[Update 24.07: D’Addario has posted a response video on Instagram confirming the demo was not created using AI. In the post, D’Addario shows the layered guitar tracks that were recorded for the demo.
“Setting the record straight, this string demo was certainly over-produced. However, it was not created by AI. All guitars were tracked in real-life, drums and synths were MIDI programmed, plus a whole lot of plug-ins and production.”]
D’Addario has denied allegations that he used AI to create the music in a promotional video for his new NYXL HD electric guitar strings. The company also defended its removal of comments and blocking of accounts on social media channels, saying it was protecting employees from harassment.
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in a statement to guitar worldD’Addario admits that he never uses AI when creating music for his video marketing content. “Our brand is based on authenticity, and to do so would go against our ethos,” says the strings and accessories giant.
The video in question is a sophisticated piece featuring high-gain progressive metal. With this launch, the NYXL HD series was offered as a single high-density string for 7-, 8-, and 9-string guitars, and the XT Dynacore HD Classic Single was offered as an individual string for 7- and 8-string nylon-string guitars.
Promo clips are definitely super polished and super processed. That was the problem. It didn’t sound like a real quote/unquote.
There were a lot of comments in the comments section. After engaging with the comments and denying the allegations, Daddario began deleting AI-related comments and blocking some accounts.
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YouTubers quickly took notice of the story, with Danny Sapko sharing a video titled “The World’s Largest Guitar String Company Got Arrested?!”
NYXL HD Electric String – YouTube
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Daddario emphasized that the video was created by real musicians. But perhaps this controversy shows that these highly sophisticated works, electric guitar tones so processed that they take on an artistic sheen, no longer work for audiences.
in reply to guitar worldD’Addario admits it was a mistake to present the demo in full production.
“We have incredibly talented musicians in our organization, and we rely on them to compose, produce and demonstrate our products,” said Daddario.
“We made the choice to demo these products in fully produced mixes, which backfired. We have learned from this and plan to film and demonstrate the products again without faithfully recreating the production, so consumers will be able to hear a comparison of these strings in both mixed and raw formats.”
Has the world’s largest guitar string company been arrested?! – YouTube
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The company said it had to turn off comments after the employee’s personal account was identified and “targeted with malicious comments and messages.” That crossed the line.
“We have a responsibility to protect our employees from harassment, and as always, we are open to criticism as a brand,” Daddario said. “However, there is no place for harassment on employees’ personal social media accounts. Given the volatile nature of social media, it is extremely important that we all behave responsibly and respectfully.”
