Engram is a new hardware instrument that transforms AI audio hallucinations into music, and it has just arrived on Kickstarter. Developed by music startup Thoughtful Things, the device marks the company’s first instrument and takes an unconventional approach to artificial intelligence in music creation.
Engram is described as a sampler and groovebox that uses AI to mangle incoming audio and even hallucinate entirely new sounds. Rather than offering a polished, radio-ready output, the instrument is built for experimentation. The goal is to create uncanny, unusual textures and to push AI audio models beyond their intended limits.
How Engram Works
Unlike many recent AI music tools, Engram is not a “push-button, get-song” device aimed at producing tracks that sound ready for top-40 radio. It is not comparable to services such as Suno packaged into hardware form. Instead, the focus rests firmly on creative sound design and experimental results.
A key distinction is that Engram is not connected to the internet. It runs what the company calls a “tiny AI” locally on the device itself. According to the Kickstarter listing, the model was designed in-house and custom-trained by the team behind the project.
A Different Take on AI in Music
The instrument positions itself as a tool for artists interested in unpredictable and exploratory audio, rather than one designed to automate the songwriting process. By manipulating incoming audio and generating new sounds through local AI processing, Engram offers a hands-on method for producing experimental music.
The Kickstarter campaign for Engram is now live, presenting the sampler and groovebox to potential backers as Thoughtful Things’ debut hardware release.
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Image: theverge.com
