Audio, Music & Soundtrack Production.

The Audio Stack

AI cinema audio has four layers. Each layer uses different tools and techniques: | Layer | Purpose | Tools | Cost | |-------|---------|-------|------| | Dialogue/VO | Character speech, narration | ElevenLabs, Parler TTS | $0.05-0.20/min | | Music | Soundtrack, score | Suno, Udio | $0.02-0.10/track | | Sound Design | Ambient, foley, SFX | ElevenLabs SFX, Freesound.org | $0.00-0.05 | | Mix/Master | Final audio assembly | DaVinci Resolve, Timbre | $0.00-0.10 | Total audio budget for a 3-minute short: $0.15-0.50. Traditional equivalent: $500-3,000. The layers are produced independently and mixed together in post-production. This separation gives you full control over the balance between dialogue, music, and ambient sound.

AI Music Production

Suno and Udio generate full-length songs and instrumental tracks from text prompts. For cinema, you need instrumental scores that serve the narrative without competing for attention. **Suno prompt for cinematic score:** ``` Style: ambient cinematic score Mood: melancholic, contemplative, building tension Instruments: synthesizer pads, muted piano, distant strings, subtle electronic percussion Tempo: 72 BPM Duration: 3 minutes Structure: slow build from minimal to full arrangement, climax at 2:00, resolve to quiet ending Reference: Blade Runner 2049 soundtrack meets Radiohead No vocals. No lyrics. ``` **Key principles for film scoring with AI:** 1. **Generate long, then cut.** Produce a 3-5 minute track and edit it to fit your scenes. Do not generate a separate track per scene -- musical continuity matters. 2. **Stem separation.** Use Timbre to separate your generated track into stems (drums, bass, synth, strings). This lets you duck music under dialogue and bring it up during visual-only moments. ```bash # Timbre stem separation timbre separate --input score.mp3 --stems vocals,drums,bass,other # Output: score_drums.wav, score_bass.wav, score_other.wav ``` 3. **Layer and loop.** Take the best 30-second section of a longer track and loop it as your foundation. Layer other generated elements on top for variation. 4. **Match tempo to edit.** If your cut rhythm is slow and contemplative, your music should be 60-80 BPM. Action sequences need 100-140 BPM. Tempo mismatch is immediately noticeable.