Davey T Hamilton says AI is reshaping music production

Veteran producer and songwriter Davey T Hamilton says AI has cut his production and mastering workflow from days to hours, and he argues many Nashville hit writers are already using the technology. His comments highlight the growing divide between music creation and music production in an industry still cautious about AI.

Why it matters: - Davey T Hamilton’s comments put a public face on a quiet shift in music production. - The debate now extends beyond AI-written songs to AI-assisted engineering, mixing, and mastering. - Independent creators could gain a faster path to commercial-grade recordings if hybrid workflows keep improving.

What happened: - Davey T Hamilton, a veteran music producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, said he openly uses AI in his production process. - Hamilton said he has heard that 9 out of 10 hit songwriters in Nashville are using AI to create music. - Hamilton said he believes many of those writers are reluctant to admit it. - Hamilton said his AI-assisted workflow has replaced a 5-to-10-day production phase with a one-day process. - Hamilton said mixing and mastering now take about 2 to 4 hours.

The details: - Hamilton said he keeps songwriting and demo creation fully organic. - He said the process starts with tempo selection. - He said he programs drum parts for the kick, snare, and turnaround patterns. - He said he records guitar tracks, lead riff hooks, and rough vocals before introducing AI. - He said AI then generates a high-quality audio bed track. - Hamilton said he returns to Pro Tools and Cubase for overdubs. - He said he uses custom templates mapped to stem outputs. - He said AI-driven mix templates help clone and match EQ and compression settings from favorite records. - He said AI also helps match loudness and EQ curves from specific high-end masters. - He said the final polish still includes high-pass and low-pass filtering, stereo reverb, de-essing, bus compression, and L2 dither.

Between the lines: - Hamilton is drawing a sharp line between AI as a songwriting tool and AI as a production tool. - That distinction matters in Nashville, where AI in creative authorship remains especially sensitive. - His pitch suggests AI may be more acceptable in technical workflows than in the writing room. - The message also positions AI as a way to reduce costs tied to elite mixing and mastering services.

What's next: - Hamilton said he plans to keep using the hybrid system as part of his normal workflow. - He said he spent about a year refining the process and fixing problems. - Hamilton is using the approach to support his work in Southern rock, Country, and Gospel. - He hopes the model will help independent creators and influence modern production standards.

The bottom line: - Hamilton is betting that AI will become an accepted tool behind the scenes in music, even if the industry is still uneasy about saying so out loud.