Crafting Music-Style Prompts: A Collaborative Process With AI
What I've used when generating new tracks using Suno
Overview of the song-making process with ChatGPT.
Over the past few weeks, we developed a series of detailed style prompts designed for use with AI music platforms like Suno.com. The process was iterative and creative, moving from raw inspiration to polished, ready-to-use prompts.
Identify the Source Influence
Each prompt began with a reference point — an artist, band, or album. Instead of copying directly, we studied the defining elements: instrumentation, mood, vocal delivery, and production techniques.Translate Sound into Language
We broke down the sound into its components — BPM, chord progressions, textures, rhythms, vocal qualities. This ensured prompts weren’t just descriptive but actionable for AI systems, balancing technical and poetic language.Iterative Refinement
Most prompts went through several drafts. We’d strip away direct band references, replace clichés with sharper imagery, and emphasize contrasts (e.g., “fragile vocals over dusty breakbeats”). Each round got us closer to a concise, evocative description under 1000 characters.Capture Emotional Core
Beyond technical detail, we aimed to lock in the feeling of the music — the tension, melancholy, playfulness, or urgency. This made the prompts more expressive and closer to how listeners actually experience music.
The result is a library of prompts that sit somewhere between music criticism, poetry, and production notes — clear enough for machines, evocative enough for humans.
Please use these freely for your own track, or better yet, remix them on Suno and come up with your own personalized version.
A prompt to generate prompts
Write a Suno style prompt (max 1000 characters) that captures the essence of [artist/band/album/song] while explicitly removing any mention of names or titles. Focus on describing instrumentation, tempo, rhythm, textures, atmosphere, vocal qualities, and emotional tone. Use vivid but concise language that blends technical detail (e.g., “swinging breakbeats, chorus-drenched guitars”) with expressive imagery (e.g., “nocturnal, cinematic, fragile yet urgent”). Highlight what makes the sound unique and recognizable, so the result reads like a mix of producer notes and a poetic review — actionable for AI, evocative for humans.
Music Style Prompts
UNKLE – Psyence Fiction (album sound)
A cinematic collision of trip-hop and experimental sound design: dusty breakbeats with swing and ghost notes, deep kicks, and plate snares. Layers of atmospheric samples, chopped strings, eerie piano chords, and cinematic tension. The mix is dense but deliberate, balancing stark silence with sudden surges of energy. Vocals float in and out like dream fragments, processed with distortion, reverb, and delay, creating a sense of mystery and fractured narrative. The overall sound feels dark, paranoid, and epic, built for late-night drives through neon cities and inner monologues.
My Chemical Romance produced by DJ Shadow
Emotional, theatrical rock infused with cinematic hip-hop production. Big, anthemic choruses with soaring vocals, cut against gritty, sample-driven beats and atmospheric layering. Guitars provide urgency and distortion, while turntable scratches, chopped vocal snippets, and dusty breaks add rhythmic weight. The sound feels both operatic and underground: raw emotion meets cinematic beat-craft, with sudden drops into minimal, eerie textures that explode back into full-band crescendos.
Fugazi
Raw, angular guitars with sharp, interlocking riffs and a tightly wound rhythm section. Bass drives with urgency, drums are crisp and insistent, and guitars slash with jagged counterpoints. The vocals are urgent, half-spoken, half-sung, filled with conviction and tension. The sound is stripped yet powerful, balancing aggression with restraint, and always pulsing with a sense of immediacy and authenticity.
Bad Religion
Fast, melodic punk with layered vocal harmonies and rapid-fire rhythms. Guitars are tight and propulsive, drums are relentless but precise, and basslines anchor the harmonic drive. Vocals deliver intelligent, urgent lyrics with clarity, often stacked in choral harmonies for emphasis. The sound is polished yet energetic — a wall of melodic urgency that feels both anthemic and intellectual, pushing forward with relentless drive.
AJR with Vashyn as lead singer
Playful, maximalist pop layered with quirky production and unexpected sonic shifts. Horn blasts, toy pianos, vocal chops, and electronic textures weave in and out, anchored by driving beats and bright melodies. Vashyn’s voice brings warmth and depth, giving the energetic arrangements an emotional core. The sound is experimental yet accessible, balancing big, euphoric drops with quiet, intimate moments. Every track feels like a miniature world, constantly surprising but always catchy.
The Smiths
Melancholic yet jangly guitar-driven sound with bright, chiming riffs and melodic basslines. The rhythm section is steady but understated, allowing the guitars to shimmer and the vocals to cut through. Vocals are crooning, wistful, and wry, balancing vulnerability with irony. The mood is bittersweet, pairing upbeat melodic arrangements with deeply introspective, sometimes sardonic lyrics.
The Cure
Atmospheric, moody soundscapes built around chorus-heavy guitars, melodic basslines, and hypnotic drums. Vocals are emotional and haunting, moving between whispers and soaring laments. The arrangements create a sense of depth and melancholy, often building slowly into lush, layered climaxes. The sound feels cinematic and dreamlike, carrying both intimacy and grandeur.
R.E.M. with Vashyn (Stipe impression)
Bright, jangly guitar pop with melodic basslines and steady drumming, evoking a sense of earnestness and storytelling. Vashyn’s delivery mirrors the offbeat phrasing and slightly nasal tone of Michael Stipe, adding character and idiosyncrasy to the vocals. Harmonies drift in and out, giving the songs a layered, textural quality. The mood is thoughtful yet energetic, balancing folk-rock roots with alternative edge.
Metallica (classic)
A thunderous blend of fast, palm-muted guitar riffs, pounding double-kick drums, and growling bass. The sound is aggressive yet precise, combining raw energy with intricate compositions. Vocals are gritty and commanding, carrying both menace and power. The overall style is epic, built around shifting dynamics: galloping rhythms, crushing breakdowns, and soaring guitar solos. The atmosphere is dark and relentless, embodying intensity and scale.
DJ Shadow with Halsey vocals
Cinematic, sample-driven production with deep, dusty breakbeats, chopped atmospherics, and moody textures. Beats swing with ghost notes and layered percussion, while cinematic strings, reversed piano, and found sounds drift through the mix. Over this, Halsey’s intimate, breathy vocals cut through with emotional clarity, contrasting against the gritty instrumental backdrop. The sound is both haunting and beautiful: hip-hop production merged with pop intimacy.
Tyler, The Creator (no direct name reference)
Playful, unpredictable production blending lush jazz chords, quirky synths, and gritty hip-hop drums. The beats feel loose and experimental, often switching tempos and moods abruptly. Vocals balance aggression with humor, moving between brash raps and tender, melodic hooks. The sound has a collage-like quality: soulful samples, distorted textures, and bold instrumental choices layered into a style that feels both chaotic and meticulously crafted.
Halsey + AJR + Death Cab (combined)
A fusion of heartfelt indie-pop and playful maximalism. The production layers lush, atmospheric textures with quirky, unexpected elements like toy pianos, horns, and chopped vocals. Beats move between intimate acoustic moments and big, percussive drops. Vocals are emotive and yearning, with soft melancholy cutting through the brighter arrangements. The result is cinematic yet personal, constantly shifting between vulnerability and exuberance.
Portishead + DJ Shadow (combined)
A dark, cinematic fusion of trip-hop and sample-heavy production. Beats are dusty and deliberate, with swung snares, deep kicks, and ghost-note hi-hats. Layered textures include vinyl crackle, eerie strings, and warped samples. Vocals are intimate, fragile, and haunting, floating like a whisper over the heavy, hypnotic rhythm. The overall sound is nocturnal and atmospheric: minimal yet deeply emotional, built around tension and release.