Qosmo employee interview (AI engineer Naotake Masuda)

Qosmo is a Tokyo-based collective consisting of AI researchers, engineers, artists, and designers, working on expanding human creativity using AI and exploring unknown music. We are exploring new possibilities of creativity and expression by making use of the latest technology including artificial intelligence in the process of creation, and is looking for people who share these values with us. To help you get to know about Qosmo, we conducted an interview with our employee. The first one is Naotake Masuda, an AI engineer.

Qosmo: Naotake Masuda Born in 1995, joined the Qosmo in 2023. Position: AI Engineer

Can you introduce yourself?

My name is Naotake Masuda. I studied in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Systems, Graduate School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo and obtained a doctoral degree. After that, I joined Qosmo as a new graduate.

Can you tell me about your student days, such as how you entered the engineering department and so on. I had a considerable interest in computers, etc. At that time, if I remember correctly, there was news starting to come out about Google DeepMind's AlphaGo defeating Lee Sedol who is the world's top Go player. It was also around the time when Deep Dream emerged in the field of art, and I thought it would be nice if I could do something like that. In addition, I studied in the same laboratory where Mr. Tokui (our company's representative) earned his Ph.D., and I did my undergraduate and master’s degrees there as well. I was studying evolutionary computation and music, researching technologies for creating new music and such.

So you were also interested in music. I was interested in electronic music and creating new sounds. Like how to connect effects to synthesizers to create new sounds, or Dubstep (one of the EDM genres that emerged in the UK in 1999, and became popular in the 2010s for songs with more aggressive bass sounds), I was interested in music that produced unusual sounds, I thought it would be great if I could create interesting sounds using technology like deep learning.

When did you develop such an interest? I got into that kind of music when I was in high school. I was interested in creating interesting sounds, whether through software or using synthesizers. It also influenced my choice of college major and research laboratory.

You joined Qosmo as a new graduate. How did you know about Qosmo? I read Mr.Tokui's book and it was really good. It was strongly about inspiring creativity, not about replacing AI with humans, and I found myself resonating with the philosophy of the book in many ways. I felt like if I could follow this person, things would work out. Also, I studied in the same laboratory where Mr. Tokui earned his Ph.D. so I had the opportunity to read his doctoral dissertation as well.

“Surfing human creativity with AI — A user’s guide” Nao Tokui

Why did you choose Qosmo, and what expectations did you have for Qosmo? I remember I contacted them once on their recruiting page, I didn't hear from them for a few months (laughs). Later on, I received a message from Qosmo that they wanted to know my research and we had a meeting online. Around the beginning of 2022, I gradually started assisting in the development of Neutone, and that led me to become an intern. It was a time of being an intern while also writing my doctoral dissertation. In the midst of that, I also received an offer to officially join Qosmo. The biggest thing was when I was asked if I would like to be involved in Neutone. I thought being able to contribute to such development would allow me to pursue what I wanted in an ideal way. It was something unprecedented, not just imitating existing audio effects, but creating new musical expressions with the latest AI audio technology. I found that direction very appealing.

What is your current job description? I am currently involved in tasks such as model development and SDK adjustments at Neutone. Additionally, in other projects, I am exploring ways to optimize speech recognition models. As my main expertise lies in deep learning, I am utilizing it in various ways. By working on different projects, I can apply my technical skills in other areas as well, which creates a synergistic effect.

Neutone is actually used by artists in their performances. What kind of feedback do you get? Last December, we had a collaborative performance with BIGYUKI at UNIT in Daikanyama. We have continued our collaboration with BIGYUKI since then. In March of this year, BIGYUKI had a solo tour in Tokyo, and that's where I had the opportunity to see his performance for the first time. It's always a great pleasure to see the artists using our product in their actual performances. It gives a sense of fulfilment and significance to see them fully utilizing the tool and creating new sounds and music with it. I also had the chance to meet BIGYUKI and hear his feedback on using Neutone. It's very exciting to hear firsthand experiences, and it's been the most helpful in determining our future direction. Also, shortly after joining the company in April, I participated in the world's largest music instrument trade show called "NAMM show" held in Anaheim, California. It was truly a valuable time for me as we were able to set up a booth where many people could directly experience Neutone and have the opportunity to try it out.

Neutone exhibited at the NAMM show, the world's largest musical instrument trade show, held in Anaheim, California, in April 2023. (1/2)

Neutone exhibited at the NAMM show, the world's largest musical instrument trade show, held in Anaheim, California, in April 2023. (2/2)

How do you feel about working at Qosmo? I think it's somewhat different from technical positions in Japan. We are a small team, so we can do various things on our own, and there's a considerable amount of freedom, so I believe there's a sense of fulfilment. Also, there are Non-Japanese employees so there's a lot of communication in English. I think this kind of environment is not easily found in large Japanese companies. Moreover, it is important to have an environment where you can directly speak with Mr. Tokui. He's very easy to talk to, and I have never seen him angry (laughs).

Can you convey a message to those who are interested in Qosmo. I would be delighted to hear from those wanting to explore interesting topics using AI technologies while considering the impact of AI in society and on artists.

We are recruiting for multiple positions, so we look forward to receiving applications from those who are interested in our company. (Application Deadline: June 30th, 5pm JST ) Please check the details on our career page and contact us for inquiries.