Today’s post is going to be a little different. I won’t be referencing a song in this presentation. Instead, I wanted to talk for a bit—maybe even ramble a little—about how I use digital tools and AI in the content I post online.

I’m not here to argue whether these tools are right or wrong, whether everyone should use them, or how much they should be used. My goal is much simpler: transparency. I want to be clear about how I use these tools in my content creation.

In the end digital tools and AI are amoral and have no ethics. While the developers can program some bias, it is the user who brings the morality and ethics. And like all of God’s gifts, they can be used or abused.

Fire is good for light, warmth and the absolute best way to cook a steak and other meats. Used irresponsibly or maliciously and it is destructive.

God gave people wisdom to take various elements around us and create medicines that relieve pain, cure disease and improve quality of life. Used carelessly or maliciously they create addiction, pain and even death.

God gives us sex for both pleasure and procreation within marriage. But used outside its design leads to confusion and other problems.

And digital tools, in the end, their benefit or danger is in the hands of the user.

If you want the “too long; didn’t read” version, here it is:

I use digital tools and AI to fill gaps where I lack certain skills, resources, or time.

Before I go any further, I want to clarify something up front. When I refer to AI, I’m usually talking about ChatGPT and Copilot. I’m not sponsored by them, and I’m not endorsing them—they just happen to be the tools I default to.

Likewise, I use Fender Studio Pro, various plug-ins, and Canva, simply because those are the main platforms I use.

I also use OBS to record video and DaVinci Resolve to edit video/audio to create the video.

And I use Logos Bible Software.

Also, everything I’m about to share applies only to my social media and creative content—not how I might use these tools in my day job or in areas like Bible study or sermon preparation.

Music Production

The first area I want to talk about is music creation, because this has the biggest impact on my YouTube channel, Common Man Guitar. That’s where I post original instrumental music alongside my content.

I play guitar, and by default that means I can play some bass as well. So any guitar—and most bass—you hear in my recordings is me playing those instruments. I write the music, and I play the parts.

Sometimes I record through a pedalboard into an amplifier that’s mic’d and then routed into my recording software. More often, though, I plug directly into my interface and record straight into the software.

I use multitracking, just like musicians have been doing since Les Paul developed it back in the 1940’s.

I might record multiple guitar tracks and pan them left and right, each with slightly different tones. Sometimes I’ll add a subtle part in the center just to fill out the sound. I use pedals and plugins to simulate different amps and effects, but the playing itself is mine.

For other instruments, I use a MIDI keyboard controller connected directly to my recording software. I know enough music theory to play melody lines and basic chords, and then I experiment with the software to determine what instrument those notes sound like. One part might end up as a saxophone, another as a pad, a Hammond B3, or a piano.

If you’ve ever worked with recording software, you know you can spend days auditioning sounds—from orchestras and choirs to bird chirps and car crashes. I keep it simple. I choose basic instruments that let me add a melody or hook to support the song. Again, I’m playing the notes I wrote—the software is just capturing and shaping them.

Drums and Percussion

This is where things are completely digital.

I am not a drummer. I don’t play drums. I don’t own drums. I struggle to keep time, and while a metronome is great for practicing strumming or picking technique, it doesn’t work well for me when I’m writing and recording songs.

Inside my recording software, I use drum plugins and instruments. I drag and drop patterns to create basic drum tracks for verses, choruses, intros, outros, and bridges as I arrange the song. These drums are samples and loops—I select them, arrange them, and build a track, but I don’t play the parts myself.

Once the drum track is in place, I record everything else with it.

So when it comes to music production, these digital tools aren’t replacing my creativity or playing—they’re filling in gaps where I don’t have the tools.

Graphics

Another area where I use AI and digital tools is graphics, primarily for YouTube thumbnails.

When I can, I’ll jump into Canva and build something myself—choosing backgrounds, images, and layouts. Other times, I’ll use an AI tool to help generate ideas. I’ll describe what I’m trying to create, and the AI will suggest colors, fonts, layouts or images. Sometimes I’ll even ask it to generate an image.

For example, I recently posted a video and song based on Judas and Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. I prompted the AI with the theme, title, and overall idea. It gave me suggestions for color schemes, fonts, and imagery. From there, I generated an image and then tweaked it—adjusting details where the characters didn’t quite look right.

I use AI here because I’m not a graphic designer, and I’m not at a point where I can hire one. My daughter designed the logo for the YouTube channel, but that was a one-time thing—I can’t have her doing all my graphics.

I also use digital tools when I need slides for a video—things like end screens, “subscribe” prompts, quotes, or Bible verses. Canva and Logos Bible Software both make that pretty easy.

For Substack or my website, I usually stick with stock or public-domain images that fit the theme of what I’m writing.

Again, this is about filling gaps where I don’t have the skills or resources to do everything myself.

Editing

This is the last area I want to cover.

I write my scripts. I write my posts. Just like I write my songs. In most cases, the text is the same whether it’s for the YouTube script, Substack, or my website—though I might tweak it slightly for spoken delivery.

After I’ve written everything, I’ll sometimes use AI for research and verification, especially when I want to make sure I have facts or references correct. Logos Bible Software, for example, helps me find verses and understand context. In the Judas post, I used it to confirm where Judas is referred to as the “son of perdition” and how that term is used in context.

Once the content is written, I’ll paste it into an AI tool and ask it to check for spelling, grammar, and typos. I may also ask it to make the text more conversational, more professional, or more impactful.

Just like I did for this post.

Then—and this part is important—I compare the edited version to my original. Sometimes the AI nails it. Other times, I’ll read something and think, Anyone who knows me knows I don’t talk like that. When that happens, I put my original wording back in.

I’ve also noticed that AI will occasionally leave out something I consider important. When that happens, I make sure it gets added back in.

At the end of the day, this is still my message, my point, and my voice. The AI is just helping me polish it.

Conclusion

That’s really it. That’s how I use digital tools and AI in my social media content, presentations, and posts.

The work is mine—the ideas, the writing, the playing. These tools simply help me fill gaps in skills and resources. I don’t have an editor, a graphic designer, a producer, or an engineer. It’s just me, my guitar, my laptop, and a few additional tools like pedals and a keyboard.

And the digital tools.

I’ll admit, the temptation is always there to let AI write a song or generate content based on a theme or genre. But I don’t do that. I want this to be my message, presented in a way that’s accurate, coherent, understandable, and hopefully helpful.

I’m not recommending that you do things my way. I’m not saying my way is the best or the only way. You may use these tools far more extensively—and that’s your choice. You may avoid them entirely—and that’s fine too. It’s your message and your voice.

For me, transparency matters. I think it’s important to acknowledge where and how these tools are used. This idea was inspired by an interview where Joe Bonamassa and Ian Scott I think mentioned that concert tickets should disclose how much of a performance is prerecorded or tracks. I actually agree with that idea.

I’ll be doing another post soon about the human/digital connection in content creation and creativity. That comes from a comment by Joe Walsh about how the computer/digital process strips away the human connection, the mojo of the music when it is sanitized and perfected to remove all the human presence,

I want to be able to say: This is my voice. This is my message. This is my song. And yes, I used tools to fill in some gaps.

I’d love to hear from you—drop a comment and let me know how you use AI or digital tools. Do you use them extensively? Do you just dabble? Or are you completely opposed to them, and why?

And while you’re at it, hit the like and subscribe buttons—they really do help. You’ll also find affiliate links in the description for things like Amazon or Cable Free Guitar. Those commissions go right back into supporting my platforms with no additional cost to you, and I truly appreciate it.

However you approach these tools, remember:

Create. Don’t just copy.