Suno Covers
On the back of a conversation I had with Tom aka @IronKnee , I had a look at the Suno Covers feature. I have a rough demo of a song I recorded with a band way back in 1982. I wrote the song and I've been considering re-recording it at some stage as I reckon it's potentially a decent tune. Out of curiosity I loaded it into Suno to see what kind of cover it could come up with. I'm limited as I haven't paid for a subscription but I got a sound clip long enough to give me some idea. I have to say it was very impressive and it certainly captured the vibe and energy quite well. The lyrics weren't 100% correct but I could probably fix that. BUT what was missing was the individual style of the players involved at the time - including my bass playing which I was proud of and feel was an important ingredient. We had a great guitarist with us back then and, while the guitars sound real and polished enough, they now sound very generic. The drums are probably the only thing which are improved slightly. The production is way better but then my demo was an ancient recording which had gone through at least one cassette copy!
I'm not going to post anything here as I'm not happy with either version, but it gave me a good idea of where we are with this technology. It's amazing..your average Joe would probably think it's a decent rock song and wouldn't care how it was made. But the exercise confirmed my reservations too. Generic is the word that springs to mind. Only my opinion though. Don't let me put anyone off trying this feature because it really is very smart.😀
Comments
-
If want specific beats guitar sounds , bass sounds ect . You use AI to tell it that and it makes the promt. The lyrics weren't 100% correct . Thats impossible , You just paste them in the box . Welcome To Robot land and the humans lost
0 -
Writers feel a little less guilty if they write the melody using Suno lol. Here's the problem if your old , your melodies will be dated
Where as Suno is more hip on melodies . How do you spot an old person ? He says this songs sounds like Gordon Lightfoot
1 -
It was only a quick trial run out of curiosity. The lyrics were wrong because I let Suno decipher them which it did remarkably well - just one line which was wrong. I'm now aware that you can type them in. There's clearly a lot more to it but it gave an idea of what to expect. It's really smart but it just goes against the grain for me. That isn't to say I won't have a closer look at some stage.
0 -
"BUT what was missing was the individual style of the players involved at the time"...yah mon, I'm sticking with players that can fog a mirror😉
1 -
Some of the players I've gigged with couldn't tie their own boot laces - even when they were sober!😁
0 -
quick trial run out of curiosity. Yup thats how it starts , like smoking . Pretty soon your addicted and praising robots
1 -
The supply and demand equation for quality players is getting interesting. By that I mean it seems SUNO et al are replacing demand for these players, so, their cost is becoming more reasonable. There are any number of sites out there that will hook you up with a producer that will take your song and bring in A list players on it, remotely. I'll never meet any of these people face to face. But, the end result is a professionally sounding song, with me singing and playing on it. I found one guy on Wyzant.com who's done really quality work for me. Also Soundbetter.com, another really top notch producer with a bunch of very talented players. I'm hooked on not sounding "generic", as you mentioned.
1 -
Why ? Where's the ROI ? , there ain't none . You go in debt over vanity
0 -
Aww jeez Ben, ROI??? This is just kicks, remember? Just haven fun with our creative minds. Like I said I can bring in really great players to shine up songs for short money....cuz the....robots are starting to replace them.....it's a wonderflul world of non aritificual music. Write and play on my friend.
0 -
Why ? You spend 600 for tracks 75 for studio to sing it 50 for vid . To post on forums and YouTube ? You might as well write and let them fucking robots do it for a penny
This is not kicks losing money . Return On Investment , What in business for to lose money ?
0 -
Two things. 1. ROI. Not all returns on investment are financial. If they were, this is an AWFUL investment.
TWO: Chris. . . here is what is available from Suno (and other sources) to achieve what you are looking for. You can import audio and cover the audio (which you did.) You can then choose the instrumentation and genre directions. (Which you probably did.) You can hit the "beta" button to get a more complex and complete version that you would get if you did not. (You might have already known that.)
THEN, you can choose additional refinements where you can choose the male or female vocals, how true to stay to the original, how "weird" (unconventional) you want the song, and how true to the genres you chose. Hit the go button and it will present two versions.
THEN, you can listen and go back to your setup and change what you think needs to be different to fit your vision. Hit the go button again, and get two more versions. I always do 8 versions, because I can't tell which will be best with my own vocals when I add them back in.
THEN, I download all eight versions. I (and this is just me) have to listen for a long time be able to make an intelligent decision about which version is going to work best.
THEN, I pick the version I think is best. After hours of listening, I'm usually right about that. . . but not always.
THEN, I use a website called LALAL.ai to separate the vocals from the instrumentation. I get a vocals file, and an instrumental file.
THEN, I download both files into a DAW (Audacity in this case). I listen hard and decide which vocals to keep and accentuate, which to keep as backup vocals, and which to replace with my own vocal. Depends upon the song, and this is a time consuming set of decisions because it's not easy to be unbiased about your own vocals and how they work with other vocals.
