From Tech Geek to AI Music Creator: My Journey with AI-generated music with Suno – so far

Hello! I’m a tech-savvy creator from Germany who has unexpectedly become a music producer – thanks to artificial intelligence. As a child, I learned to play the keyboard and developed a good ear for music. Yet, for most of my life, creating and publishing music felt out of reach. I pursued a career in technology and web development, always assuming music-making was a world reserved for trained musicians or those with a studio. Recently, everything changed. I discovered Suno AI, an AI music generator that empowered me to finally turn the tunes in my head into actual songs. In this article, I’ll share my personal journey: how I went from keyboard lessons to producing full albums in various genres using AI, how the creative process works with Suno, and why I believe this technology is a positive force that democratizes music creation.

Discovering AI-Generated Music with Suno.ai

I first heard about AI-generated music in late 2023, when tools like Suno began making headlines . Suno AI is essentially an intelligent music studio that can compose complete songs based on text prompts given by the user . Think of it as a collaboration between your ideas and a very skilled virtual band. You type in a description – for example, “a calm, psychedelic rock song with 70s vibes” – and the AI will generate a realistic song matching that idea, complete with instrumentation and even vocals . Suno became widely available through a web app, so all I needed was my computer; no physical instruments or expensive software required.

What makes Suno especially exciting is how accessible it is. The platform is designed to be user-friendly, even if you don’t have any background in music production . In fact, Suno’s mission is to “democratize music creation, making it accessible to everyone, regardless of their musical background” . As someone who never produced music before, this was a revelation. The interface is intuitive: I simply write a prompt describing the song’s mood, genre, or even specific lyrics, and Suno’s AI composes an original track for me . For instance, I might enter “energetic electronic dance track with a catchy chorus about freedom” – and Suno will handle the rest, turning that idea into a complete song with verses, chorus, melody, and rhythm. It’s like having a magic music machine that takes my words and transforms them into sound.

Behind the scenes, Suno uses advanced AI models (a combination of transformer and diffusion models) trained on lots of music data . I don’t need to worry about the technical details, but essentially the AI has learned patterns of music and can create new compositions based on what I ask for. The songs can include vocals (Suno even generates lyrics or lets me provide my own) and a full instrumental backing track. Incredibly, it supports multiple languages and styles – I can prompt it for a pop song in English or a ballad in German, and it can do both. Suno’s latest versions produce high-quality audio that sounds quite “professional” to my ears . The first time I heard a song that I “wrote” by simply describing it to the AI, I was blown away. It was as if the computer had read my mind and produced the exact sound I imagined, from guitar riffs to drum beats.

How I Create Music with AI: My Creative Process

Using Suno.ai has been a fun, iterative creative process for me. It usually starts with an idea or mood. Since I have a decent musical ear, I often wake up with a melody in my head or an idea like “what if I made a song that feels like driving through a neon city at night?” In the past, I would maybe hum it and let it fade. Now I open Suno and turn that idea into a prompt. I’ll write a sentence or two describing the style (e.g. “80s synthwave with a driving beat and dreamy female vocals”) and sometimes include a line of lyrics or a theme (perhaps “about exploring a futuristic city”).

After I hit the generate button, Suno’s AI gets to work. In a nutshell, I provide the input and inspiration, and the AI composes a song out of it . The first draft comes back within seconds as an audio file. It’s like unwrapping a present – I never know exactly what I’ll get. Part of the creativity is in this collaboration: if the song isn’t quite what I envisioned, I tweak my prompt and try again. For example, once I tried making a jazz piece and the initial version was too slow. I edited the prompt to say “faster tempo” and specified a trumpet solo, and the next generation was much closer to what I wanted. Suno even allows me to refine specific aspects: I can choose a different vocal style (like requesting a “raspy male voice” or a “whispering female voice” as the singer) , or I can tell it to simulate a live performance by adding a keyword (making the song sound like it’s performed in a concert hall with audience clapping) .

Most of them I also provide my own lyrics. I’m not a professional lyricist, but with a bit of help from generative text tools (yes, I’ve even used ChatGPT to brainstorm lyrics!), I can come up with verses and chorus lines. Suno lets me input those custom lyrics so the vocals match my words . It’s an amazing feeling to hear “singers” in the AI belting out lines that I wrote – like having a virtual vocalist on call. Other times, when I don’t have specific lyrics, I rely on Suno to generate them. In either case, I remain very much in control of the creative direction. I often iterate multiple times: adjusting the prompt, regenerating certain sections, or mixing and matching the best parts of different AI outputs. It’s a bit like working with a human producer or band – trying a take, giving feedback, trying another take – except it all happens via text prompts and quick AI responses.

