QuiKo: A Quantum Beat Generation Application

TL;DR

QuiKo is a quantum music generation system that uses quantum algorithms and noise properties of quantum computers to create and adapt drum and audio patterns based on external musical inputs.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach combining quantum algorithms, data encoding, and soft rules to generate and react to musical patterns in quantum computing.

Findings

Uses quantum noise for flexible music rules

Encodes audio features onto quantum circuits

Generates probabilistic drum patterns

Abstract

In this chapter a quantum music generation application called QuiKo will be discussed. It combines existing quantum algorithms with data encoding methods from quantum machine learning to build drum and audio sample patterns from a database of audio tracks. QuiKo leverages the physical properties and characteristics of quantum computers to generate what can be referred to as Soft Rules proposed by Alexis Kirke. These rules take advantage of the noise produced by quantum devices to develop flexible rules and grammars for quantum music generation. These properties include qubit decoherence and phase kickback due controlled quantum gates within the quantum circuit. QuiKo builds upon the concept of soft rules in quantum music generation and takes it a step further. It attempts to mimic and react to an external musical inputs, similar to the way that human musicians play and compose with one another. Audio signals are used as inputs into the system. Feature extraction is then performed on the signal to identify the harmonic and percussive elements. This information is then encoded onto the quantum circuit. Measurements of the quantum circuit are then taken providing results in the form of probability distributions for external music applications to use to build the new drum patterns.