Most people prompt Suno like they're texting a friend: "make a chill lo-fi beat." Something comes out — but the gap between that and a track you'd actually release is that the prompt had no structure.

After 50+ released albums made with AI tools, I've found the prompts that consistently produce keepers all share the same anatomy. Six parts. Miss them and you're leaving the decisions to the machine; include them and you're directing.

1Genre — the foundation

Genre is the first and most important decision, because it carries a hundred implied ones. "Tech house" tells Suno about tempo, rhythm, instrumentation, and feel at once. Be specific and combine where it helps: "melodic tech house," "dark synthwave," "soulful deep house." This is also where your own knowledge pays off most — pick a genre you understand, so you can judge the result.

2Mood and energy

Two tracks in the same genre can feel completely different. Mood steers that: euphoric, melancholic, hypnotic, aggressive, dreamy. Pair it with an energy level — driving, laid-back, building, restrained. Genre sets the room; mood sets what happens in it.

3Instrumentation

Name the sounds that matter — analog synths, deep sub bass, a plucky lead, warm Rhodes, gated reverb on the drums. You don't have to specify everything, just the elements that define the track in your head. Blank means Suno picks the palette; named means you do.

4Vocals

Vocals are where AI music most often gives itself away, because people leave them to chance. Decide: vocals or instrumental? Male, female, layered? A character — breathy, powerful, robotic, intimate? Up front or in the mix? Even a few words of vocal direction change how produced a track feels.

5Production and era

A track's era and production style are a huge part of its identity: "80s production," "modern festival master," "vintage tape warmth," "clean and minimal." This layer often separates a track that sounds current from one that sounds like a demo — the difference between a sound and a sound from somewhere.

6Structure

The final part lives in the lyrics field as structural tags, and it's the one most people skip. Telling Suno where the intro, verses, chorus, instrumental breaks, and outro go turns a track that meanders into one that's been arranged. A directed structure is the difference between a loop and a song.

Putting it together

You don't need all six maxed out on every track — but the more you decide deliberately, the less Suno guesses and the more the result is yours. Run a vague idea through the six and it stops being a wish and becomes a brief. The collaborator has no taste; the six parts are how you supply it.

Which of the six do you usually skip? For most people it's structure — and it changes the most.