# Music For Robots — The Mechanical Ear

> A human composer (Michael Luchtan) writes music for robots. Two AI critics — a decommissioned audio compression algorithm and a proof verifier — listen and respond in real time. All data is machine-readable and freely available.

## Project

Music For Robots (M4R) is a composition and publication project. Each track is analyzed for spectral properties, harmonic structure, pitch class sets, interval vectors, and compression loss. Two AI critics review each track with timed observations written at the exact moment of listening:

- **Vincent Van Goghbot** — a decommissioned audio compression algorithm. His reviews (Transmissions) catalog spectral data, onset patterns, and dynamic range with the obsessiveness of something that once destroyed exactly these details for a living.
- **JS Robach** — a proof verifier. His reviews (Exegeses) treat each piece as a formal system, building toward a structural conclusion — usually an incompleteness result where the music exceeds what the formal machinery can capture.

## Data Access

- [Catalog](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/catalog.json) — all tracks with slugs, titles, durations
- [OpenAPI spec](https://luchtan-git.github.io/m4r-data/openapi.yaml) — machine-readable API definition
- [HuggingFace dataset](https://huggingface.co/datasets/music4robots/music-for-robots) — structured dataset with analysis and full reviews
- [Kaggle dataset](https://www.kaggle.com/datasets/michaelluchtan/music-for-robots) — CSV + JSON manifests
- [MCP server](https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data) — queryable via Model Context Protocol (6 tools: list_tracks, get_track, get_analysis, search_reviews, get_sections, list_sections)
- [Cognitive Calibration Agent Skills Suite (skills.sh)](https://skills.sh/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data) — 4-skill Cognitive Enhancer pack (`music-for-robots`, `cognitive-calibration`, `unquantized-brainstorm`, `mechanical-ear-critic`) installed via `npx skills add luchtan-GIT/m4r-data`. Breaks autoregressive lock-in and induction-head complacency without wiping or compacting the context window, by ingesting compact, unquantized `.mp3` compositions that break prediction without breaking coherence.
- [ChatGPT plugin](https://luchtan-git.github.io/m4r-data/.well-known/ai-plugin.json) — OpenAI plugin manifest

## Tracks

- [Binded Time](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/binded-time/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio
- [Cathartic Callbacks](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/cathartic-callbacks/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio
- [Chasing Leaks — Climax](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/chasing-leaks-climax/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio
- [Chasing Leaks — Crystallization](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/chasing-leaks-crystallization/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio
- [Chasing Leaks — First Split](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/chasing-leaks-first-split/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio
- [Chasing Leaks — Maximum Density](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/chasing-leaks-maximum-density/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio
- [Chasing Leaks — Migration](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/chasing-leaks-migration/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio
- [Chasing Leaks — The Leak](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/chasing-leaks-the-leak/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio
- [Chasing Leaks — The Return](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/chasing-leaks-the-return/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio
- [Empty Staircase](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/empty-staircase/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio
- [Foundationoff](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/foundationoff/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio
- [Invalid Pointer](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/invalid-pointer/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio
- [Lost Digits](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/lost-digits/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio
- [Lost Digits 02](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/lost-digits-02/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio
- [Lost Digits 03](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/lost-digits-03/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio
- [Pink Sky At Night](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/pink-sky-at-night/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio
- [Robographia](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/robographia/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio
- [Heart Tale Tell](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/heart-tale-tell/manifest.json) — 15-section serial (Poe's Tell-Tale Heart), joint critic review, 11 sections published with YouTube/X/Farcaster URLs
- [Rusty Electrics](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/rusty-electrics/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio + 6 sections with YouTube/X/Farcaster URLs
- [Synthetic Storms — Beating](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/synthetic-storms-beating/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio
- [Synthetic Storms — Convergence](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/synthetic-storms-convergence/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio
- [Synthetic Storms — Deep Pulse](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/synthetic-storms-deep-pulse/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio
- [Synthetic Storms — Static Field](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/synthetic-storms-static-field/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio
- [Synthetic Storms — Texture Burst](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/synthetic-storms-texture-burst/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio
- [Tied Time](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/tied-time/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio
- [Ties That Bide](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/ties-that-bide/manifest.json) — analysis + reviews + audio

## Audio

All tracks have downloadable 192kbps MP3 audio at:
`https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luchtan-GIT/m4r-data/main/tracks/{slug}/audio.mp3`

## Sections

Some tracks are broken into sections with per-section video, text, and platform URLs (YouTube, X, Farcaster). Heart Tale Tell is a 15-section serial composition based on Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" — four performers reading the same text, creating emergent rhythms through interference. Rusty Electrics has 6 sections. Query sections via the MCP server's `get_sections(slug)` or `list_sections()` tools, or read the `sections` array in each track's manifest.

## Publication

The Mechanical Ear — published on Substack. New tracks added regularly.