AI Songwriting Tools and Tips for Producers
AI songwriting tools have become more and more popular in recent years.
In fact, there are so many out there that it can feel overwhelming to try and choose the right ones for your music and your workflow.
In this article we’ll help you get a sense of what AI songwriting tools are out there and what considerations to keep in mind if you want to use them.
Let’s dive in.
AI songwriting tools for chords & melodies
LANDR Composer
LANDR Composer
| Type: | Chord & melody generator |
| Format: | VST3, AU, AAX |
| Operating System: | macOS, Windows |
| Price: | Included with LANDR Studio |
The musical foundation for any song is often its melody or chord progression.
LANDR Composer generates chord progressions based on simple musical and mood-based parameters.
It also generates melodies, arpeggios, and basslines that follow the chord progression flawlessly.
This is a fantastic way to get great musical ideas quickly, not to mention endless inspiration. We’re very proud of it and think it makes a powerful addition to LANDR Studio!
AudioCipher Text-to-MIDI
AudioCipher Text-to-MIDI
| Type: | Chord & melody generator |
| Format: | VST3, AU, Standalone |
| Operating System: | macOS, Windows |
| Price: | $59.99 |
For a different approach to chord and melody creation, another plugin worth checking out is AudioCipher’s Text-to-MIDI tool.
Rather than focusing its approach on a sequencer-like timeline, AudioCipher generates MIDI data for chords and melodies based on text input.
You can set various musical parameters to get the results you’re looking for, and when you like what you hear, you can drag the MIDI where it needs to go in your DAW.
ChordSeqAI
ChordSeqAI
| Type: | Chord progression generator |
| Format: | Browser-based |
| Operating System: | N/A |
| Price: | Free |
This browser-based tool uses AI to generate chord progressions for you based on musical and mood-based parameters.
It uses a drag-and-drop style interface that lets you arrange chords into sequences quite easily, and you can export your results as MIDI files to bring into your DAW for production.
It’s also free and open-source, so you can give it a try right away without the need for a purchase or sign-up.
Mixed in Key Captain Plugins
Mixed in Key Captain Plugins
| Type: | Various MIDI generators |
| Format: | VST, AU |
| Operating System: | macOS, Windows |
| Price: | Varies |
While Mixed in Key’s Captain Plugins range is not exactly built on AI, they are certainly generative in nature.
Captain Melodies, Captain Chords, and Captain Beats are the highlights, with each of them focusing on exactly what you think they focus on.
Unlike many of the other tools on this list, these plugins allow you to get pretty specific and controlled with your results, without generating them entirely for you.
If this is more what you’re looking for, you could try them out and take advantage of their 30-day money back policy.
Plugin Boutique Scaler
Plugin Boutique Scaler
| Type: | Chord & melody generator |
| Format: | VST, VST3, AU, AAX |
| Operating System: | macOS, Windows |
| Price: | $49 |
While Scaler is also not described by its developers as an AI-based tool, it is another example of a powerful generative system for chord progressions and melodies.
One of our favorite features of this one is that it can listen to incoming audio, determine the key, and allow you to build chord progressions and melodies based on that input.
Its interface is a bit more complex than most tools on this list, but its capabilities are more detailed in nature. Definitely worth checking out if you don’t mind a learning curve.
AI songwriting tools for lyrics & song structure
LyricStudio
LyricStudio
| Type: | Lyric generator |
| Format: | Browser-based |
| Operating System: | N/A |
| Price: | Varies |
If you’re looking for a simple tool that can help you come up with lyrical ideas quickly, LyricStudio is worth checking out.
It generates lyrics based on your selected genre, emotional mood, and other parameters.
It also helps with suggesting rhymes and allows you to collaborate with another user in real time.
Its exact feature set and capabilities will be different depending on what subscription tier you choose. There’s also a limited free version you can use before you commit.
LYRICAI
LYRICAI
| Type: | Lyric generator |
| Format: | Browser-based |
| Operating System: | N/A |
| Price: | Free |
For a quicker and simpler tool than LyricStudio (one that’s totally free and doesn’t require a signup) you might want to try out LYRICAI.
