
Song Editor in Suno v5: Composer’s Workflow
Gary Whittaker
Song Editor in Suno v5: A Composer’s Workflow
Edit sections on the waveform, control variation with sliders, and export stems for DAW mixing.

Learning Objectives
- Map Song Editor tools to concrete composition steps.
- Remake, rewrite, extend, reorder, and delete sections without rerolling the whole track.
- Export multi-stems and finish a mix in a DAW.
- Pair section edits with Weirdness, Style Influence, and (with uploads) Audio Influence.
- Diagnose common problems fast and fix them.
What the Song Editor does
- Section editing on the waveform: Remake, Rewrite, Extend, Reorder, Delete per section.
- Stem extraction: split a song into multiple stems (UI currently offers up to 12-track extraction). Verify current max in UI.
- Enhanced uploads: work from your own audio; limits depend on plan and current model. Verify current length/size in UI.
- Creative sliders: Weirdness & Style Influence are available; Audio Influence appears with uploads.
Section tools — when to use which
- Rewrite: keep section role/intent; adjust melody/lyrics within the form.
- Remake: generate a new musical idea for that section (respects prompt + sliders).
- Extend: append bars at the tail; existing bars stay the same.
- Reorder: move sections on the timeline; audio content unchanged.
- Delete: remove weak regions; transitions are engine-handled.
Creative sliders (v5)
Weirdness (Safe → Chaos)
~50% ≈ “normal” baseline.
- Raise to explore; lower for predictable hooks.
Style Influence (Loose → Strong)
- Raise for tighter adherence to your style input; lower for looser fusions.
Audio Influence (with uploads)
- Raise if the upload should lead (featured vocal/riff); lower for texture beds.
Standard section map (copy/paste)
[INTRO 4] [VERSE 1 8] [PRE 4] [CHORUS 8]
[VERSE 2 8] [PRE 4] [CHORUS 8]
[BRIDGE 8] [CHORUS 8] [OUTRO 4]
Numbers = target bar counts. Keep counts stable while you test remakes.
Energy curve rubric
Section | Energy (1–5) | Notes |
---|---|---|
Intro | 1–2 | Sparse; no lead yet |
Verse | 2–3 | Lyric clarity; few midrange parts |
Pre | 3–4 | Riser/perc detail |
Chorus | 4–5 | Hook instruments + BGV |
Bridge | 3–4 | Contrast or new motif |
Outro | 1–2 | Taper; remove leads |
Lock-first protocol
- Lock Chorus: Remake only the Chorus; Weirdness ↓, Style Influence ↑.
- Freeze Chorus: stop remaking it once it lands.
- Shape Verses: use Rewrite for diction/phrasing; keep arrangement sparse.
- Explore Bridge: Remake here; raise Weirdness one notch.
- Extend only for pre-chorus lifts and outros.
Preset slider ranges (per section)
- Radio Pop (Chorus lock): Weirdness 35–45, Style 70–85
- Hip-hop/Trap Verse: Weirdness 40–55, Style 55–70
- Worship/Gospel Chorus: Weirdness 25–40, Style 75–90
- Orchestral Bridge: Weirdness 55–70, Style 45–60
- Ambient Outro: Weirdness 70–85, Style 35–55
- With lead-vocal upload: Audio Influence 60–75 (lead) / 20–40 (texture)
Adjust ±10; change one control at a time and compare 20–30s regions.
If you uploaded audio
- Set Audio Influence high for lead; low for texture.
- State BPM/key in the global prompt and section notes.
- If timing drifts: remake only the off section (don’t reroll the song).
- If the upload fights the mix: lower Audio Influence; describe it as “ambient texture.”
Editor + sliders quick matrix
Goal | Editor action | Sliders | Prompt/Edit note |
---|---|---|---|
Lock a hook | Remake Chorus | Weirdness ↓, Style ↑ | Short, repeatable chorus lyric |
Fix weak verse | Rewrite Verse | Mid Weirdness/Style | Add concrete instrument tags |
Add lift into chorus | Extend pre-chorus 1–2 bars | Weirdness +1 | “riser/transition” |
Try new bridge idea | Remake Bridge | Weirdness ↑ | Keep other sections frozen |
Smooth transitions | Reorder / Extend tails | Style mid | “soft transition / no hard stop” |
Upload leads | Remake sections around upload | Audio ↑ | Mark upload “featured”; restate BPM/key |
Troubleshooting
Symptom | Root cause | Editor fix | DAW/stem tip |
---|---|---|---|
Chorus not memorable | Variation too high | Lower Weirdness; Remake Chorus; shorten lyric | Add one hook instrument |
Verse too busy | Too many mid parts | Rewrite; reduce tags | Keep 2–3 mids only |
Abrupt cuts | Zero-tail regions | Extend 1–2 bars | Short fade at edit |
Timing wobble (uploads) | BPM mismatch | Restate BPM; remake only off section | Check grid after export |
Lyric drift | Loose adherence | Rewrite; keep lines short | Use phonetics; see Pronunciation Guide |
Bar misalignment in DAW | Stems start padding | Re-export all stems | Align on first transient; match sample rate |
Phasey vocals | Duplicate doubles | Mute extra BGV stem | Mono-check on master |
Hook lost after edits | Later remake overwrote it | Revert to saved Chorus | Save variants after each good remake |
Export naming convention
JR_Project_Song_v03/
01_Drums.wav
02_Perc.wav
03_Bass.wav
04_Gtr_Rhythm.wav
05_Gtr_Lead.wav
06_Keys.wav
07_Pads.wav
08_Strings.wav
09_Brass.wav
10_FX.wav
11_BGV.wav
12_LVox.wav
Same length and sample rate/bit depth across stems.
Editor presets (exact steps)
Hook-First Pop (3 passes)
- Remake Chorus ×2 (Weirdness 40, Style 80).
- Rewrite Verse 1 (reduce mids; diction check).
- Remake Bridge (Weirdness 60); Extend 2-bar tail into Chorus.
Upload-Led Ballad
- Audio Influence 65 (lead vocal), Weirdness 35, Style 75.
- Remake Chorus only; Rewrite Verse for clarity.
- Extend Outro 4 bars; export stems.
Pre-export QA (one screen)
- Chorus repeats identically; no drift.
- Verse intelligible in mono.
- Transitions smooth; tails extended where needed.
- Uploads in tune/time; BPM/key consistent.
- Stems test-imported; alignment confirmed.
Suno v5 Series — Full List
- Suno v5 Playbook — Complete Guide
- Suno v5 vs v4/4.5/4.5 Plus — Upgrade Guide
- Inside Suno v5 — Model Architecture & Technical Mechanics
- Negative Prompting in Suno v5 — The Missing Manual
- Suno v5 Multilingual & English Pronunciation Guide
- Custom Lyrics in Suno v5 — Precision & Control
- Instrumentation & Arrangement in Suno v5
- Audio Uploads & Hybrid Workflow in Suno v5
- Creative Control Sliders in Suno v5 — Practical Manual
- Song Editor in Suno v5 — Composer’s Workflow
- Suno Studio (v5) — Complete Guide & Workflows
- Suno v5 to Release: Mixing Inside Suno — Best-Practices Playbook