Survey on the Evaluation of Generative Models in Music
Published: Jun 5, 2025
Last Updated: Jun 5, 2025
Authors:Alexander Lerch, Claire Arthur, Nick Bryan-Kinns, Corey Ford, Qianyi Sun, Ashvala Vinay
Abstract
Research on generative systems in music has seen considerable attention and growth in recent years. A variety of attempts have been made to systematically evaluate such systems. We provide an interdisciplinary review of the common evaluation targets, methodologies, and metrics for the evaluation of both system output and model usability, covering subjective and objective approaches, qualitative and quantitative approaches, as well as empirical and computational methods. We discuss the advantages and challenges of such approaches from a musicological, an engineering, and an HCI perspective.