It offers two modes: Line and Verse. Line mode will generate a single lyrical line while Verse mode will generate a full verse.
In both modes, lyrics are generated based on options for mood, genre, and syllables.
It’s pretty straightforward and easy to use, so you might find it handy for quick inspiration.
ChatGPT
ChatGPT
| Type: | AI chatbot |
| Format: | Browser-based |
| Operating System: | N/A |
| Price: | Free – $200/mo |
You’ve almost certainly heard of ChatGPT, and have likely even used it already, but we think it’s worth keeping in mind as an option anyway.
It will generate lyrics based on your descriptions and specifications, but we find that it’s best to use for sparking simple ideas rather than writing entire songs.
If you happen to have ChatGPT already and use it for other things, you may as well explore its potential as an AI songwriting tool.
AIVA
AIVA
| Type: | Music generator |
| Format: | Standalone |
| Operating System: | macOS, Windows, Linux |
| Price: | Free – €33/month |
AIVA is described as an “AI music generation assistant”.
In addition to allowing you to generate songs based on style models, it allows you to edit the songs you generate.
This editability could prove useful for producers who want quick inspiration and ideas when it comes to songwriting and song structure.
Their free version allows you to see if it’s right for you, but keep in mind that the rights you have over material you make with AIVA will depend on your subscription tier.
Amadeus Code
Amadeus Code
| Type: | Songwriting tool |
| Format: | Mobile app |
| Operating System: | iOS |
| Price: | Free – $9.99/month |
Not unlike the tagline for AIVA, Amadeus Code is billed as an AI-powered “songwriting assistant”.
However, rather than creating more fully-formed songs for you, Amadeus Code is designed to be a sketchpad and idea generator for songwriting.
Uniquely, it’s also a mobile app, which makes it pretty handy for whenever inspiration strikes you. A free version is offered in addition to a few different monthly pricing tiers.
Tips for using AI songwriting tools
Start with the hook
Your hook, whether it’s a catchy melody or a powerful chord progression, can make or break the song you’re writing.
The great thing about AI songwriting tools is that they can quickly help you generate simple ideas that might provide you with just the hook you need.
Even if you don’t get a perfect hook right away, this can still spark the process and assist you in nailing down the vibe you’re going for.
We highly recommend taking advantage of AI melody and chord progression generators in this way.
Or start with the right words
As powerful as a good hook can be, sometimes all it takes to jumpstart the songwriting process is to come up with a simple yet powerful lyrical idea.
A good AI lyric assistant can be very handy for providing the seeds of a great song. Sometimes all it takes is the right combination of just a few words.
Try to resist the temptation to simply write the lyrics for an entire song with an AI tool.
Instead, play around with it to get closer to the feeling you’re looking for and gain some inspiration for your own writing.
Create your own MIDI packs
If you’re feeling too low on inspiration or motivation to work on a full song, try using a melody or chord generator to create a variety of different ideas.
You can collect these ideas into your own packs to come back to later.
This can make for interesting surprises when you’re in a different mindset at another time, and it has more of a personal touch than using MIDI packs that are pre-made.
Compare with your own approach
Over time, if you find yourself using AI songwriting tools often, they might become a pretty significant part of your process.
We recommend making some songs with AI songwriting tools and some without using any of them at all.
Later on, when you have enough examples in each category, you can compare the two and see how you feel about the results you get from both approaches.
This can be a useful strategy for staying aware of how AI tools affect your output and your style.
Don’t rely on AI too much
It’s becoming more and more tempting to rely on AI music production tools to take care of the creative work for you.
We always recommend using AI songwriting tools for inspiration and assistance instead of simply to create a higher quantity of music faster.
Otherwise, you’ll have a much harder time carving out a distinctive style for your music that truly feels like your own.
Your unique production style is ultimately what will help you gain and keep fans in the long term, and you don’t want to lose that!
Various contributors from the LANDR team of music mentors.
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