Once I’m happy with a song, I move on to production. Suno’s output is already mixed fairly well, but I sometimes do a little post-processing. For instance, I might use a digital audio workstation to adjust volume levels or add a fade-out at the end. However, I’ll be honest: most of the heavy lifting is done by the AI. It handles the composition, instrumentation, and singing. I’ve learned to trust the tool to deliver a solid base, and I apply my ear as a final filter – choosing which generated tracks are good enough to publish. Over time, I’ve gotten better at writing prompts that yield great results. It’s a new kind of musical skill: prompt-crafting and knowing how to “steer” the AI. The more I use it, the more I feel like an AI conductor, guiding an orchestra of algorithms.

Genre-Hopping with AI: The Albums and Songs I’ve Made

One of the most exciting things for me has been exploring many different genres of music, all as a solo creator with AI. Under traditional circumstances, it’s rare for one person to produce high-quality tracks in genres as diverse as heavy metal, hip-hop, and worship music. But with Suno, I’ve been able to let my imagination run wild and create music in any style that inspires me. On my website, I’ve started showcasing these projects (you can find them on WebDaD under the “Music” section of my Foundry projects). Let me share a few examples:

Heavy metal was actually one of the first genres I tackled with AI. I grew up enjoying bands like Metallica and Iron Maiden, so I wondered if Suno could capture that same energy. The result was Machina Dominus, my “virtual band” whose name is Latin for “Machine Lord.” The album Code of Steel is a collection of pounding industrial metal tracks with anthem-like choruses and blistering guitar solos – all generated with Suno’s help. In a blog post announcing the release, I explained that the album was created with the help of AI – from the concept, band design, and songwriting to the production process . It blends cutting-edge technology with the intensity of heavy metal, bringing a futuristic robotic edge to the genre . When I published the album on streaming services, I was thrilled (and a bit astonished) to see it stand alongside traditional music releases. Songs from Code of Steel sound like a full band in a studio, but behind the scenes it was just me at a keyboard, typing prompts about “thundering drums” or “operatic metal vocals” and letting Suno do the rest. The metal community around me found it fascinating – some couldn’t believe an AI was handling the vocals and guitars! This project proved to me that even the most complex, heavy genres are within reach with AI tools.

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Not all my music is quite so aggressive. I’ve also used AI to delve into music of faith and inspiration. Under a project I call Messenger of Light, I create songs of worship and uplifting messages. I describe this project as an “AI-powered creative tool, guided by a devoted follower of Christ to bring new songs of worship and faith to life.” In practical terms, I write prompts that might say something like “an uplifting Christian pop song, gentle piano and guitar, with lyrics about hope and praise”. Suno then helps me generate the melodies and even choir-like harmonies. For example, I released a song called “Du bist geliebt” (German for “You Are Loved”) which is a warm, melodic piece intended to comfort and inspire listeners. Even though the vocals are AI-generated, they carry a heartfelt tone. Friends who heard it said it felt just as moving as a song on Christian radio. It’s amazing to me that I can express my faith through music without a band or a church choir – I can compose a hymn-like song in the morning and have a polished recording by afternoon. Another track, “Eternal Kingdom,” is a grand orchestral worship song with big cinematic sound. It features lyrics about an eternal, heavenly kingdom and has a powerful, uplifting chorus. I used Suno to create a majestic soundscape for it, complete with strings, drums, and choral vocals.

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Switching gears again, I ventured into hip-hop – specifically to voice some social and political messages I care about. I launched a German hip-hop project called Laut & Frei (which means “Loud & Free”). The highlight so far is an album titled “Widerstand & Hoffnung” (Resistance & Hope). This album is my musical statement against fascism, racism, and injustice, combining aggressive rap verses with soulful hooks and even elements of reggae and drill beats . It’s a passionate project: 14 tracks that don’t hold back, addressing historical memory, unity, and the urgency of standing up for what’s right . Using Suno, I was able to produce hard-hitting hip-hop beats and rap vocals in German. I wrote most of the lyrics myself (pouring in my anger about rising extremism and my hope for change), and had the AI perform them in a convincingly gritty rap style. The fact that an AI can rap in German with the cadence and intensity needed still astonishes me. When I released Widerstand & Hoffnung, I announced proudly that it’s “my first German hip-hop album – a musical outcry against fascism… It’s loud, it’s uncomfortable, it’s a statement.” Even the cover art features a raised fist and bold colors symbolizing resistance. This project showed me that AI music can carry real-world messages and emotions. The album is now available on Spotify for anyone to hear , making it clear that AI-generated music can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with human-produced music in the public arena.

