{"id":"https://openalex.org/W7154980225","doi":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2604.15849","title":"TinyMU: A Compact Audio-Language Model for Music Understanding","display_name":"TinyMU: A Compact Audio-Language Model for Music Understanding","publication_year":2026,"publication_date":"2026-04-17","ids":{"openalex":"https://openalex.org/W7154980225","doi":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2604.15849"},"language":null,"primary_location":{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2604.15849","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2604.15849","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400194","display_name":"arXiv (Cornell University)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I205783295","host_organization_name":"Cornell University","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I205783295"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Preprint"},"type":"preprint","indexed_in":["datacite"],"open_access":{"is_oa":true,"oa_status":"green","oa_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2604.15849","any_repository_has_fulltext":true},"authorships":[{"author_position":"first","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5104326367","display_name":"Xiquan Li","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Li, Xiquan","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"middle","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5029568342","display_name":"Aurian Qu\u00e9lennec","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Quelennec, Aurian","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"last","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5134023751","display_name":"Slim Essid","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Essid, Slim","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]}],"institutions":[],"countries_distinct_count":0,"institutions_distinct_count":0,"corresponding_author_ids":[],"corresponding_institution_ids":[],"apc_list":null,"apc_paid":null,"fwci":null,"has_fulltext":false,"cited_by_count":0,"citation_normalized_percentile":null,"cited_by_percentile_year":null,"biblio":{"volume":null,"issue":null,"first_page":null,"last_page":null},"is_retracted":false,"is_paratext":false,"is_xpac":false,"primary_topic":{"id":"https://openalex.org/T11309","display_name":"Music and Audio Processing","score":0.9815999865531921,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1711","display_name":"Signal Processing"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}},"topics":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/T11309","display_name":"Music and Audio Processing","score":0.9815999865531921,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1711","display_name":"Signal Processing"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10201","display_name":"Speech Recognition and Synthesis","score":0.0017000000225380063,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1702","display_name":"Artificial Intelligence"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T11349","display_name":"Music Technology and Sound Studies","score":0.001500000013038516,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1707","display_name":"Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}}],"keywords":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/music-information-retrieval","display_name":"Music information retrieval","score":0.6223000288009644},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/feature","display_name":"Feature (linguistics)","score":0.5687000155448914},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/encoder","display_name":"Encoder","score":0.5333999991416931},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/ranging","display_name":"Ranging","score":0.5008999705314636},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/enhanced-data-rates-for-gsm-evolution","display_name":"Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution","score":0.38449999690055847},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/key","display_name":"Key (lock)","score":0.3467000126838684}],"concepts":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/C41008148","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21198","display_name":"Computer science","level":0,"score":0.7623000144958496},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2777946086","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1163335","display_name":"Music information retrieval","level":3,"score":0.6223000288009644},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2776401178","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12050496","display_name":"Feature (linguistics)","level":2,"score":0.5687000155448914},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C118505674","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q42586063","display_name":"Encoder","level":2,"score":0.5333999991416931},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C115051666","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6522493","display_name":"Ranging","level":2,"score":0.5008999705314636},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C154945302","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11660","display_name":"Artificial intelligence","level":1,"score":0.4214000105857849},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C162307627","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q204833","display_name":"Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution","level":2,"score":0.38449999690055847},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C26517878","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q228039","display_name":"Key (lock)","level":2,"score":0.3467000126838684},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C107457646","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q207434","display_name":"Human\u2013computer