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AI is taking over the world. Okay, maybe not taking over but it is shaking things up in ways we never expected.
AI is everywhere. It writes essays, creates stunning art, and even holds strangely deep conversations. But can it make music that actually sounds good?
It’s time you meet Riffusion, an AI that turns simple text into music.
It’s been crazy playing around as you can type in a genre, instrument, or mood, and it generates an original track! It is like a futuristic jukebox, though it does not always follow the rules of music theory.
I have been testing Riffusion for a while, and after some practice, I’ve been able to get some impressive results. As you will soon see, sometimes it nails it on the first try. But other times, it sounds like a robot trying to play jazz while running low on battery.
Feel free to jump around this post to find the answers that you want. Otherwise, we are going to cover:
- What Riffusion is and how it works
- How to create AI-generated music in seconds
- The good, the bad, and the truly unexpected
By the end, you will know if Riffusion is a game-changer or just a fun AI experiment. Either way, it is worth a listen.
What is Riffusion?
Riffusion is an AI-powered music generator that transforms text into sound. Instead of using traditional music theory or MIDI (musical instrument digital interface), it creates music by generating and interpreting spectrograms, which are visual representations of sound.
It’s like AI painting sound waves and then turning those images back into audio. It sounds wild, but somehow it works!
Riffusion is incredibly easy to use. Type in a prompt like “funky bassline” or “cinematic orchestral score” and it will generate something that matches.
It does not rely on pre-recorded samples. Instead, it creates original audio based on your input. The results can be impressive or completely bizarre, which is part of the fun.
One of the best things about Riffusion is that anyone can use it. There is no need for fancy software or a background in music production. You do not even need to play an instrument.
If you can type, you can create music. Not only that, but it’s a ton of fun to play around with.
Keep in mind that Riffusion is still in Beta. There are a few bugs and occasional frustrations, but if you stick with it, you can create some amazing music.
Can’t wait to try Riffusion?
Click here to get started NOW!
How to Use Riffusion
As we have said, Riffusion is easy to use, but you can take it further by combining it with ChatGPT to generate original lyrics before letting the AI create the music.
Whether you want a powerful rock anthem or a smooth jazz tune, you can bring it to life in just a few steps. You can even make custom songs to share with your friends and family!
Step 1: Use ChatGPT to Generate Lyrics
Before jumping into Riffusion, let’s get some lyrics. ChatGPT is great at writing songs, but you need to give it a solid prompt. Try this:
ChatGPT 4o Prompt:
“Good morning, I am trying to come up with lyrics for a [genre] song about [topic]. I want it to be [genre again] music and have [specific elements you want, like a certain mood or theme]. Please feel free to ask me any questions before writing the lyrics.”
💡 Pro Tip: If you already have lyrics, you can add, “Here are the lyrics I currently have:” and paste them into the chat. ChatGPT will refine and expand on them.
ChatGPT will ask you follow-up questions before writing the song. When responding, use numbered answers so it can process everything correctly.
You can do this by holding down Shift and pressing Enter to keep everything in one response before hitting Send.
You can now make any corrections to your lyrics.
But once you are happy with them, keep them handy as we will be copying and pasting them to create your song!
Step 2: Add Your Lyrics to Riffusion
Now that you have your lyrics handy (thanks GPT!), it is time to bring them to life.
- Go to Riffusion Home screen
- Look at the top where it has a search bar, click inside it.
- Prompt will be selected, but for this example we are going to choose the “Compose” section.
- Paste your lyrics into the text box. But you aren’t quite done yet.
- Click the “Advanced” toggle at the lower right to see more options.
Step 3: Adjust the Settings for the Best Results
Once you have toggled on Advanced, you will see three sliders:
- Strength controls how much structure the AI puts into the composition.
- Lyrics Strength determines how closely the music follows your lyrics.
- Weirdness adds randomness and unexpected elements to the song.
💡 Best Settings to Start With:
- Keep Strength and Lyrics Strength higher to ensure your song follows the lyrics well.
