/acestep

name: acestep
description: AI music generation with ACE-Step 1.5 — background music, vocal tracks, covers, stem extraction for video production. Use when generating music, soundtracks, jingles, or working with audio stems. Triggers include background music, soundtrack, jingle, music generation, stem extraction, cover, style transfer, or musical composition tasks.

ACE-Step 1.5 Music Generation

Open-source music generation (MIT license) via `tools/music_gen.py`. Runs on RunPod serverless. Requires `RUNPOD_API_KEY` and `RUNPOD_ACESTEP_ENDPOINT_ID` in `.env` (run `--setup` to create endpoint).

Quick Reference

# Basic generation
python tools/music_gen.py --prompt "Upbeat tech corporate" --duration 60 --output bg.mp3

# With musical control
python tools/music_gen.py --prompt "Calm ambient piano" --duration 30 --bpm 72 --key "D Major" --output ambient.mp3

# Scene presets (video production)
python tools/music_gen.py --preset corporate-bg --duration 60 --output bg.mp3
python tools/music_gen.py --preset tension --duration 20 --output problem.mp3
python tools/music_gen.py --preset cta --brand digital-samba --duration 15 --output cta.mp3

# Vocals with lyrics
python tools/music_gen.py --prompt "Indie pop jingle" --lyrics "[verse]\nBuild it better\nShip it faster" --duration 30 --output jingle.mp3

# Cover / style transfer
python tools/music_gen.py --cover --reference theme.mp3 --prompt "Jazz piano version" --duration 60 --output jazz_cover.mp3

# Stem extraction
python tools/music_gen.py --extract vocals --input mixed.mp3 --output vocals.mp3

# List presets
python tools/music_gen.py --list-presets

Creating a Song (Step by Step)

1. Instrumental background track (simplest)

python tools/music_gen.py --prompt "Upbeat indie rock, driving drums, jangly guitar" --duration 60 --bpm 120 --key "G Major" --output track.mp3

2. Song with vocals and lyrics

Write lyrics in a temp file or pass inline. Use structure tags to control song sections.

# Write lyrics to a file first (recommended for longer songs)
cat > /tmp/lyrics.txt << 'LYRICS'
[Verse 1]
Walking through the morning light
Coffee in my hand feels right
Another day to build and dream
Nothing's ever what it seems

[Chorus - anthemic]
WE KEEP MOVING FORWARD
Through the noise and doubt
We keep moving forward
That's what it's about

[Verse 2]
Screens are glowing late at night
Shipping code until it's right
The deadline's close but so are we
Almost there, just wait and see

[Chorus - bigger]
WE KEEP MOVING FORWARD
Through the noise and doubt
We keep moving forward
That's what it's about

[Outro - fade]
(Moving forward...)
LYRICS

# Generate the song
python tools/music_gen.py \
  --prompt "Upbeat indie rock anthem, male vocal, driving drums, electric guitar, studio polish" \
  --lyrics "$(cat /tmp/lyrics.txt)" \
  --duration 60 \
  --bpm 128 \
  --key "G Major" \
  --output my_song.mp3

3. Using a preset for video background

python tools/music_gen.py --preset tension --duration 20 --output problem_scene.mp3

Key tips for good results

• **Caption = overall style** (genre, instruments, mood, production quality)
• **Lyrics = temporal structure** (verse/chorus flow, vocal delivery)
• **UPPERCASE in lyrics** = high vocal intensity
• **Parentheses** = background vocals: "We rise (together)"
• **Keep 6-10 syllables per line** for natural rhythm
• **Don't describe the melody in the caption** — describe the *sound* and *feeling*
• **Use `--seed`** to lock randomness when iterating on prompt/lyrics

Scene Presets

| Preset | BPM | Key | Use Case | |--------|-----|-----|----------| | `corporate-bg` | 110 | C Major | Professional background, presentations | | `upbeat-tech` | 128 | G Major | Product launches, tech demos | | `ambient` | 72 | D Major | Overview slides, reflective content | | `dramatic` | 90 | D Minor | Reveals, announcements | | `tension` | 85 | A Minor | Problem statements, challenges | | `hopeful` | 120 | C Major | Solution reveals, resolutions | | `cta` | 135 | E Major | Call to action, closing energy | | `lofi` | 85 | F Major | Screen recordings, coding demos |

Task Types

text2music (default)

Generate music from text prompt + optional lyrics.

cover

Style transfer from reference audio. Control blend with `--cover-strength` (0.0-1.0):

• **0.2** — Loose style inspiration (more creative freedom)
• **0.5** — Balanced style transfer
• **0.7** — Close to original structure (default)
• **1.0** — Maximum fidelity to source

extract

Stem separation — isolate individual tracks from mixed audio. Tracks: `vocals`, `drums`, `bass`, `guitar`, `piano`, `keyboard`, `strings`, `brass`, `woodwinds`, `other`

repaint (future)

Regenerate a specific time segment within existing audio while preserving the rest.

lego (future, requires base model)

Generate individual instrument tracks within an existing audio context.

complete (future, requires base model)

Extend partial compositions by adding specified instruments.

Prompt Engineering

Caption Writing — Layer Dimensions

Write captions by layering multiple descriptive dimensions rather than single-word descriptions.

**Dimensions to include:**

• **Genre/Style**: pop, rock, jazz, electronic, lo-fi, synthwave, orchestral
• **Emotion/Mood**: melancholic, euphoric, dreamy, nostalgic, intimate, tense
• **Instruments**: acoustic guitar, synth pads, 808 drums, strings, brass, piano
• **Timbre**: warm, crisp, airy, punchy, lush, polished, raw
• **Era**: "80s synth-pop", "modern indie", "classical romantic"
• **Production**: lo-fi, studio-polished, live recording, cinematic
• **Vocal**: breathy, powerful, falsetto, raspy, spoken word (or "instrumental")

**Good**: "Slow melancholic piano ballad with intimate female vocal, warm strings building to powerful chorus, studio-polished production" **Bad**: "Sad song"

Key Principles

1. **Specificity over vagueness** — describe instruments, mood, production style