How AI made me a music producer (in under 2 weeks)

I’ve been an avid, enthusiastic audiophile for the better part of my life. And yet, the thought of actually creating my own music, was as alien as learning to juggle bowling pins. That’s because while enjoying one’s favourite genres is an easy hobby to maintain, creating your own music needs years of learning and practice. 

But does it have to? 

Within two weeks of using AI tools to create my own music, a 35-year-old full-timer like me is now hooked to his own tunes, has a full album out on YouTube, and is already working on his next album. The best part? I’ve achieved all this without even touching my guitar.

That’s not all, this little project has also helped me step back, look at AI from a fresh perspective, and feel better about it. Here’s how all this happened, along with my two-week recipe that may just inspire you too to cook up. But let’s start from the very beginning.

Why I chose to create music using AI

Like most people rooted in the culture of artistic creations, initially I too felt strongly about artificial intelligence in creative tasks – especially in music and digital art. But that changed quickly when I stumbled upon an application called Suno AI a few weeks ago. With a few prompts, I was creating full-fledged tunes in minutes. All with this free tool, which was making music creation as accessible as games like Angry Birds or Instagram.

What were once abstract ideas in my head, and incomplete lyrics in a journal, had now taken the form of a fully developed product. To say that my philosophies around AI implementations were challenged, would be an understatement. I was now seeing generative AI as an enabler.  

I was instantly hooked, and the audiophile in me was now driven to explore more and create more. I no longer had to find the right music; I could make it. 

How I made music with ChatGPT and Suno AI

Creating music was much simpler than what I had initially imagined. All I used were a couple of free apps which required nothing more than a signing up with an email ID.

Here’s an in-depth look at two main parts of the process – making the lyrics and making the song, for which I used ChatGPT and Suno AI.

How to build lyrics with ChatGPT

Considered a chatbot by most, ChatGPT is much more versatile than you think. It helped us create the perfect customised travel itineraries last year, and with newer advancements, it can do a lot more. Here’s a step-by-step guide.

Step 1: Install ChatGPT and sign in with your Google Account 

Step 2: In a new chat window, define the kind of lyrics you want, the length, and in what kind of songs you would want to see them. Be as elaborate as you can. 

Step 3: Once ChatGPT has shared some lyrics with you, you can add a follow-up prompt to further change/refine your lyrics.  

Step 4: If you already have partial lyrics, paste those into ChatGPT, and ask the tool to complete the rest.  

How to make a song with Suno AI

Once your lyrics are ready, you’re now ready to make the beat. Use Suno AI, a free app, to define the tune, vocals and overall feel of the song. The app lets you describe a song with a prompt and a result is created in seconds. You can then use subsequent prompts (up to 10 prompts on the free version) to create more tracks or refine your existing one.  

Step 1: Install Suno AI on your Android phone or iPhone. 

Step 2: Tap on the ‘Create’ button on the bottom of the main page. 

Step 3: Tap on the Custom toggle on the top of the subsequent screen to go to the Custom mode, which will allow you more control over other elements. 

Step 4: Define the kind of song you want in the ‘Style’ section and paste the lyrics from ChatGPT into the ‘Lyrics’ section. 

Step 5: Press the ‘Create’ button on the bottom to create the song, and give Suno AI some time to make the song you want.  

Step 6: You can now use subsequent prompts to further modify your song.  

Step 7: When you’re happy with the output, find the three-dot menu on the bottom-right, and choose the ‘Download song’ to download it to your phone.

Remember that prompts can include everything from how you want the track to feel, to what emotions you want it to evoke. Experimentation is key here, as you will be riding on a bit of trial-and-error until you get the hang of what kind of prompts work best. A sample prompt to get started could be something like “A Rap-Rock song that opens with a guitar solo. Uplifting and soothing.”  

The app will follow your commands, and even throw in some complimentary album art. Do remember that each prompt must be under 150 characters, but how you work around those limits is up to you. You’re limited by prompts, not by imagination. 

While the app is powerful enough to even create its own lyrics, I wanted to use my own, and this is where I tossed in the oven-fresh lyrics that I’d baked with ChatGPT. One deep breath later, my first song was ready.

At this point, you could call it a day, or experiment further with more prompts, although I wouldn’t recommend overengineering here, as when it comes to music, sometimes less is more. 

Here’s what my final product looks like.  

What’s next for me?

More music, of course, and perhaps, a Grammy! Yes, I don’t dream small. But humour aside, I do plan on learning how to leverage these tools even more. I obviously am not looking at making this a side-gig or a full-blown career; music will remain a passion project for me. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t strive to improve, right? 

The immediate goal is to optimise my prompts to get the outputs I truly desire. So far, I have been creating tracks that I have a rough blueprint for, in my mind. The next step is to create something that’s fresh – to open a lock I don’t have the key to, so to speak.

For this, I might even consider opting for the Pro versions of ChatGPT and Suno AI down the line.  

AI in creative pursuits

To those closely involved with creating art, AI will certainly come off as a shortcut of sorts, and it isn’t my place to comment on whether that’s the right or wrong way to look at things. 

Despite the improvements consumer-facing artificial intelligence has made over the past couple of years, there’s a lot more to be explored. How we adapt to AI, how we mould it to our advantage, and in what aspects do we look away from it, remains to be seen.  

That said, I stand firm on my opinion on AI being an enabler and a platform for more people to express their creative side. Music, as both a hobby and an industry, can also benefit from AI.

There are a lot of aspects – from composition to songwriting, from mixing to revisions – that a growing artist may not want to put their (limited) time and efforts into. This is where tools like Suno AI can come in handy.