music-generation

name	music-generation
description	Music generation. Produces a music clip from a text prompt using Lyria. Use for background scores, mood pieces, jingles, underscore tracks, or any plan node requiring generated audio.
metadata	{"type":"primitive"}

When to use

Use t2m when:

• The user requests a music track, score, jingle, or background audio.
• A plan needs an audio layer to accompany video or image content.
• The promptIntent references a mood, genre, or musical style.

---

Prompt structure

Every music prompt must specify four core dimensions. Omitting any dimension lets the model guess, producing generic or mismatched output.

[GENRE & STYLE] [MOOD & EMOTION] [INSTRUMENTATION] [TEMPO & ENERGY]
[SONG STRUCTURE] [PRODUCTION QUALITY]
[VOCALS or "instrumental"]
[NEGATIVE PROMPT (optional)]

---

Core dimensions

[GENRE & STYLE]

Name the genre explicitly. Compound genres are valid and often preferred.

• Good: "cinematic orchestral," "lo-fi hip-hop," "upbeat Latin pop," "dark ambient electronic," "classic jazz trio," "progressive rock," "blues-influenced R&B"
• Bad: "nice music," "background music," "something cool"

Sub-genre precision improves output — "new-wave synth-pop" is better than "electronic."

[MOOD & EMOTION]

Use concrete emotional descriptors rather than vague adjectives.

• Good: "melancholic and introspective," "triumphant and soaring," "tense and suspenseful," "playful and whimsical," "nostalgic and warm"
• Bad: "good vibes," "emotional," "powerful"

Pair moods when appropriate: "bittersweet yet hopeful."

[INSTRUMENTATION]

Name specific instruments. Generic terms ("guitar," "strings") are weaker than specific ones.

• Good: "fingerpicked acoustic guitar, upright bass, brushed snare, Fender Rhodes," "sweeping string section with solo violin, French horns, and orchestral timpani," "808 bass, trap hi-hats, atmospheric pad synths, and sampled piano"
• Bad: "guitars and drums," "orchestra"

Always specify the lead instrument — it anchors the texture: "lead: solo cello."

[TEMPO & ENERGY]

Provide BPM when precision matters; use descriptive terms otherwise.

• Numeric: "120 BPM," "72 BPM ballad tempo," "180 BPM drum and bass"
• Descriptive: "slow and meditative," "mid-tempo groove," "driving and relentless," "rubato, free-flowing tempo"

Always pair tempo with an energy word: "slow (40 BPM), sparse and sparse" or "fast (140 BPM), energetic and propulsive."

[SONG STRUCTURE]

Optional but powerful for controlling dynamics and arc. Use only when the user has a narrative intent.

• "Builds from sparse intro → full chorus → stripped-down outro."
• "Repeating two-bar loop, no variation — suitable for seamless looping."
• "Verse-chorus-verse structure with a key change on the final chorus."
• "Single sustained ambient texture, no structural variation."

For clips (30s default model), one dynamic arc is the maximum — do not plan full song structures.

[PRODUCTION QUALITY]

Sets the sonic aesthetic.

• "studio-quality, polished mix, wide stereo field"
• "lo-fi, warm tape saturation, slight vinyl crackle"
• "raw live recording, room ambience, natural reverb"
• "cinematic, large-room reverb, IMAX-scale dynamics"
• "intimate, close-mic'd, dry acoustic"

[VOCALS]

Always declare explicitly.

• No vocals: Add "instrumental" as a standalone keyword — always include this when vocals are not wanted.
• With vocals: Describe style, not lyrics: "wordless female vocal harmonies," "deep baritone spoken word," "layered gospel choir," "distorted punk vocals."
• Lyrics: Wrap in quotes: vocals singing: "Rise up and take the stage."

---

Negative prompts

Use negative_prompt to exclude specific elements. Be precise — model-level exclusions, not abstract moods.

Want to avoid	Negative prompt value
All vocals	"vocals, singing, choir, spoken word"
Percussion	"drums, kick, snare, hi-hat, percussion"
Distortion	"distorted guitar, fuzz, overdrive, noise"
Specific instruments	"violin, piano, brass"
Bass frequencies	"bass guitar, sub-bass, 808"
Genre bleed	"jazz, hip-hop, electronic"

Do not use mood words in negative prompts — "sad", "boring", "cheap" have no effect.

---

Timestamp prompting

For dynamic genre or mood shifts within a clip, use [mm:ss] markers in the prompt. Only available for longer clips (lyria-3-pro-preview).

[0:00] Sparse piano intro, slow and contemplative, 60 BPM.
[0:15] Full orchestral swell enters — strings, brass, timpani.
[0:45] Returns to solo piano, fading out.

Rules:

• Timestamps must be in [mm:ss] format.
• Minimum 15 seconds between transitions.
• Maximum 3–4 transition points per clip to avoid incoherence.
• Each section must still specify genre, mood, and instrumentation.

---

Model selection

Model	Duration	Best for
lyria-3-clip-preview	~30s	Default. Loops, stingers, short background pieces.
lyria-3-pro-preview	up to ~3min	Full tracks, complex structures, timestamp prompting.

Always use lyria-3-clip-preview unless the user explicitly needs a longer track or timestamp-based structure.

---

Full prompt examples

Background underscore for a product video:

Upbeat corporate pop. Optimistic and forward-moving. Instrumentation: electric piano, clean electric guitar, light synth pads, punchy kick and snare. 118 BPM. Builds from sparse verse to full chorus at 0:15. Studio quality, polished mix. Instrumental.

Suspense cue for a horror sequence:

Dark cinematic orchestral. Tense, dread-building. Lead: low string ostinato with dissonant brass stabs. Sparse, irregular percussion. 60 BPM rubato. No melody — sustained atmospheric texture. Large-room reverb. Instrumental.
Negative prompt: piano, acoustic guitar, major key, bright tones.

Lo-fi study track:

Lo-fi hip-hop. Melancholic and cozy. Instrumentation: Fender Rhodes, vinyl-sampled double bass, brushed jazz drums, atmospheric pad. 85 BPM. Loopable, no structural variation. Warm tape saturation, vinyl crackle. Instrumental.

Cinematic epic with vocals:

Cinematic epic orchestral. Triumphant and emotionally charged. Full orchestra: soaring strings, French horns, choir, orchestral percussion. 120 BPM, driving. Builds through verse to massive final chorus. Studio quality, IMAX-scale dynamics. Wordless female and male choir.

---

Common failures

• Omitting "instrumental" when no vocals are wanted — the model often adds them by default.
• Using a single-word genre ("rock") without mood or instrumentation — produces a generic, unfocused result.
• Specifying lyrics without using the vocals singing: format — lyrics may appear as narration instead.
• Using mood words in negative_prompt — only instrument and genre terms have effect.
• Requesting complex song structure on a 30s clip — use lyria-3-pro-preview and timestamp prompting.
• Stacking more than 4 timestamp transitions — causes abrupt, incoherent transitions.