Building Sollos: Algorithms, Audio & IP
4 min read
Audio Engineering, Algorithms, IP, Music Technology, Product Development, Venture Building, Startups, Sollos
With the science validated, the challenge became technical and creative: how to embed functional audio into real music without compromising quality, intent, or listening experience.
Building technology that has to respect creative intent?
With the science validated and the core frequencies identified, the next challenge became clear. How could we embed monaural beats into music without spoiling the listening experience or compromising quality?
Most existing functional audio content felt unnatural, intrusive, and unmusical. If this idea had any real commercial potential, especially coming from the world’s largest record label, it demanded something entirely new.
We brought in Universal Music Group’s machine learning and AI expertise to help tackle the problem. The brief was simple to state but difficult to execute: create an algorithm that could generate monaural beats precisely aligned to each track’s key, tempo, rhythm, and harmonic structure.
From the outset, one principle guided every decision. The artist’s intent had to be preserved. Any technology introduced needed to blend seamlessly with the original recording. If the added tones were noticeable or distracting, the product would fail.
What followed was months of experimentation, testing, and refinement across a wide range of genres. We adjusted parameters, tested edge cases, and iterated repeatedly until the output felt natural. In many cases, listeners didn’t notice the added tones at all. That was the point.
Once the system reached a level we were confident in, we filed patents to protect the intellectual property. This wasn’t about defensiveness. It was about creating a credible, scalable way for artists to engage with wellness-focused audio without sacrificing musical quality.
By this stage, the idea was no longer theoretical. We had validated science, functioning technology, and a growing sense that this could become a real product rather than an experiment.