AI Makes Music Now: A New Creative World
Text, images, videos, and now music: AI has revolutionized every creative field in recent years. What was unthinkable just a few years ago is now reality. You can write a short text, click "Generate," and seconds later hear a complete music track, complete with vocals, instruments, and professional production.
In the previous article, we explored video ideas for everyday life and work. Now we switch media and dive into the fascinating world of AI-generated music and audio. Whether you need background music for a video, want a jingle for your podcast, or simply want to experiment creatively: music AI makes it possible.
In this article, you'll learn about the most important tools, understand how audio prompts are structured, and generate your first music track by the end. No musical background required!
The Most Important Music AI Tools at a Glance
The market for music AI is growing rapidly. Here are the most important tools you should know about:
Suno
Suno is currently one of the most popular tools for AI music. It generates complete songs with vocals, instruments, and song structure. You can either enter a simple text prompt or even upload your own lyrics, to which Suno then composes the music. The results are often astonishingly professional.
Strengths: Vocals (male and female), many genres, complete songs up to 4 minutes, intuitive interface.
Free version: Limited number of generations per day, no commercial use.
Udio
Udio is Suno's major competitor and offers similar features. Many users find that Udio delivers particularly excellent results in certain genres like electronic, hip-hop, and pop. Udio allows you to extend clips and piece together different sections into a complete song.
Strengths: Very good sound quality, flexible clip extension, strong electronic and pop genres.
Free version: Limited monthly credits.
AIVA
AIVA (Artificial Intelligence Virtual Artist) specializes in instrumental music, particularly film scores, classical music, and orchestral arrangements. If you need background music without vocals, AIVA is an excellent choice.
Strengths: High-quality instrumental music, professional arrangements, great for film scores and presentations.
Free version: Available with restrictions on commercial use.
Other Tools
- Soundraw: Creates royalty-free background music, especially for videos and content creators
- Boomy: Quick music creation, focused on ease of use
- Stable Audio: By Stability AI, creates sound effects and music pieces
- MusicFX (Google): Google's experimental music tool, simple and accessible
Understanding and Writing Audio Prompts
Audio prompts work differently from text or image prompts. Instead of describing visual elements, you describe sonic qualities. This might feel unfamiliar at first, but with the right vocabulary, it quickly becomes intuitive.
The Four Pillars of an Audio Prompt
Every good audio prompt consists of four elements:
- Genre/Style: What kind of music? (e.g., pop, jazz, electronic, lo-fi, classical)
- Mood/Emotion: What feeling should the music convey? (e.g., happy, melancholic, epic, relaxed)
- Tempo/Energy: How fast and energetic? (e.g., slow and calm, medium-paced and groovy, fast and intense)
- Instruments/Timbre: Which instruments or sounds? (e.g., acoustic guitar, synthesizer, strings, electric piano)
Examples of Audio Prompts
Here are some examples showing you what good audio prompts look like:
"Happy indie pop with acoustic guitar and light drums. Female vocals, summery mood, 120 BPM. Feels like a road trip in the sunshine."
"Epic film score with a large orchestra. Building from quiet strings to a powerful crescendo with brass and timpani. Majestic and emotional."
"Lo-fi hip-hop beat for studying. Relaxed piano melody, gentle vinyl crackle, muted drums. Calm, warm, cozy. 85 BPM."
"Energetic electronic dance track with driving synthesizers and a fat bassline drop. Festival vibes, 128 BPM. Neon lights and euphoria."
Advanced Prompt Techniques
The more you know about music, the more precise your prompts can be. But even without music theory knowledge, you can achieve great results. Here are some advanced techniques:
- Use references: "In the style of Einaudi" or "Sounds like an 80s synthwave track"
- Specify song structure: "Intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, outro"
- Specify BPM: Beats per minute determine the tempo (60-80: slow, 100-120: medium, 130+: fast)
- Suggest key: "In minor key for a melancholic mood" or "In major key for a happy sound"
- Negative prompts: "No vocals, no drums, no bass" helps exclude unwanted elements
Genre, Mood, Tempo, and Instruments in Detail
Let's look more closely at the four pillars of an audio prompt. The better you understand these, the more precise your results will be.
