Well, the future is here, gang. (well at least a sneak peek)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioyu_vPKxQg (intro)
https://polyend.com/endless/
Polyend just announced the inevitable. For $300, you can enter an AI-supported virtual
Playground, where you describe an effect and the platform cranks it out for you.
So that sounds exciting.
Here are some cons: it's got 3 fucking virtual pots. I can't speak for anyone else, but the pedal of my dreams needs far more than 3 virtual pots. It seems to arrive basically naked. You get a $300 mini computer and $20 in tokens. If you want a custom-machined plate, that will set you back an additional $20. It seems you can download some effects for free, but effects with custom plates will set you back $20 each.
Secondly, it costs money to create new effects with the AI tool, because data centers aren't free.
How much does it cost to make effects?
If you are a programmer, it doesn’t cost a dime. If you want to use the Playground, it depends on the complexity of the effect and the number of iterations. A simple delay could cost $1.00 or $2.00, whereas a complex granular looper might cost up to $5.00. $20 of Tokens come with the purchase of a new Endless.
It's been my experience, that AI never makes a masterpiece on the first go-round. You'd likely need to make several requests to fine-tune your dream effect. If it takes 8 tries, does that mean $8 at $1 per attempt? Or can you just keep tweaking and tweaking, then you're charged at the conclusion? (we'll see)
There's definitely value here in certain cases. Instead of buying a $300 effect that does one niche thing, you could just design your own in the Playground environment.
The biggest negatives for me: 3 knobs is shit, it's $300 and it runs one effect at a time (you're not necesarily replacing more expensive pedals at this rate), someone's going to do the same thing more cheaply in 3-12 months. I've already seen others teasing similar platforms for plugins. If you can use AI to create code for people with no programming experience, then something that's arguably better and cheaper is just around the corner.
I'm listening to these demos and they sound nice, but I don't want a drawer of $20 plates, that I have to swap out.
https://polyend.com/product/endless-delay/
https://polyend.com/product/bounce/
https://polyend.com/product/tessera/
https://polyend.com/product/glitch-loop/
Does it cost anything to download Community Effects?
No. Anything shared with the community is free to download. Polyend will regularly add new effects. You own what you create, so you can sell patches instead of sharing them freely.
I could see how this could be rewarding---$5 a pop, and 500 downloads, you could make $2,500 off your radical delay plugin, which you conceptualized in less than 20 minutes with no coding experience. The unfortunate part is that you get 3 virtual pots and hidden secondary functions. Hidden functions in the footswitches really limits the appeal of these effects for many people.