

They talk about how spending years directly with musicians shaped the way Paul thinks about design, communication, and building tools that actually fit creative workflows. The conversation moves into how AI is starting to live inside musical hardware, not just software, and how that can support learning, practice, and creativity rather than trying to replace human musicians. Paul and David dig into the real barriers to music making today, including focus and attention, not just time, money, or “talent,” and how ideas borrowed from gaming and connected experiences might help more people stick with an instrument.

Paul also explains the story behind AIforMusic.info and why Roland partnered with Universal Music Group to define shared principles for using AI in music responsibly. He closes by discussing Project Lydia, a neural sampling hardware proof of concept built with Raspberry Pi and Neutone, and why Roland is putting it directly into the hands of creators to learn from their reactions before deciding what comes next. If you’re interested in where instruments, AI, and human creativity are really heading, this conversation will give you a grounded, forward-looking perspective.

The music world is not evolving in one direction. It is splitting into different paths shaped by new technology, new creative economies, and the changing needs of artists. In this episode, Mansoor Rahimat Khan, musician and co-founder of Beatoven, explains how two distinct music industries are emerging and why artists respond so differently to the same tools.

We talk about early adopters who embrace AI and new workflows, and the artists who feel uncertain or threatened by these shifts. Mansoor breaks down the idea of multiple music economies, the tension between innovation and tradition, and why understanding both sides is essential for the future of music.

If you want a clear look at how technology is reshaping the structure of the music community, and not just its tools, this conversation brings real insight to the table.

AI is changing how music is created, shared, and explored, and the real story is how artists are using these tools in their own workflows. In this episode, Anita Baumgartner, Head of Marketing at Soundraw, breaks down how musicians at every level are using AI to create faster, experiment more freely, and overcome barriers that once slowed them down.

Anita talks about live cyphers, quick beat sessions in studios and parks, and the way AI lets artists sketch ideas in seconds. She also explains how creators are using stems, prompts, and simple adjustments to shape beats into something personal, which keeps the human voice and emotion at the center of the music.

We also look at bigger themes that matter to working musicians, including ethical training data, transparency, global adoption, community, and the rise of new creative opportunities that come from having more accessible tools.

If you want a clear and realistic view of how AI is actually being used by real musicians, this conversation gets right to the point.