Genre and Style
Here's an overview of the most common genres that music AIs handle well:
- Pop: Catchy melodies, clear song structure, often with vocals
- Rock: Electric guitars, drums, powerful
- Electronic/EDM: Synthesizers, electronic drums, drops and builds
- Lo-Fi: Relaxed, warm, slight noise, perfect for working
- Jazz: Improvisational, complex, often with piano, saxophone, upright bass
- Classical/Orchestral: Strings, brass, timpani, grand arrangements
- Ambient: Atmospheric, flowing, no clear melody, perfect as background
- Hip-Hop: Beats, bass, rap-friendly instrumentals
- Folk/Acoustic: Guitar, violin, natural and warm
- Cinematic: Film music, emotional, often building
Mood and Emotion
Mood is often more important than genre. Here are useful mood terms:
- Positive: happy, optimistic, playful, lively, inspiring, uplifting
- Calm: relaxed, peaceful, meditative, gentle, dreamy, serene
- Emotional: melancholic, reflective, yearning, bittersweet, nostalgic
- Energetic: powerful, exciting, euphoric, driving, explosive
- Dark: somber, mysterious, suspenseful, threatening, atmospheric
Tempo (BPM)
Tempo is measured in beats per minute (BPM):
- 60 to 80 BPM: Slow (ballads, ambient, meditation)
- 80 to 100 BPM: Moderate (hip-hop, R&B, lo-fi)
- 100 to 120 BPM: Medium (pop, indie, funk)
- 120 to 140 BPM: Fast (dance, house, disco)
- 140 to 180 BPM: Very fast (drum & bass, techno, punk)
Instruments and Timbre
The more specifically you name instruments, the more accurate the result:
- String instruments: Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, ukulele, banjo, violin, cello, upright bass, harp
- Keyboard instruments: Piano, electric piano (Rhodes, Wurlitzer), organ, synthesizer
- Wind instruments: Saxophone, trumpet, clarinet, flute, oboe
- Percussion: Drums, bongos, congas, shakers, tambourine, glockenspiel
- Electronic: Synthesizer pads, arpeggiator, 808 bass, vocoder
Understanding Rights and Terms of Use
An important topic many people forget: Who owns AI-generated music? The answer is more complicated than you might think, and it varies by tool.
General Rules
Most music AI tools distinguish between free and paid use:
- Free accounts: Generated music can often only be used for personal, non-commercial purposes
- Paid accounts: With a premium subscription, you typically receive commercial usage rights
- Creator programs: Some tools offer special licenses for content creators and businesses
Important Notes
- Always read the terms of use of the respective tool before using music commercially
- AI-generated music can raise copyright questions, especially if it sounds too similar to existing songs
- Avoid prompts that are meant to imitate specific artists (e.g., "Sing like Taylor Swift")
- If you use music for YouTube or podcasts, check whether the tool offers an appropriate license
- Stay updated on legal developments, as legislation is still evolving
Recommendation for Safe Use
For starters, I recommend: Use a paid subscription with an established tool like Suno or Udio if you want to use the music commercially. For purely private use or experimentation, the free versions are perfectly sufficient. And if you're unsure about the legal situation, it's better to ask one too many times than one too few.
The Audio Category in the Prompt Generator
The Prompt Generator at optiprompt.io offers its own Audio and Music category. This category helps you systematically create audio prompts, even if you're not a music expert.
How to Use the Audio Category
In the Prompt Generator, first select the "Audio and Music" category. The generator then guides you through the key decisions:
- Purpose: What do you need the music for? (Background music, song, jingle, sound effect)
- Genre: Which genre fits? You'll get suggestions and explanations
- Mood: What emotion should be conveyed?
- Details: Tempo, instruments, duration, and other specifications
At the end, the Prompt Generator creates an optimized audio prompt that you can copy directly into Suno, Udio, or another music AI tool. This saves you time and ensures you don't forget any important elements.
Variations and Fine-Tuning
As with all prompts, the rule here is: iterate! Generate multiple variations, listen to them, and adjust your prompt. Sometimes a small change (e.g., "more guitar" or "slower") is all it takes to go from "almost perfect" to "exactly right."
Your Exercise: Generate Your First Music Track
Now it's time to make music! In this exercise, you'll generate your very first music track. Use the Prompt Generator at optiprompt.io with the Audio category.
Step 1: Define the Purpose
Think about what you need the track for. Some ideas:
- Background music for a video
- A relaxed playlist for working
- A cheerful jingle for a podcast
- An atmospheric piece for a presentation
Step 2: Create Your Prompt
Use the four pillars (genre, mood, tempo, instruments) to write your prompt. Here's an example to get started:
"Relaxed lo-fi jazz-hop beat. Gentle electric piano with Rhodes sound, muted drums, light vinyl crackle. Warm and cozy, perfect for working. 85 BPM, no vocals."
Step 3: Generate and Compare
Generate at least three variations of your prompt. Listen to all of them and note what you like and what you'd want to change. Adjust the prompt accordingly and generate again.
Step 4: Reflect
What worked well? Which terms delivered the best results? Write down your insights, as they'll help you with future audio projects.
The Prompt Generator at optiprompt.io guides you through this process and helps you find the right terms and combinations. Try different genres and moods and let yourself be surprised by the variety!
In the next article, things get even more practical: we'll look at how to use music and audio for real-world applications, from background music for presentations to jingles to relaxation sounds. Stay tuned!