Ghost Notes and Coffee Cups: 12 Observations on Trying to Automate My Music Workflow

I’m sitting in my favorite independent coffee shop during a quick lunch break, nursing a cold brew that probably cost too much. On my feed, a producer who looks barely old enough to drive is showing off a brilliant lofi track they put together in ten minutes using purely automated tools. Meanwhile, I’ve been struggling with a single chord transition for three days. It’s a familiar, quiet kind of self-doubt that makes you question your entire creative path. To clear my head, I started scrolling…