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Those are just a few highlights, but I haven’t stopped there. With AI as my partner, I’ve dabbled in genres that range from comedic metal to anime-style soundtracks. For fun, I created a parody metal band called Hammer of Dad, which blends heavy metal with the chaos of parenting (yes, you read that right!). The concept is as hilarious as it sounds – think screaming guitars and tongue-in-cheek lyrics about sleepless nights and kids’ tantrums. Hammer of Dad’s songs, like “The Sleepless Saga,” prove that AI can even generate music with humor and personality. One of my more whimsical undertakings is Maximum Overdrive X, an imaginary band inspired by over-the-top 80s and 90s anime theme songs. This one was pure joy: I prompted Suno to make extremely energetic, retro-sounding tracks that could be the opening theme of some epic, nonexistent anime. The result was an “Ultimate Theme Song Collection” that had everything from soaring guitar solos to cheesy power-pop vocals – it’s a love letter to anime nostalgia . When I listen to those tracks, I can’t help but smile at how perfectly the AI captured the vibe. It really feels like there’s no limit to what I can create now. One day it’s a synthwave track, the next day a classical piano piece, then a eurodance remix – all generated through text prompts and my imagination. AI has become my multi-instrumentalist collaborator, allowing me to genre-hop in ways I never could alone.

Is This Real Music? Morality, Originality, and Copyright in AI Songs

Whenever I share my AI-made music, I get a lot of curious questions. People ask things like, “Is it really your music if an AI made it?” or “Is it even legal to do that? What about copyright?” These are important questions, and I’ve thought about them deeply. Here’s my take, as someone right in the middle of this new frontier.

First, regarding originality and creativity: I absolutely consider these songs to be my creative works, even though I used an AI tool to produce the sounds. I see Suno as an instrument – a very intelligent, autonomous instrument, but a tool nonetheless. Just like a guitarist uses an electric guitar and effects pedals to express themselves, I use AI algorithms. The ideas, themes, chord progressions, or melodies often originate in my head. I guide the AI with prompts, refine the output, decide which pieces to keep or discard, and assemble the final song. In many cases, I write lyrics or specify the exact style. The AI doesn’t create anything by itself out of thin air; it always starts from my input. So I feel comfortable saying these are my compositions. There’s certainly a human touch in the process – my taste and decisions shape each track. Some critics of AI music worry that it “lacks human emotional depth” or that using AI raises “originality and copyright concerns,” as one review noted . It’s true that an AI might not (yet) infuse the music with the same subtle emotional nuances a human performer might. However, I find that through my prompt and lyric choices, I can imbue a lot of my own emotion and intent into the song. When I listen to Widerstand & Hoffnung, for example, I hear my anger and hope in those tracks, even if an AI voiced the rap verses.

On the legal side, it’s a developing area. As of now, I treat my AI-generated songs as original works. Suno’s team has stated that they took steps to avoid any plagiarism in the AI’s output . The AI isn’t just copying existing songs – it generates new combinations. Think of it this way: human musicians are inspired by all the music they’ve heard; AI is trained on huge amounts of music. In both cases, the new song might sound similar to a genre or artist, but it isn’t a carbon copy of any single source. I make sure my prompts are not like “rewrite me Hotel California by the Eagles” or something overtly derivative. Instead, I use original ideas or generic styles. So I’m confident I’m not infringing on anyone’s specific work. In fact, Suno even has technology like watermarking to ensure originality and prevent misuse of the generated music . As for copyrighting the AI songs, that’s a gray area internationally – some jurisdictions say AI-created content might not be copyrightable by the AI itself. However, since I’m heavily involved (providing the prompt, lyrics, editing, etc.), I consider myself the author or at least a co-author of the piece. I view the AI kind of like a session musician I hired or a really sophisticated synthesizer – it contributed sound, but under my direction. To be safe, I release my music clearly under my name and make it clear that AI was a tool in the creation. There’s ongoing debate in the music industry about this, but I believe we’ll figure out fair rules. Many AI music tools, including Suno, allow (even encourage) users to create royalty-free music for personal or commercial use . That tells me I’m on solid ground to share and even monetize these tracks if I want.

Morally, I also asked myself: “Is it okay to let a machine do so much, instead of learning an instrument or teaming up with human musicians?” My answer is that AI music creation is just a new form of creativity, not a replacement for traditional musicianship. I deeply respect traditional musicians – in fact, using these tools has only increased my appreciation for what human artists do. But I don’t see anything wrong with using available technology to create art. Throughout history, musicians have adopted new tech: electric instruments, drum machines, synthesizers, sampling, and so on. Each time, there were skeptics who felt it might be “cheating” or not authentic. Yet, those tools opened up new genres and democratized music further (for example, you didn’t need an orchestra to make orchestral sounds once synthesizers arrived). AI is a continuation of that story. It allows someone like me, with musical ideas but limited performance skills, to express myself in sound. In a way, it’s more fair – it’s leveling the playing field so it’s not just those who spent years in music school who can create polished songs. As long as I’m honest about using AI and I’m not copying others’ work, I feel it’s an ethical way to create. And judging by the positive feedback I get, listeners care more about whether the song is enjoyable or meaningful than how exactly it was made.

