An independent certification mark for sound recordings produced without generative AI, grid correction, or pitch correction. Each submission is reviewed individually by an analyst against the published standard.
The Certificate of Embodied Production certifies a sound recording produced without three specific post-performance interventions. Each criterion is structural, not stylistic. The mark is process certification, not a judgment of musical quality, genre, or aesthetic alignment.
The musical content, vocal performance, arrangement, and core sonic material were originated by human creators rather than generated by prompt-driven or automated systems. This covers whole-cloth prompt-to-music output, voice cloning of performances, and AI generation of any element that would otherwise constitute a performed musical contribution.
Performed elements were not realigned after the performance to a machine-defined timing grid through quantization, beat-slice realignment, or similar tools that overwrite the timing of an existing human performance. The Institute calls this practice gridification. The published research documents the historical shift toward grid-based correction and the structural difference between recordings that retain human timing and those that do not.
Vocal and instrumental pitches were not algorithmically retuned to a fixed grid after performance. Subtle production transparency that does not overwrite performed pitch material is permitted; pitch shifting that replaces performed pitch with an algorithmically targeted value is not. Specific criteria are defined in the published standard.
Every CEP submission is reviewed by a trained analyst against the published standard. The review evaluates production methodology, not sound quality. Decisions are written and the artist may appeal within thirty days of the decision letter.
Certified recordings are entered into the public registry at registry.musicalform.org. Each certification receives a unique CEP identifier and is linked to the recording’s ISRC. The master audio file submitted for review is deleted after the decision is issued. Only a SHA-256 cryptographic hash of the master file is retained on the public record, allowing the recording’s authenticity to be verified later without the Institute holding a copy of the audio.
The CEP is issued to a specific sound recording. It applies to the recording, not to the artist, label, or performer. An artist whose previous recording was certified has no standing claim that subsequent recordings are certified. Each recording is evaluated independently.
The mark is intended for recording artists, independent labels, distributors, and platforms that want to make verifiable claims about how a recording was produced. It is a structural credential that any third party can audit against the published standard.
The Institute issues two certification marks. Certified Significant Form (CSF) is the broader public mark and certifies only that a recording was produced without generative AI. The CEP is the stricter mark and adds the no-grid-correction and no-pitch-correction criteria. The two marks share methodology where applicable but are separately defined in the published standards. A recording certified under CEP necessarily satisfies the CSF criteria; the inverse is not true.
The full criteria, methodology, thresholds, and review procedure are defined in the public standard document. The standard is versioned, dated, and published as a PDF. Older versions remain available for reference.
Download CEP Public Standard v1.2 (March 31, 2026)
Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. There is no application window. The submission form collects the recording, the artist’s attestation, and the metadata required for analyst review.