local-music-generation

name	local-music-generation
description	Generate cheap/local procedural background music as WAV/MP3 with genre presets, humanization, anti-loop rules, and public listen links. Use this for lo-fi, cozy background music, ambient beds, simple game/menu music, and rough punk/pop-punk demos without Suno.
tags	["music","procedural-audio","lofi","background-music","local-generation","mp3","python","creative"]
triggers	["generate background music","make lofi","local music generation","procedural music","cheap alternative to Suno","make a music link","render mp3","youtube background music"]
related_skills	["strudel-music","songwriting-and-ai-music"]

Local Music Generation

Use this skill when the user wants cheap/local generated music rendered to audio files, especially background music, lo-fi, ambient, cozy loops, game/menu music, or rough punk/pop-punk demos.

This is not a replacement for Suno/Udio-quality full songs with vocals. It is useful for:

• background beds
• lo-fi/study music
• cozy app/site/video music
• ambient loops
• simple game/menu tracks
• educational demos
• cheap iterative sketches

Core principle

Do not generate “one random loop repeated for 2 minutes.” Generate a small arrangement:

Intro → A → A' → B → A'' → breakdown/bridge → final A/B → ending/fade

Even background music needs subtle movement.

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Rendering backends

Backend A — Pure Python synth

Use when speed/reliability matters. No extra dependencies beyond Python + ffmpeg.

Good for:

• lo-fi beds
• ambient pads
• cozy/simple game music
• drones
• procedural texture

Weak for:

• realistic rock guitar
• vocals
• acoustic realism

Backend B — SoundFont/MIDI

Use when a more instrument-like sound is needed. Local system may have:

/usr/share/sounds/sf2/default-GM.sf2
/usr/share/sounds/sf2/TimGM6mb.sf2
/usr/share/sounds/sf3/default-GM.sf3

Good for:

• piano/electric piano
• bass
• strings/pads
• GM drums
• simple pop/rock demos

Weak for:

• convincing distorted guitars
• modern production polish

Backend C — Sample-pack hybrid

Best long-term option if free/licensed samples are available.

Good for:

• real drum one-shots
• vinyl noise
• texture loops
• lo-fi percussion
• guitar/piano phrases

Rule: never use samples unless licensing is clear.

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Genre presets

lofi-study

Target:

• soft, non-distracting, warm
• 70–88 BPM
• 60–180 seconds
• can loop, but with subtle variation

Use:

• dusty electric piano / soft piano approximation
• warm sine/triangle bass
• soft kick/snare/rim/hat
• vinyl noise / tape hiss
• subtle wow/flutter pitch drift
• simple 7th/9th chords if possible

Avoid:

• bright square leads
• aggressive saws
• hard distortion
• busy melodies
• big cymbal crashes

Arrangement:

0–8 bars: intro, filtered/chords only
8–24 bars: drums + bass enter
24–40 bars: melody fragments
40–56 bars: B section / chord variation
56–72 bars: return A with small fills
last bars: strip drums or fade

cozy-background

Use:

• marimba/pluck/bell/soft pad
• simple bass
• tiny percussion
• warm room/reverb

Avoid:

• harsh transients
• strong hooks
• dense drums

ambient-soft

Use:

• slow pads
• low drone
• sparse bell tones
• long fades

Avoid:

• obvious beat
• repetitive melody
• too much high-frequency hiss

simple-corporate

Use:

• muted pluck
• soft piano
• simple four-chord progression
• light kick/clap

Avoid:

• cheese if possible
• over-bright synth brass
• aggressive drums

2000s-pop-punk-demo

Use:

• acoustic-ish drums
• picked bass
• muted verse guitar
• open chorus power chords
• octave lead only in phrases

Avoid:

• game-like square leads
• excessive distortion
• same 4 bars repeated constantly

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Humanization rules

Always apply some of these unless the user explicitly wants robotic/electronic:

• timing offset: ±5–20 ms depending genre
• velocity/gain variation: ±5–20%
• drum fills every 8 or 16 bars, not every bar
• chord voicing changes every section
• melody appears in phrases, not constantly
• vary hats/percussion subtly
• final section should differ from first section
• fade or deliberate ending, not abrupt stop

For lo-fi specifically:

• add vinyl/tape hiss quietly
• use wow/flutter: slow pitch/amplitude modulation
• slightly low-pass bright elements
• leave space

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Anti-loop checklist

Before sending a generated track, ask:

• Does the same 4-bar idea repeat for the whole track?
• Is there an intro?
• Is there a B section or breakdown?
• Does something change every 8 bars?
• Does the lead shut up sometimes?
• Does the final section feel slightly fuller or different?
• Does the fade/end feel intentional?

For background music, repetition is allowed, but exact repetition is not.

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Quality checklist

Listen mentally / inspect generation choices before publishing:

• No clipping; normalize below ~0.92 peak.
• Bass is not too loud.
• Hiss/noise is quiet, not masking music.
• Lead is not game-like unless requested.
• Distortion is minimal except punk/grunge.
• Drum transients are not painfully sharp.
• Track has a public MP3 link and a simple listen page.

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Recommended workflow

1. Pick preset: lofi-study, cozy-background, ambient-soft, simple-corporate, 2000s-pop-punk-demo.
2. Pick duration and seed.
3. Render WAV locally.
4. Encode MP3 with ffmpeg.
5. Publish to /home/hermes/apps/container-host/music/<slug>/.
6. Create a simple listen/download index.html.
7. Verify local and public URLs return 200 OK.

Public host workflow:

mkdir -p /home/hermes/apps/container-host/music/<slug>
cp track.mp3 track.wav /home/hermes/apps/container-host/music/<slug>/
curl -I http://localhost:5090/music/<slug>/
curl -I https://container.omarbenaidy.com/music/<slug>/

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Script usage

This skill includes a reusable starter renderer:

python ~/.hermes/skills/creative/local-music-generation/scripts/render_music.py \
  --style lofi-study \
  --duration 120 \
  --seed 42 \
  --slug rainy-desk \
  --outdir /home/hermes/generated-music

Expected outputs:

<outdir>/<slug>.wav
<outdir>/<slug>.mp3

If the script is not enough for a request, modify or fork it, but keep the preset concepts and quality checklist above.

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When to push back

Be honest if the user asks for:

• realistic vocals
• radio-ready pop/rock
• Suno-quality guitars
• exact artist imitation

Say: local procedural generation can sketch the vibe cheaply, but realism needs samples, SoundFonts, or a dedicated music model.