interaction","level":1,"score":0.33340001106262207},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C558565934","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2743","display_name":"Musical","level":2,"score":0.3246000111103058},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C28490314","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q189436","display_name":"Speech recognition","level":1,"score":0.3197000026702881},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C119857082","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2539","display_name":"Machine learning","level":1,"score":0.30169999599456787},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C136197465","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1729295","display_name":"Variety (cybernetics)","level":2,"score":0.2935999929904938},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C179799912","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q205084","display_name":"Computational complexity theory","level":2,"score":0.289000004529953},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C160372630","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4819855","display_name":"Audio analyzer","level":5,"score":0.27649998664855957},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C125411270","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18653","display_name":"Encoding (memory)","level":2,"score":0.26829999685287476},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C101738243","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q786435","display_name":"Autoencoder","level":3,"score":0.25920000672340393},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C204321447","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q30642","display_name":"Natural language processing","level":1,"score":0.25850000977516174},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C23123220","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q816826","display_name":"Information retrieval","level":1,"score":0.25529998540878296}],"mesh":[],"locations_count":1,"locations":[{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2604.15849","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2604.15849","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400194","display_name":"arXiv (Cornell University)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I205783295","host_organization_name":"Cornell University","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I205783295"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":null,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Preprint"}],"best_oa_location":{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2604.15849","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2604.15849","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400194","display_name":"arXiv (Cornell University)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I205783295","host_organization_name":"Cornell University","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I205783295"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Preprint"},"sustainable_development_goals":[],"awards":[],"funders":[],"has_content":{"pdf":false,"grobid_xml":false},"content_urls":null,"referenced_works_count":0,"referenced_works":[],"related_works":[],"abstract_inverted_index":{"Music":[0,9],"understanding":[1,161],"and":[2,18,23,57,86,106,162],"reasoning":[3],"are":[4],"central":[5],"challenges":[6],"in":[7,35,52,157],"the":[8,124,145,167,182],"Information":[10],"Research":[11],"field,":[12],"with":[13,100,134,144],"applications":[14],"ranging":[15],"from":[16],"retrieval":[17],"recommendation":[19],"to":[20,79],"music":[21,160],"agents":[22],"virtual":[24],"assistants.":[25],"Recent":[26],"Large":[27],"Audio-Language":[28],"Models":[29],"(LALMs)":[30],"have":[31],"shown":[32],"remarkable":[33],"progress":[34],"answering":[36],"music-related":[37],"questions":[38],"by":[39],"following":[40],"user":[41],"instructions.":[42],"However,":[43],"their":[44],"massive":[45],"scale,":[46],"often":[47],"billions":[48],"of":[49,173,184],"parameters,":[50],"results":[51],"expensive":[53],"training,":[54],"slow":[55],"inference,":[56],"limited":[58],"deployability":[59],"on":[60,166],"edge":[61],"devices.":[62],"In":[63],"this":[64,109],"work,":[65],"we":[66,91,151],"present":[67],"TinyMU,":[68,90],"a":[69,94,135],"lightweight":[70,136],"(229M)":[71],"Music-Language":[72],"Model":[73],"(MLM)":[74],"that":[75,153],"achieves":[76,171],"performance":[77,176],"comparable":[78],"much":[80],"larger":[81],"LALMs":[82],"while":[83],"remaining":[84],"efficient":[85],"compact.":[87],"To":[88],"train":[89],"introduce":[92],"MusicSkills-3.5M,":[93],"carefully":[95],"curated,":[96],"music-grounded":[97],"question-answering":[98],"dataset":[99,110],"3.5M":[101],"samples.":[102],"Spanning":[103],"multiple-choice,":[104],"binary,":[105],"open-ended":[107],"formats,":[108],"provides":[111],"fine-grained":[112,130],"supervision":[113],"across":[114],"diverse":[115],"musical":[116],"concepts.":[117],"For":[118],"its":[119],"architecture,":[120],"TinyMU":[121,154],"leverages":[122],"MATPAC++,":[123],"SOTA":[125,174],"self-supervised":[126],"audio":[127,142],"encoder":[128],"for":[129],"feature":[131],"extraction.":[132],"Paired":[133],"linear":[137],"projector,":[138],"it":[139,170],"efficiently":[140],"aligns":[141],"embeddings":[143],"language":[146],"model.":[147],"Through":[148],"extensive":[149],"evaluation,":[150],"show":[152],"performs":[155],"strongly":[156],"both":[158],"basic":[159],"complex":[163],"reasoning.":[164],"Notably,":[165],"MuChoMusic":[168],"benchmark,":[169],"82\\%":[172],"LALM's":[175],"despite":[177],"being":[178],"35x":[179],"smaller,":[180],"highlighting":[181],"potential":[183],"small":[185],"MLMs":[186],"under":[187],"constrained":[188],"computational":[189],"budgets.":[190]},"counts_by_year":[],"updated_date":"2026-07-01T06:00:48.157686","created_date":"2026-04-21T00:00:00"}