- Weirdness is fun to experiment with. Start in the middle and adjust based on your style.
Step 4: Generate Your Song
Now comes the fun part. Click “Generate” and let Riffusion work its magic. In just a few moments, you will have a brand-new song based on your lyrics.
Step 5: Experiment and Refine
Each time you generate a song, Riffusion will always give you two variations.
- If you used only the Prompt section, the lyrics will change slightly with each generation.
- If you pasted the lyrics into the Compose section (as our example above), the lyrics will stay the same, but the music will change.
Now you can go back and tweak the sliders (under the advanced settings), change a few words, and generate again to fine-tune the results!
Now that you have your AI-generated song, you can listen and decide if you want to make any adjustments. Here are two examples of what Riffusion created for me:
Quick Note, clicking on either Skyward or Skybound below will open a new window
If you are feeling adventurous, Riffusion also lets you upload your own instruments and vocals, something I have not played around with yet, but I am sure it could lead to some amazing creations.
If you could make AI compose any song, what would it be?
Drop your wildest ideas below!
The Easy Way: Prompt Only
If you want to use only the prompt, it is quick and easy to get a song. Go to the Prompt section, select the Prompt tab, and type what you are looking for.
For example: Club EDM song about getting motivated to work out. It makes you want to get up and move.
With this prompt, I got two songs: “Work It Now“ and “Static Rush.” Click on them to listen and see how Riffusion brings your idea to life.
Limitations of Riffusion
Riffusion is fun, creative, and surprisingly powerful for an AI music tool, but it is not perfect.
Like any AI, it has its quirks, and if you go in expecting a full-blown music studio, you might be in for a reality check. Here are some of the biggest limitations I have noticed while using it.
1. Lack of Precision and Control
If you are used to traditional music production software, Riffusion might feel unpredictable.
You can choose a genre, instrument, or mood, but you have little control over the finer details. It does its best to match your prompt, but the results can sometimes feel random or slightly off from what you had in mind.
For example, you might request “a relaxing acoustic guitar melody” and get something that sounds relaxing but also oddly robotic. That unpredictability is part of the AI’s charm, but if you need precise control over melodies, harmonies, or song structure, Riffusion is not quite there yet.
2. Lyrics Interpretation Can Be Hit or Miss
When you add lyrics in the Compose section, Riffusion tries to match the melody to the words, but the results can be inconsistent.
Sometimes it follows the lyrics well. Other times it seems to ignore them completely and creates something unexpected.
The Lyrics Strength slider helps, but even at the highest setting, it does not compare to a human composing a melody. If you need precise vocal melody composition, you may have to tweak the lyrics, adjust settings, and regenerate multiple times to get something that fits.
3. Expect Some Strange Results
AI-generated music is unpredictable, which makes it exciting but also unpredictable.
Sometimes Riffusion captures a vibe perfectly. Other times, it creates a jumble of sounds that feel like a robot struggling through its first jazz lesson.
This is especially true if you push the Weirdness slider too far or use an abstract prompt like “melancholy but also futuristic but also kind of funky.” The AI will try, but there is no guarantee the result will make sense.
Is Riffusion the Future of Music?
If you ask me, Riffusion is an exciting tool that shows how AI can create music in ways we never imagined.
I’m writing this post because I’ve been sharing a lot of the songs I’ve generated and I keep getting asked ‘How’d You Do That?!?!‘
It is fast, fun, and a great way to spark creativity, whether you are a musician looking for inspiration or just curious about AI-generated sound.
That said, it is not a replacement for human composers or traditional music production. It works best as an idea generator rather than a full songwriting tool.
But, even with its limitations, there’s something exciting about watching AI turn simple words into sound. Whether it is the future of music is still up for debate, but it certainly offers a glimpse of what is possible.
If you are curious, give Riffusion a try and see what it creates for you. You might be surprised by what you hear.
It’s time You Go experiment with Riffusion!
Feel free to share your best (or weirdest) results with me!