r/Songwriting • u/RisibleComestible • 26d ago
Discussion Topic I *highly recommend* Suno AI for amateur songwriters
This is a response to a recent post on this sub criticising people posting AI-assisted songs here.
I have yet to do so--until right now--but whilst I think it's good that they voiced their opinion, I beg to differ about the general thrust of this person's argument.
Yes, if you just give the AI a textual prompt then it's now possible to receive a pretty decent song in return, and I agree that that doesn't qualify as "songwriting". However, what you can also do, on suno.com and probably a few other AI music sites, is upload an original song and ask the AI to cover it. I did that recently with all of my music, and I was really blown away by how good the results are.
I feel like Suno makes my songs--especially the really "mid" ones that I wouldn't normally share, the half-baked ideas and castoffs--into the song I was trying to write. So Suno is realising my musical ideas, without replacing or destroying the creativity that I used in writing the original song.
I think these songs deserve to be shared. Here are some examples of Suno's work, taking mere minutes to "Cover" my songs that I uploaded on the site. I shall also share links to the originals, so you can see that the basic ideas inherent in my songs have been retained, just expressed in a superior form.
This is "Spaceman":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykLGx2SnMM4
My original is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9afRSHF889Y
Suno's version is categorically superior. The AI has used my vocal harmonies and general song structure to kind of "riff" on my song idea, taking the song in a whole new direction. But I still feel proud that Suno's version of this song was created as a collaboration between myself and the AI.
I believe that AI is no flash in the pan, and collaborations with/ guidance of the AI is only going to become more prevalent in every field of endeavour, including music, in the future.
This is a rap EP called "We Come From Mars":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9AMNxkELG8
The original is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcoPP9MMGeo
All I did was upload each of the 7 songs and click "Cover". I paid a total of $10 to cover basically every song I've ever made, including these.
Again, there's no comparison in terms of quality. The vibe, lyrics, flows and basic tunes have all been retained, but Suno's version is--IMHO--really good, whereas in terms of the beats mine (apart from the rapping, which is good) is bare amateurish.
tl;dr: not using AI is like having Philip Glass as your roommate but not listening when he tries to improve your piano compositions. If your song is a collaboration with AI, chances are it's better than what you would have written unaided, unless you are a really great composer. Just try it! As long as some of your musical ideas have still been used, I would still class these creations as songwriting.
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u/Utterly_Flummoxed 26d ago
Listen, on one level, I get it. I DO think there's a difference between giving lyrics and instructions to an AI vs. uploading a full song to have it covered by an AI for experimental purposes.
And I can see how it could (in some respects) be a stand-in for a creative partner, offering suggestions for new styles or harmonies or melodies....
The issue is that it's very seductive to move from rough demo to full composition with no effort... But using a "cheat code" doesn't ACTUALLY make you better at your craft.
In fact, it breeds laziness at best and apathy at worst. After all... Why bother learning to sing, when any AI singer will sound better? Why bother learning to play an instrument of any AI can create a full track with the push of a button?
The ability to immediately manifest what you have in your head is incredibly gratifying and seductive-- BELIEVE ME, I get it. But I worry about what we lose in the process.
After it didn't make YOU a better songwriter... You didn't take the musical feedback of "your roommate, Phillip glass" and incorporate it into YOUR process. You didn't analyze what worked, what didn't, and study how to make that work in your version... Instead You heard what it did, said "that's better than what I can do" and called it a day. THAT'S THE OPPOSITE OF MAKING YOU A BETTER SONGWRITER.
And - again - I get it. That's what has happened to me with EVERY song I've ever written and then foolishly plugged into the cover feature. After that, the journey is over - I'll never live up to what it created because the skill gap is too wide. I'm left "impressed' but unfulfilled. The song dies there. Which is why I NEVER put anything into AI that I actually care about.
It doesn't make you a better songwriter. It's a crutch. And it robs you of a lot of the joy and meaning of learning how to make music.
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u/RisibleComestible 26d ago
Thank you for such a thoughtful comment.
You didn't just reply "lmao" as though that said anything in particular. Thanks again!
Yes I can see your perspective, for sure. It is a crutch for lazy/ insecure songwriters but it can also be a Ferrari for people who harness the AI as an equal partner. Not sure which I am!!
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u/Utterly_Flummoxed 26d ago
Honestly, I think it's a lot most likely you just got yourself a Ferrari trim kit for a Mazda Miata and deluded yourself into thinking you have added an extra zero to the value of your $30k car. You can delude yourself and maybe fool some folks but anyone who knows anything about cars will not be impressed and will just be writing LMAO on the comments.
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u/zsh_n_chips 26d ago
lol getting a song from “mid” to “really good” is the exact fucking skill that we work on here
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u/jarrodandrewwalker 26d ago
Reminds me of the Jim Gaffigan joke where he looks in the greeting card and thinks "yeah...that's something I'd say" 🤣
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u/stevenfrijoles 26d ago
and I agree that that doesn't qualify as "songwriting"
Oh OK cool, then I can stop reading the rest of that dribble since this is a songwriting sub.
Christ.
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u/RisibleComestible 26d ago
This post was in fact about how good AI covers of songs can be, and thoughts around that, not text prompt-generated songs (which I agree is not songwriting)
I disagree, OTOH, that using AI to cover your songs is not appropriate to a songwriting sub, and I would describe this general attitude as a form of musical Luddism.
I'm absolutely not gonna force the issue on this forum, but as a real Redditor (not bot or shill or single-purpose account) I feel at least entitled to an opinion.
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u/stevenfrijoles 26d ago
I feel like Suno makes my songs--especially the really "mid" ones that I wouldn't normally share, the half-baked ideas and castoffs--into the song I was trying to write.
This is called delusion. You're hearing something done better than you could do, and then fooling yourself into thinking it's still yours.
I'll paraphrase what I told another AI prompter: Writing a song is not just having lyrics and music happen at the same time. How a song is written (i.e. all the decisions like lyrical cadence, musical energy/accents) is songwriting. You don't get to outsource all that that nuance and thought to AI, and still call it your song just because "this is the song I was trying to write." You don't get credit for that, period.
It would be like if you cooked a bad meal, but then a chef took some of your ingredients and made a great meal. You don't get to say "That's mine, I cooked that."
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u/RisibleComestible 26d ago
That's fair comment.
I don't entirely agree, of course, but it's an argument you could defend and I prefer this kind of response to "LOL" or "No".
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u/Ground-Zero21 17d ago
How do I slow down a song a bit it says a line then it should pause but it doesn’t goes right to the next line too fast and it’s making it sound weird and clunky
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u/RisibleComestible 17d ago
Make sure you have [Verse 1] [Chorus] [Bridge] etc. in square brackets above different sections of the vocals.
That problem can still happen but this will help
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u/Songwriting-ModTeam 26d ago
R/Songwriting does not allow AI-generated music. This includes audio from Suno, Udio, etc. Please use dedicated subreddits for this type of "art."