Ludwig is different from automatic band software you might know. Most programs follow a simple concept: The accompaniment consists of pre-recorded patterns which are glued together in short building blocks. This sounds great in demos because the recording is often done with real musicians. However in songwriting this creates problems because arrangement and melody do not fit together.

Ludwig on the other hand writes parts note by note like a human composer would do. This is based on artificial intelligence algorithms. The accompanying parts are adapted to fit the melody. For example the shape of the bass line strives for contrary motion with respect to the melody to create an independent and satisfying bass part.

The Swanee River Songwriting Test:

Import a naked MIDI-file of a song (you could also enter the melody manually). The program has to write a complete band arrangement without further assistance. This test covers the standard use case of a melody arranger software.

Test of a widely known automatic band software (version 2011, factory settings after installation on Win7):

1. Import the MIDI file Swanee River (the famous Stephen Foster song).
2. Style Country-Classik -> Classic Shuffle, activate style, play.

Click to hear the test result for the automatic band program...

Observations: a) Phrase structure of the song ignored c) Accompaniment ignores melody.

Test of Ludwig 3.0 (factory settings after installation on Win7):

1. Import MIDI-File Swanee River.
2. Click Accompany with Band -> Country Shuffle. Accept the automatic chord suggestion.

Click to hear the test result of Ludwig...


To reproduce the Swanee Test: Download MIDI-File Swanee River.

Automatic Band programs also cannot write four-part choral or big band arrangements, a strength of Ludwig.