MixMasterAIThe Complete Suno AI Prompt Guide 2026
Everything you need to write perfect Suno prompts. Covers Suno v5, lyrics formatting, Custom Mode, 50+ genre templates, and the exact words that make Suno produce professional results. Free. No signup.
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Table of Contents
Quick Start — 60 Seconds to Your First Track
You don't need to read the whole guide. Use this to get a result in the next 60 seconds, then come back for the details.
Go to suno.com and click Create
Make sure you are logged in. The Create button opens the generation panel.
Enable Custom Mode (top right toggle)
Custom Mode gives you separate Style and Lyrics fields. It is more powerful than the default simple prompt.
Paste this into the Style field
Leave lyrics blank or add your own
For instrumental: leave blank. For vocals: see the Lyrics Guide section below.
Click Create and generate 2 variations
Always generate at least 2. Pick the better one, then extend or remix from there.
Suno v5 — What Changed and How to Use It
Suno v5 is a significant upgrade from v3 and v4. Here is what is different and what it means for your prompts.
Longer prompts work better
v5 processes more context than previous versions. Prompts that were too long for v3 now produce better, more coherent results. Aim for 80-150 characters in the Style field.
Better instrument recognition
v5 recognizes more specific instruments. 'Talking drum', 'Fender Rhodes', 'nylon string guitar', and 'log drum' all produce noticeably more accurate results than in v3 or v4.
Structural tags are more reliable
v5 follows [Verse], [Chorus], [Bridge], [Pre-Chorus], [Outro] tags more consistently. You can also use [Instrumental Break] and [Guitar Solo] as section markers.
More musical coherence
v5 maintains chord progressions and melodic themes more consistently across sections. Once a melodic hook appears in the verse, it is more likely to return in the chorus.
Vocal style keywords matter more
Specify vocal style explicitly: 'raspy male vocals', 'smooth female R&B', 'falsetto', 'whispered', 'choir'. v5 responds better to these descriptors than previous versions.
BPM is more accurate
Specifying BPM in the style prompt now produces more accurate tempo matching. '120 BPM' in v5 produces a noticeably different result than '140 BPM', where v3 was less precise.
v5 vs v4 — Key difference
In v4, shorter prompts often performed better because long prompts confused the model. In v5, the opposite is true — longer, more specific prompts consistently outperform short vague ones. If your v4 prompts feel weak in v5, add more instrument and production detail.
Style Prompt Formula — The Exact Format That Works
Suno's style prompt is a comma-separated description. This formula produces the most consistent results across all genres and versions.
The Formula
Genre, Sub-genre or era, Main instrument, Second instrument, Tempo (BPM), Mood / Energy, Vocal style, Key or scale
Examples:
Afrobeats, West African pop, talking drum, melodic guitar, 100 BPM, warm and groovy, smooth male vocals, F minorTrap, dark melodic trap, heavy 808 bass, piano melody, atmospheric synths, 140 BPM, cold and dark, no vocalsBossa nova, Brazilian jazz, nylon string guitar, upright bass, brushed drums, 125 BPM, romantic and intimate, soft female Portuguese vocalsGenre
Be specific. 'Nigerian Afrobeats' beats 'African music'. 'Delta blues' beats 'blues'.
Instruments
Name 2-3 specific instruments. 'Sitar and tabla' gets Indian music. 'Log drum' gets Amapiano.
Vocals
Specify gender, style, and language. 'Raspy female rock vocals', 'smooth male R&B', 'operatic tenor'.
Lyrics Guide — How to Write Suno Lyrics That Work
Suno reads your lyrics and assigns them to musical sections. Get the formatting right and Suno will structure your song exactly the way you intend.
Lyrics Structure — All Available Tags
[Intro] — Opening section, often instrumental or atmospheric
[Verse] or [Verse 1], [Verse 2] — Storytelling sections
[Pre-Chorus] — Build before the chorus (v5 supports this well)
[Chorus] — The main hook, highest energy
[Bridge] — Contrasting middle section
[Outro] — Final section, usually fades
[Instrumental Break] — Bars with no lyrics
[Guitar Solo] / [Drum Break] — Specific instrumental moment
[Hook] — Alternative to chorus, often shorter and more repetitive
Example — Full Song Structure
Lyrics that work
- ✓Short lines (6-10 syllables)
- ✓Natural speech rhythm
- ✓Clear section tags on their own line
- ✓Repeated chorus lines (Suno strengthens hooks with repetition)
- ✓Simple rhyme scheme (ABAB or AABB)
Lyrics that fail
- ✗Very long lines (15+ syllables)
- ✗No section tags
- ✗Forced or complex rhyme schemes
- ✗References to real people or places Suno blocks
- ✗Prose paragraphs without line breaks
Custom Mode — Full Song Control
Custom Mode separates your style prompt from your lyrics, giving you the most consistent and controllable results in Suno. Always use it for serious projects.
Title field
Name your song. This influences the AI — make it match your theme. 'Late Night Drive' vs 'Victory Anthem' produce different results with the same style prompt.
Style field
Your full style prompt goes here. This is the instrument list, genre, BPM, and mood description. Up to 200 characters in v5.
Lyrics field
Your full formatted lyrics with [Section] tags. Leave blank for instrumental. Suno reads section tags precisely in Custom Mode.
