Transform your text-based ideas into fully-realized songs. This guide breaks down the entire music creation lifecycle, from your first prompt to your finished track.
Your AI Music Studio at a Glance
50
Daily Credits on Free Plan
10,000
Monthly Credits on Premier Plan
~500
Songs/Month on Pro Plan
12
Individual Stems Per Track
Choose Your Path: The Creator’s License
Your subscription plan is the most critical decision, dictating not just credit limits but ownership of your creations. Any commercial ambition requires a paid plan from the start.
Approximate Monthly Song Output
The chart visualizes the vast difference in creative potential between the free and paid tiers. The free plan is a sandbox; paid plans are for serious production.
Who Owns Your Music?
Basic (Free) Plan
Suno Retains Ownership
Creations are for non-commercial use ONLY. You cannot upload to Spotify/Apple Music or monetize.
Pro & Premier Plans
You Own Your Songs
Grants you general commercial rights to distribute, sell, and monetize your music.
Warning: Rights are not retroactive. Upgrading to a paid plan does NOT grant you commercial rights for songs made previously on the free plan.
The Creative Flow: Simple vs. Custom Mode
Mastering Suno means knowing when to let the AI lead and when to take control. The best results come from a strategic workflow that leverages the strengths of both modes.
1. Ideation in Simple Mode
Start with a broad prompt like “melancholy piano ballad about lost love”. Let the AI generate surprising melodies and styles.
2. Listen & Select
Suno generates two clips. Find the one with the most compelling musical DNA, even if the lyrics aren’t perfect.
3. Bridge with “Reuse Prompt”
Select the preferred clip and click “Reuse Prompt”. This critical action ports the exact musical style into Custom Mode.
4. Refine in Custom Mode
Now you have the perfect style locked in. Replace the AI’s lyrics with your own, add structural tags, and perfect your song.
The Composer’s Command Center
Anatomy of a Perfect Prompt
Effective prompts are layered and specific. Think like a music producer by combining these key elements to precisely guide the AI.
Instead of “Rock song,” try “Symphonic metal, gothic metal, alternative metal, triumphant, fast tempo, female vocals, crisp production” for more targeted results.
The Lyricist’s Toolkit
Your lyric sheet is a command line for the AI. Use meta-tags and formatting to control structure, performance, and pacing.
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🎵
Structural Tags: `[Intro]`, `[Verse]`, `[Chorus]`
Define the song’s skeleton for a coherent flow.
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🎤
Performance Tags: `[Guitar Solo]`, `[Rap]`, `(Ad-lib)`
Inject musical events and background vocals.
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🔊
Intensity Control: `ALL CAPS!`, `s p a c i n g`
Use capitalization and spacing to influence vocal delivery and rhythm.
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🌳
Atmospheric Tags: `[Rainfall]`, `[Applause]`
Add sound effects to create an immersive environment.
Sourcing Your Lyrics
You can generate lyrics with AI or write your own. Each method has distinct advantages in speed, control, and originality.
While AI provides a quick start, human authorship offers unparalleled originality and personal expression, avoiding common AI clichés.
Building Your Masterpiece, Piece by Piece
Creating a full song is a modular process. Use the `Extend` feature to build your track sequentially, like assembling with Lego bricks.
1. Generate Clip
Create your first section (e.g., Intro & Verse).
2. Extend Part 1
Click “Extend”, add lyrics for the next section (e.g., Chorus).
3. Extend Part 2
Extend again, adding lyrics for a bridge or another verse.
4. Repeat as Needed
Continue extending until your song structure is complete.
5. Get Whole Song
On the final part, use “Get Whole Song” to stitch all pieces together.
Power Tools for Producers
For Pro and Premier users, advanced features bridge the gap between AI generation and professional music production.
Feature Availability by Plan
Personas
Capture the unique vocal style of a song and apply it to new creations for a consistent album sound.
Stem Extraction
Export individual tracks (vocals, drums, bass) as WAV files for professional mixing in a DAW.
Audio Upload
Use your own hummed melody or guitar riff as the starting seed for a new song generation.
