The Meshuggah algorithm unlocked

A new free tool has just made DJenting 10 times easier – but where do we draw the line with AI songwriting?

Meshuggah grooves insanely hard. That’s a scientific fact. But wrapping your head around their polymeter concepts also feels like the work of science, and for many – this writer included – that makes channelling their hypnotic fury rather inaccessible.

We’ve already looked at one guitarist’s genius dice game hack for making Meshuggah grooves, but now a new lore has dropped, and it’s called Thirty Three – after the band’s 2005 album, Catch Thirtythree, no less.

In short, it’s an algorithm that randomly generates polymeters based off user-set parameters, and even comes with MIDI downloads. It’s free, and very fun to mess around with, but it also poses questions about authenticity and songwriting, and when aiding tools should and should not be used.

Thirty Three

I’m not aware of the website’s backstory as a friend randomly linked me to it, but thirtythree.dev is a tool that finally condenses Meshuggah’s playful polymeters into an easy-to-use tool.

Upon loading the page up, you'll be met with eight key parametrs to set: Tempo, host (the underlying time signature, which, for Meshuggah, is always 4/4), guest (the additional time signature we're playing with), how many bars a loop lasts, pitch, and max repeats. In addition, there are a list of selectable enabled durations, which relates to the note groupings to be used within the patterns it produces.

To put Meshuggah's unique approach to rhythm in the simplest way, they always have a set number of bars in 4/4. The drums hold down that pulse, which is easy for people to follow along, typically with cymbal hits. But the guitars and kick usually play a different time signature with note groupings in that. So they might play a 17 note pattern, broken up as 1-3-1-2-3-3-2-2.

This will loop a number of times, with the last loop cut off so that, after, say eight bars of 4/4, the cycle restarts. This tidies the odd timing up, essentially making it prog within standard time structures.

This software allows you to build your own polymeters, with the added bonus of a MIDI download once you find one you like a massive bonus.

Below is what I put into the tool.

So, we have a 21/16 count within the 4/4 framework, with the cycle restarting after eight bars. Think of how a typewriter clicks back to the start after so many hits of the keys.

Upon choosing those parameters, it lets you decide how many groupings there are in the pattern, I went for five so there was some repetition in there. A nice happy medium. And then you choose from the manner of those groupings from there. A huge possibility is listed, because the algorithm has figured out, like the big maths nerd it is, how many possible variables this formula has to offer.

The good news is that users can click through the options without having to restart the whole process, so it's incredibly easy to mess around with and find a groove that makes you do that stank face. All the parameters can be tweaked on the fly.

Looking at the MIDI it gave me, you get one basic track of two notes - a G for the one counts, and F# for the rest. And all notes are played with the same velocity. This isn't a 'create a full Meshuggah song at the click of a button' hack - and that's a good thing. This makes you put the hard yards in and, in doing so, ensures you make it your own.

When do tools become crutches?

Songwriting tools are now a new phenomenon. Things like chord progression generators have existed for years – and before that, there were a thousand books on songwriting hacks. And, of course, they can be handy to have at your disposal. But is there a line where originality is obscured, because a musician has relied too much on tools to get them to their desired destination?

A tool for this makes perfect sense, because when it comes down to it, this is more maths than metal from the outset. To the same ends, chord progression tools work in the same way, by building off data, such as the song’s key and a starting chord or feel (sad, triumphant, energetic, etc.) to be able to present possibilities. But should musicians rely on them?

I see Thirty Three as a great way to get the dirty work out of the way – it gives me a framework to play around with. But I still want to play around with it, and if I were to use the groove it’s presented to me in a song, the final product would be pretty different from that starting point. And that’s how it should be; as a musician, I want to put my stamp on it. “I liked this option the best,” in my opinion, isn’t enough.

These tools are great, but they should be treated as an aid, not a way of cheating on your homework. And take the time to reverse engineer why a particular groove or progression appealed to you, so that you learn from it. Otherwise, you’ll only regress as a songwriter.  You won't learn how to write a standout chord progression if you only ever copy and paste from generators.

And that’s something to consider about songwriting on the whole. Bands like Vola are finding great success because their Meshuggah-isms are just one part of a larger recipe. They have big, accessible and synth-laden choruses that Meshuggah would never dare to do. And there’s plenty more twists beyond that. They don’t copy their homework – they take what Meshuggah are doing and drag it into their own world.

With the rise of AI-generated music – Velvet Sundown recently caused a stir there – it’s important not to fall too deeply into the computer-generated slop hole. If you do, most listeners will hear that lack of authenticity in your music. Learn from Giacomo  Turra – faking your talents and creativity gets you nowhere.  And should any content, be it photos, videos, music, and beyond, be presented with disclaimers if AI has, in any way, aided the creation process? What qualifies as significant human input?

Meshuggah broke boundaries when they first arrived on the scene. They relied on their imaginations – and possibly a calculator or two – to do something unique. There’s no easy to becoming a killer songwriter. And sure, tools like this can be a great help, but they can also distract you from the hard work it takes to master – or at least be good – at your chosen art form.  

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