Bytedance, the company behind TikTok, has announced the launch of the MAWF Sound Plugin for DAWs (Digital Audio workstations). This release of MAWF for beta testing is just one of many recent moves signaling the company’s growing interest in providing tools for music creators. TikTok’s recent release of SoundOn, its own music distribution platform that allows artists to upload their own music to the app and receive royalties already looks like a game changer – pushing its influence in the music industry and growing its already vast user base. Coming 3 years after its acquisition of AI music startup Jukedeck in 2019, MAWF is the company’s first music production tool to be released.

The MAWF plugin allows musicians to ‘morph’ any sound into real instruments. Preexisting or hummed through a microphone, the MAWF plugin can turn your cat’s meowing into the soothing sounds of Kenny G’s Saxophone, if that’s your thing.  The developers of the plugin analyzed professional musicians’ performance, and used Machine Learning to create models of expressive change. Each target instrument can be imitated, potentially turning any voice into a literal symphony. In its beta version, MAWF only offers three instruments to experiment with: Saxophone, trumpet, and the khlui(Thai flute).  As the technology develops, it will be interesting to see how TikTok incorporates the plugin into its platform.

MAWF can be downloaded for free by users outside of the U.S., but beta testing is limited to the first 500 sign-ups

Visit MAWF’s website to find out more.