The familiar “pew-pew” followed by that rhythmic “duk-duk-duk” has become such an integral part of daily life that we barely notice it anymore. That is, until you travel overseas and suddenly find yourself standing at a crossing, waiting for an audio cue that never comes.

Recently, browsing through online discussions about our pedestrian crossing sounds brought back memories of my recent trip to Europe. Standing at various intersections in London, I felt surprisingly lost without that reassuring audio feedback. It’s fascinating how something so mundane can become such a crucial part of our urban experience.

Standing in my home studio, gazing at the collection of instruments I’ve gathered over the years, I find myself wrestling with some deeply unsettling thoughts about the future of music. The recent comments from a Berklee professor about AI music being better than 80% of his students have hit particularly close to home.

My old Yamaha keyboard sits silent these days, collecting dust next to the digital audio workstation I invested in last year. The irony isn’t lost on me - I spent thousands on equipment to make music, while today’s AI can produce surprisingly competent tunes with just a text prompt.