THEN: (and I can't really do this, but you could.) You can separate each instrument out from the instrumental (again using LALAL.ai) and replace the individual instruments (or parts of them) that you think could be done better, or more consistently with your own vision.
What those who so loudly proclaim their negative understanding of A.I. but who haven't bothered to learn much about it miss is that you can use it as a tool, or you can treat it like a toy. You can work with it, or you can play with it. There are people making wonderful songs by WORKING with A.I. (I'm talking about others, not about me) who have made really good songs using A.I. and/or A.I. covers. One of them is Tom (Iron Knee.) But he's far from the only one. He starts with really good songs, and uses the covers to improve them. He starts with songs he's probably got twenty hours (minimum) in already, and then has A.I. cover them.
Point is. . . when someone here says "you a.i. guys" he's missing the fact that (just like there are all kinds and levels of instrument players, there are all kinds of "a.i. guys." Those who are investing a lot of time deserve at least a little credit for their investment.
1 -
Thats all that matters is money , So music is a bad investment
0 -
I spent $8 on a prompt book that has 700 artist prompts
Bananarama: 80s pop, bright female vocals, synth-driven, upbeat dance energy
Barbra Streisand: Pop vocals, powerhouse female voice, orchestral, dramatic tone
Barry White: Soul, deep male vocals, lush strings, romantic slow-groove vibe
You get the idea... some of them work well some not, but it has really helped when I know a song should have a certain sound give me a starting point.
0 -
This is really useful information which I appreciate. I hadn't gone into it at this kind of depth.
I do get why people are using AI and I can really see it's value now that it has been expanded in this way. It doesn't mean that I like it any more, but that's just me. The process is just so different to the way I work.
I'm trying not to let my own feelings about AI cloud my judgment when it comes to reviewing songs. It's all music however it's made. But I won't pretend that I find it easy.
Keep up the good work.😀
0 -
To each his own my friend...you're in business I'm just having fun, for less than your numbers, and there is no studio it's all remote😄
0 -
Well who knows I might be in the studio in 2 weeks . I change my mind like the weather . But I still stand my ground , God Damn robots lol
0 -
I'd put money on it! 😀
0 -
ha ha ha
0 -
The "cover" feature is my favorite function of Suno. You still get the joy of writing both lyric and music, but you (hopefully) get a better version than you could do yourself. I note your points about the style though Chris. And I have to add that I have not used it extensively myself, so am not expert on all its capabilities.
0 -
Perhaps for some of us, "All that matters is money." That's fine. It's a legitimate decision. BUT. . . perhaps that's not the decision that ALL of us have to make. Some of us might get to decide for ourselves what is important to us. And for some of us, it might not just be money.
0 -
Not necessarily a "better song", but quite often a few better ideas about the song.
1 -
BTW Owen, sometimes the song (when covered as a whole) doesn't really turn out like I think it should (there is a failure rate) so I'll just sing in the vocal and see what it comes up with. I've had good luck with that. It's less "mine" that way, but 1/2 of something is better than all of nothing.
1 -
The point I was trying to make Chris, was that a.i. is like anything else. The more you put into it, the more you can get out of it. There are some people I know through soundclouod who have both the capacity to write without a.i. AND who use the a.i. to get better ideas, then do the song using their musical expertise. Because I lack their musical expertise, I'm somewhat in awe of what those people can do.
0 -
Do you really think Chris is going to turn into robot man ? He hates AI . ha ha ha . He can perform his own tracks
0 -
My suspicion is that Chris is an adult and will decide for himself whether to use a.i. AND how much to use it, AND how to use it if he wishes. I would not presume to speak for him and say what he's going to do. I'll just respect whatever decision he makes. He will continue to deserve respect even if he makes a decision you (or I) dislike. He won't need any labels from you or I. He'll just be Chris Price. Not "robot man" or "the a.i. guy" or the "a.i. hater guy." He'll just be Chris Price, and he'll deserver respect for HIS right to make his own decisions.
0 -
Your way to serious , its a just joke. like the music business and orange Jesus . That was a good one . Thats so funny I think I might write it just for kicks . Well it be a political song , I hate politics
0 -
Here's a good one I thought of , which is true
Follow the money and you’ll stop pretending this is about art.
Labels don’t hate Suno — they hate that someone’s moving product through their territory without paying tolls.
The music business runs like a cartel. Labels, publishers, streaming platforms, AI companies — everybody’s got routes, everybody’s got borders. Sometimes there’s a war, sometimes there’s a truce, but nobody’s walking away from the table.
It’s all territory. Always has been
0 -
Why would that be called a cover . A cover is when you cover someone else's song . What does your melody have anything to do with it ? its a original song .
0 -
I'm not sure who that question was directed to.
0 -
BTW Chris: Something I forgot to mention. When you allow A.I. to listen to your audio and they miss some lyrics or get them wrong, you can edit them and correct all the lyrical omissions and mistakes before hitting the "go button." I always check the lyrics -- except when I forget. ;o)
0
Howdy, Stranger!