Exploring the World of Music Creation Through AI Technology

Creating Music With AI

I embarked on the journey of producing an entire music album with the assistance of generative AI (link in article).

A step-by-step guide to crafting “intentional” music utilizing Suno, a generative AI music platform.

(Note: This article is not sponsored by Suno. All views expressed here are entirely my own.)

Article Contents:

This article will delve into the following areas:

Applications of AI-generated music.
The advantages of using Suno.
My personal experience in creating a music album with generative AI.
Guidelines for songwriting.
Generating songs with Suno.
A link to the sample song produced during the guide.
Considerations to keep in mind.
Final adjustments using additional audio editing software.
Time investment and costs.
Will AI music impact the music industry? Concluding thoughts.

Use Cases

Potential applications for AI-generated music include:

Personal Use: Enjoyment, creative outlet, and a source for royalty-free music suitable for content creation and sharing with friends and family.

Business Use: Creating jingles and other marketing-related audio content at no cost.

Artist Use: Aiding in the exploration of melodies to accompany lyrics and producing music for an artist’s own vocal performance.

Songwriters/Lyricists: A resource for generating demo songs based on original lyrics for submission to labels and artists.

Music Producers: A tool for brainstorming song ideas and crafting sample tracks that can be edited to incorporate vocals and instrumentation or to add additional elements.

(I intentionally did not include a side-hustle use case for extra income, as it is unrealistic. More on that later.)

Why Choose Suno?

In the past six to seven months, I've experimented with various AI music generation tools and large language models (LLMs), including Meta's MusicGen/AudioGen and Google's MusicLM, as well as Aiva and Suno.

AudioCraft can be installed on your local machine and is free to use. MusicLM is also accessible for free with a Google account, while Aiva and Suno offer limited free plans that require registration on their respective sites, along with paid options for expanded features.

I opted for Suno because it's the only service that allows users to create vocals along with instrumentation. This feature grants the most creative control over the process and final output.

This article will concentrate on generating “intentional” music using Suno’s online song creation tool alongside your own lyrics.

My Journey

Despite my previous attempts to create only short song snippets, my perspective changed when I decided to compose a song for my daughter's birthday. It was a motivating experience that led me to invest real effort into crafting meaningful lyrics and melodies. This passion ignited a desire to write more songs, transforming a single song into two, then three, and eventually four. I found myself compelled to produce enough tracks to fill an entire album.

If you're interested, you can listen to the album “Two Minds One Heart” on Spotify, YouTube Music, or Apple Music.

The Song Creation Process

This article emphasizes the creation of intentional music—crafting pieces using your own lyrics while making decisions about genre, elements, structure, and dynamics to realize your vision. While complete control isn’t possible when utilizing AI, you can significantly influence the outcome.

The approach I outline here is not necessarily the “best” method; it simply works well for me. You may discover a better process through your own use of Suno.

Inspiration
Lyrics
Genre
Features
Song Structure
Dynamics

Inspiration:

The muse for each song profoundly influenced my intent and flowed through all aspects of the creative process. For example, the song "Two Minds One Heart" drew inspiration from an AI-generated image that served as the album cover, encapsulating the internal struggle between desire and rationality.

Lyrics:

Lyrics are the primary medium through which you articulate your ideas and emotions in a song. I found it helpful to start with the chorus, which encapsulates the core message or feeling of the song, creating a catchy hook that keeps the listener engaged.

Suno can generate random lyrics or create them based on user descriptions, but I prefer to write my own as they hold more meaning for me.

Genre:

Suno offers considerable flexibility regarding genre. By using natural language for input, you can explore genres beyond traditional classifications, even blending styles. I often experiment with genre descriptions to achieve the desired sound.

Features:

You can specify details such as vocal type (male or female) or instrumental only. While I haven’t succeeded in mixing vocals yet, I continue to test the boundaries as the AI evolves.

Song Structure:

Modern songs typically include verses, a memorable chorus, and optional sections like intros, pre-choruses, bridges, and outros. The construction of your song will influence its length, but focus primarily on expressing your ideas.

Dynamics:

You can adjust the song’s dynamics in your description. Whether you want it to be upbeat or somber, these aspects can be articulated in the “Style of Music” section.

Creating with Suno

Suno offers a free Basic Plan providing 50 daily credits for generating song snippets, which can range from 50 seconds to two minutes. Upgrading to paid plans allows for more credits and commercial usage of generated songs.

Navigating Suno: 1. Visit https://suno.ai and click “Make a song” or go directly to https://app.suno.ai to sign up. 2. Once logged in, explore trending songs, your library, and the new song generator tool. 3. Click “Create” and toggle to “Custom Mode” for lyric input. 4. Enter your desired genre and style in the relevant fields. 5. Assign a title for easy identification. 6. Choose the Suno model version. 7. Activate the “Create” button.

Generating a Song With Suno

Generating songs with Suno is a collaborative process that requires patience and persistence. If the initial results don’t meet your expectations, continue experimenting with different snippets or adjust your genre and style descriptions.

Intro and Lyrics:

Consider whether to include an instrumental intro. You can specify this by using the “Instrumental” toggle or leave the lyric box empty for an instrumental snippet.

Lyric Sections:

Suno typically generates one-minute clips, so it’s best to divide your lyrics into manageable sections. Including headings helps the AI understand transitions between song parts.

Instrumentals Within Lyric Sections:

You can insert instructions for instrumentals within lyrics, but results can be unpredictable. Experiment with fewer lyrics or create a new part with an instrumental focus.

Outros:

Sometimes, songs may end abruptly. Use the “Extend” feature to provide a smoother conclusion.

Style of Music

Suno maintains song consistency by default, but you can experiment with slight variations by adjusting the “Style of Music” description.

Song Completion

Once satisfied with your song parts, click on the three dots next to the final part and select “Get Whole Song” to compile everything into a complete MP3 format track.

To hear the song I created during this process, click: HERE; with lyrics: HERE.

Some Considerations When Creating Songs

Patience: As you build your song parts, be patient. If the first attempts don’t resonate, try again.

Flexibility: You may need to adjust your lyrics based on how they sound when paired with the music.

Misses: Discard any song snippets that don’t work for you to keep your creative process streamlined.

Versions: It's common to develop multiple versions of a song; build on each option to explore different outcomes.

Time and Expense

Creating songs with this approach can be done with minimal to no financial investment, depending on your needs.

Post Creation Tweaking

While Suno is powerful, you may wish to refine your song further using additional editing tools such as:

Fadr: An online AI service for stemming songs.
Audacity: A free audio editing application for various platforms.
BandLab: An online service offering a range of editing and mastering features.
Loudness Penalty Analyzer: A tool for optimizing your song’s volume before streaming.

Will AI Generated Music Destroy the Music Industry?

AI will not replace musicians but will enhance their capabilities, serving as a tool for creativity. As with any innovation, artists will adapt, utilizing new technology to express themselves in fresh ways.

The introduction of new tools has historically led to debates about their legitimacy, yet artists consistently find ways to incorporate them into their work. Generative AI is no different; it will enable creative expression while maintaining the unique voice of the artist.

Ultimately, AI-generated music will expand opportunities for aspiring musicians, fostering creativity rather than flooding the market with low-quality content.

I hope you found this article insightful. If you enjoyed it, please like and follow for more content. Thank you!

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