AI Music vs. Traditional Music-Making: More Alike Than You’d Think

A concern I often address is that AI-generated music is some kind of drastic, alien departure from how music is normally made. In practice, I’ve found a lot of parallels between my AI music workflow and common practices in the music world. It’s not so much a disruption as a new evolution in music production. Let’s draw some comparisons:

• Producers and Songwriters: In pop and many other genres, it’s already common that the person singing the song is not the one who composed the music or wrote the lyrics. Songwriters pen the lyrics and melody, producers craft the beat and instrumental, and a vocalist performs it. In my case, I’m essentially the songwriter and producer (via prompts), and the AI serves as the studio band and vocalist. This division of labor isn’t that unusual – I’ve just collapsed it all into one person aided by a versatile AI assistant.

• Covers and Remixes: The music industry has always embraced reinterpretations of existing material. When an artist covers a famous song or DJs remix a track, they are using something that exists and creatively spinning it into something new. AI-generated music, especially when I aim for a certain style, is akin to a super remix of influences. For example, I might want a song in the style of 90s grunge. What Suno produces is not a copy of any single grunge song, but it has the feel of the genre – the same way a modern band might intentionally write a “retro” track reminiscent of that era. It’s a homage and continuation, much like a cover band paying tribute to a style, except AI helps compose an original piece in that vibe.

• Sampling and electronic production: Think about hip-hop producers who sample old records to create a beat, or EDM artists who use software synthesizers and loops to make a track. Those methods were once new and controversial too. Today they’re just part of the art form. AI is comparable – it “samples” from the vast knowledge it learned (in a complex, mashed-up way) to generate new sounds. Also, when I use AI, I often get stems (separate vocal and instrument tracks) which I mix, similar to how producers program drum machines and layer synths. So the workflow is not wildly different from any producer using digital audio workstations (DAWs) and virtual instruments. I’m still making decisions like how loud the drums should be or which take to use; I’m just letting the computer handle playing the instruments for me.

• Studio as instrument: Ever since the mid-20th century, studios and technology have been part of the creative process. Legendary producers like Brian Eno or Phil Spector had signature production techniques that defined the music’s sound. In modern times, artists use Auto-Tune not just to correct pitch but as a creative effect (think of that T-Pain vocal sound). Using AI is analogous to using the studio itself as an instrument. I might not physically strum a guitar, but I “play” the AI by crafting a prompt and guiding its output. The creativity and intent are still there, just mediated through a high-tech tool.

The bottom line: AI music is a continuation of the blending of technology and art that’s been happening for decades. Just as synthesizers didn’t kill orchestras (they gave us new kinds of music instead), AI won’t kill human creativity – it expands it. I don’t feel that I’ve replaced anything; rather, I’ve added a new twist to how music can be made.

Conclusion: Democratizing Music Creation – Empowering Ideas Over Skills

My journey with AI-generated music has been nothing short of transformative. In a very personal sense, it fulfilled a lifelong dream: I always had music inside me, but I lacked the traditional skills and resources to share it widely. Now, with Suno.ai and similar tools, anyone with ideas can make music. It’s a profound democratization. You no longer need a $100/hour recording studio or the ability to play five instruments to produce a rich, full song. If you have a story to tell or an emotion to express, AI can help you articulate it through sound. In my case, it allowed a web developer from Munich to create everything from metal anthems to hip-hop protests and heartfelt worship hymns, and release them for the world to hear.

This doesn’t mean the end of human musicians – far from it. In fact, I believe it can lead to even more creativity overall. People who might have kept their musical ideas to themselves can now contribute songs, adding to the diversity of music out there. I’ve also found that using AI has taught me about song structures, chord progressions, and production techniques; it’s been an educational tool that might even improve my traditional music skills. I can envision using AI to sketch out song ideas and then collaborating with human musicians to refine them, marrying the speed of AI with the soul of human performance. The possibilities are exciting and largely positive.

To anyone reading this who has musical ideas but feels held back – maybe you don’t play an instrument, or you think you’re “not musical” – I encourage you to explore AI music generators. Whether it’s Suno or another platform, you might find, as I did, that you are musical after all. You simply needed the right tool to unlock that creativity. Technology has finally caught up to the point where it serves our imagination with very few barriers. My experience has been enthusiastic and insightful, and I hope sharing my story shows that AI music isn’t something to fear. It’s a friendly, innovative, and empowering development. I’m still the artist behind the music, I’ve just gained a powerful new instrument – an AI partner that turns my words into melodies. And as a result, my world (and hopefully my listeners’ world) is fuller with music that wouldn’t have existed otherwise. That, to me, is a beautiful thing. Here’s to the future where anyone can make great music with a little help from AI – I can’t wait to hear what you create!