Custom Mode tip
To generate the same song multiple times with slight variations, keep the Style and Lyrics identical and just change the Title slightly. Suno uses the Title as a creative seed — different titles from the same prompt produce different musical interpretations.
50 Genre Prompt Templates — Copy and Paste
Each genre page has a vibe prompt, a producer prompt, Custom Mode templates, and genre-specific tips. Click any genre below.
See all 50 genres
Afrobeats to Classical, Bollywood to Phonk
Advanced Techniques
Once you have the basics, these techniques separate good Suno tracks from great ones.
Generate 4 variations and A/B compare
Never settle for the first generation. Always generate 4 variations of the same prompt and pick the best 1-2. The difference between variation 1 and variation 3 can be dramatic.
Use Extend to build longer songs
Suno generates 2-minute clips by default. Use the Extend button on your best variation to continue the song. Extend 2-3 times from the outro section to build a full 4-minute track.
Remix to fix one element
If you love the production but hate the vocals, use Remix and add 'no vocals' or change the vocal descriptor. Remix preserves the musical structure while allowing targeted changes.
Lock sections you love
In the lyrics field, [Chorus] sections that performed well can be marked with * in some Suno versions to encourage reuse. Always note which prompt produced a great chorus so you can regenerate from it.
Inpaint to fix problem sections
The Inpaint feature lets you regenerate a specific section of the track. Use it to fix a weak bridge, a poor vocal take, or an instrumental section that doesn't fit the rest of the song.
Export at highest quality then master
Always export Suno tracks at the highest available quality setting. Then upload to MixMasterAI to get a Spotify-ready master — proper EQ, compression, and LUFS normalization in 60 seconds.
Words That Work — Words to Avoid
Power words (use these)
Instruments
slap bass, log drum, talking drum, nylon string guitar, Fender Rhodes, Hammond B3, steel guitar, 808 bass, tabla, sitar
Energy
euphoric, anthemic, hypnotic, driving, soaring, crushing, melancholic, intimate, explosive
Vocals
raspy male, falsetto, whispered, operatic, soulful female, ad-libs, runs, melisma, group harmonies
Production
lo-fi, polished, raw, layered, atmospheric, minimalist, cinematic, organic, vintage
Structure
verse-chorus-bridge, one-drop rhythm, dembow, boom bap, four-on-the-floor, swing
Words to avoid
Artist names
Wizkid, Drake, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd — Suno blocks direct artist references and produces inconsistent results
Vague descriptors
'good music', 'nice song', 'modern', 'unique' — these add nothing to the prompt
Contradictions
'heavy metal acoustic', 'slow and fast', 'pop metal' — pick one direction per prompt
Offensive terms
Suno's safety filters block prompts with offensive language or harmful content
Too many genres
Mixing 5+ genres confuses the model. Stick to 1 main genre and 1 sub-genre maximum
Master Your Suno Track — Free in 60 Seconds
Suno exports are not mastered. They are raw mixes that need loudness normalization, EQ, and compression before they sound right on Spotify, Apple Music, or TikTok. MixMasterAI does all of that automatically, free.
Before MixMasterAI
- ✗Too quiet on streaming
- ✗Harsh or muddy frequencies
- ✗AI artifacts (Suno fizz)
- ✗Wrong LUFS for Spotify
After MixMasterAI
- ✓-14 LUFS for Spotify
- ✓EQ corrected for genre
- ✓AI Humanizer removes artifacts
- ✓24-bit WAV + 320kbps MP3
What you get
- ✓Full quality, no watermark
- ✓No account required
- ✓60 seconds processing
- ✓Free, always
Free · No account · WAV + MP3 · 60 seconds
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Suno prompt format in 2026?
The best format is a comma-separated style list in Custom Mode: genre, instruments, tempo BPM, mood, vocal style. Example: 'Nigerian Afrobeats, talking drum, melodic guitar, 100 BPM, smooth male vocals, warm and groovy'. In Suno v5, longer and more specific prompts consistently outperform short vague ones.
How do you write Suno v5 prompts?
Suno v5 responds better to longer, more descriptive prompts with specific instruments and production keywords. It also follows structural tags ([Verse], [Pre-Chorus], [Chorus], [Bridge], [Outro]) more reliably than v4. Aim for 80-150 characters in the Style field and always use Custom Mode for serious work.
How do you write lyrics for Suno AI?
Write lyrics with section tags in square brackets on their own lines: [Verse], [Chorus], [Bridge]. Keep lines short (6-10 syllables). Use natural speech rhythm rather than forced rhymes. Suno v5 handles structured lyrics much better than it handles prose. Always test with Custom Mode for the most accurate results.
Is there a Suno prompt guide PDF I can download?
This page is the most comprehensive free Suno prompt guide available. To save it as a PDF: press Ctrl+P on Windows or Cmd+P on Mac, then select 'Save as PDF' as the destination. This gives you a print-ready version of the complete guide.
What words should I avoid in Suno prompts?
Avoid: artist names (Suno blocks them and produces inconsistent results), vague descriptors like 'good music' or 'modern', contradictions like 'heavy metal acoustic', offensive language, and mixing more than 2 genres in one prompt. Be specific and internally consistent.
How long should a Suno style prompt be?
In Suno v5, aim for 80-150 characters in Simple Mode and up to 200 characters in Custom Mode's Style field. Longer, more specific prompts generally outperform short vague ones in v5. A good rule: if you can't tell what genre it is from the prompt alone, it needs more detail.