SUNO STYLE GUIDE

Mastering the Prompt Engine (V4.5/V5)

Guide Index

  • 01. Why STYLE Matters
  • 02. The Architecture of STYLE
  • 03. The 4‑Layer Style Formula
  • 04. The 5‑Second Style Builder
  • 05. Style Impact Map
  • 06. The Overstuffing Trap
  • 07. Genre Translation Table
  • 08. Pre‑Built Style Packs
  • 09. Troubleshooting STYLE
  • 10. Final STYLE Rules
  • 11. Summary Playbook
  • 12. STYLE Cheatsheet
01

Why STYLE Matters More Than Anything Else

Most beginners think the magic of Suno comes from long prompts, detailed lyrics, correct punctuation, or perfect song structure. But the real core of good music generation in V4/V5 is: STYLE.

"Style is not just a list of adjectives... Style is a BEHAVIOR ENGINE."

It tells the model:

  • How to think while creating your track.
  • How the song behaves, flows, and feels.
If Lyrics = What the song says
Then Style = How the song behaves
02

The Architecture of STYLE

The 4 Hidden Layers

Inside Suno, Style is interpreted through 4 hidden layers. Think of these as the core sliders that shape your sound.

1. Genre Logic (The Skeleton)

Defines the "bones": rhythmic language, chord expectations, vocal range area, and basic instrumentation rules.

2. Texture / Vibe (The Flesh)

Determines the sound quality. Is it clean? Dirty? Echoey? Dry? Electronic or Acoustic?

3. Energy / Tempo (The Pulse)

Sets the speed (BPM) and aggression. Is it driving forward or floating?

4. Vocal Identity (The Soul)

Often ignored, but crucial. Without a vocal tag, Suno guesses based on genre (often incorrectly).

03

The 4‑Layer Style Formula

To get consistent S-Tier results, structure your style prompt in this exact order:

[GENRE] + [TEXTURE] + [ENERGY] + [VOCALS]
Layer Example Tags
Genre Darkwave, Baroque Pop, Tech House
Texture Lo-fi, Cinematic, Distorted, Ethereal, Clean
Energy Uptempo, Slow-burn, Aggressive, Laid-back
Vocals Male baritone, Whispering female, Choir, Gritty
04

The 5‑Second Style Builder

Don't overthink. Just fill in the blanks:

"A [Speed] [Genre] song with [Adjective] [Instrument] and [Adjective] [Gender] vocals."

Example: "A fast Cyberpunk song with distorted bass and aggressive female vocals."

05

Style Impact Map

Not all tags are created equal. Suno reads Left to Right.

Position 1: 100% Impact (Genre)
Position 2: 70% Impact (Vibe)
Position 3: 40% Impact (Details)
Position 4: 10% Impact (Ignored?)

⚠️ Warning: Anything after the 15th word in the Style box is often hallucinated or ignored. Keep it short.

06

The Overstuffing Trap

More tags ≠ Better music. In fact, more tags = Confused AI.

❌ Bad Prompt

"Orchestral, Electronic, Rock, Jazz, Hip Hop, fast, slow, happy, sad, piano, guitar, drums, bass, violin, synth, 80s, 90s, future..."

Result: Generic noise or it ignores 90% of the tags.

✅ Good Prompt

"Orchestral Rock, Cinematic, Heavy Drums, Powerful Male Vocals"

Result: Coherent, powerful track.

07

Genre Translation Table

If you want specific sounds, use the "Translator" logic:

You Want This Sound... Use This Tag
Disney / MusicalShow Tune, Broadway, Orchestral Pop
Epic Movie TrailerCinematic, Trailer, Hans Zimmer style (risky), Hybrid Orchestral
Sad PianoMelancholic, Minimalist Piano, Emotional
80s Stranger ThingsSynthwave, Retrowave, Analog Synths
Anime OpeningJ-Pop, J-Rock, High BPM, Energetic
08

Pre‑Built Style Packs

The "Blockbuster"

Cinematic, Hybrid Orchestral, Trailer, Epic, Choral

The "Code Runner"

Darksynth, Cyberpunk, Aggressive, Industrial, Driving

The "Heartbreak"

Acoustic Pop, Piano Ballad, Intimate, Soft Female Vocals

09

Troubleshooting STYLE

  • Problem: Song sounds muddy/lo-fi.
    Fix: Add "Pristine production, High Fidelity, Studio Master".
  • Problem: Vocals are undefined or gender-swapped.
    Fix: Always specify tone: "raspy male", "airy female", etc.
  • Problem: Added unwanted instruments.
    Fix: Style has no arrangement focus. Add "synth-driven", "drum-forward", "acoustic-led".
  • Problem: Genre feels unstable.
    Fix: Stacked genres. Choose 1 main genre + at most 1 influence.
10

Final STYLE Rules

Short, Powerful, Memorable

  • ✅ Fewer words = stronger impact
  • ✅ Texture > emotion (for sound)
  • ✅ Vocal identity defines the soul of the track
  • ✅ Don't stack genres
  • ✅ Arrangement focus fixes 90% of chaos

If you follow just these rules in Module 1, you’re already ahead of most Suno beginners. 💯

11

Summary Playbook

Review this before every generation.

The Golden Formula

GENRE + TEXTURE + ENERGY + VOCALS

Avoid These Words

  • Beautiful, amazing, epic (Too vague)
  • Sad, happy, emotional (Use musical terms instead)
  • List of 10 instruments (Confuses the AI)

Must-Have Elements

  • 1 Genre: Keep it pure.
  • Adjectives: Use sensory words (warm, cold, gritty).
  • Vocals: Always specify gender and tone.
12

STYLE Cheatsheet

Step 1: The Skeleton

Genre: Pick ONE (e.g., Synthwave)

Vibe: Add ONE influence (e.g., Cyberpunk)

Step 2: The Flesh (Texture)

  • Warm / Cold
  • Analog / Digital
  • Clean / Distorted
  • Lo-fi / High-fi