Making background music for indie games with AI

You can use AI to create background music for indie games. Suno generates custom tracks based on your text prompts, giving you control over elements like length, loudness, and whether the music includes vocals. This helps you get unique audio tailored to your game's specific needs.

Why use AI for indie game music?

Indie game developers often work with limited budgets and tight deadlines. Creating original music can be expensive and time-consuming. AI music generation offers a fast and affordable alternative. You can rapidly prototype different musical ideas, iterate on themes, and get unique tracks without needing a composer or a large music library.

Suno uses Google's Lyria 3 models to turn your written prompt into a full song, including lyrics, vocals, and arrangement. You can specify genre, mood, instrumentation, and even the energy level of the track. This level of control allows you to create background music that perfectly fits your game's aesthetic.

Customizing music for your game

Indie games need specific types of background music. Here is how Suno helps you control key elements:

Length and looping

Game music often needs to be a specific length to fit a scene or loop seamlessly. While Suno generates full songs, you can specify the desired length in your prompt. You can also generate variations and edit tracks externally to create perfect loops. Experiment with different lengths to find what works best for your game's flow.

"A 2-minute ambient synthwave track for a space exploration game, calm and atmospheric."

"A 90-second upbeat chiptune track, suitable for a retro platformer level, with a clear loop point."

Loudness and mixing

Background music should complement gameplay without overpowering it. You can describe the desired loudness and mix in your prompt. For example, you might ask for music that is subtle or understated.

"A soft, ethereal piano piece, very background, suitable for a puzzle game's menu screen."

"An orchestral fantasy track, epic but not too loud, to play under dialogue in an RPG."

After generation, you can further adjust the volume and mix of your tracks using standard audio editing software. This lets you fine-tune the balance between music, sound effects, and dialogue within your game.

Vocals: yes or no?

Most background music for games does not include vocals. Vocals can distract players from gameplay or dialogue. Suno can generate music with or without vocals. If you want instrumental music, simply specify it in your prompt.

"An instrumental acoustic folk track for a quaint village scene, no vocals."

"A driving, instrumental rock track for a boss battle, high energy, no singing."

If you do want vocals, you can describe the type of voice and lyrics you envision. This could be useful for a title screen, a credit sequence, or a specific narrative moment.

"A haunting female vocal track, with atmospheric synth pads, suitable for a mysterious cutscene."

Licensing and commercial use

Understanding music licensing is crucial for indie game developers. The copyright status of AI-generated music is currently unsettled and varies by country. For example, the US Copyright Office has stated it will not register works without human authorship. You should check the current laws and regulations in your specific country to understand your rights and obligations.

Regarding commercial use, Suno's free plan does not include commercial usage rights. If you plan to sell your game or use the music in any commercial project, a paid Suno plan is required. Always refer to the latest Suno terms of service for detailed information on usage rights and licensing. Policies can change, so it is always best to check the primary source for the most up-to-date information.