Introduction
After doing a couple of blog posts testing out Suno– a generative AI platform that generates music of all kinds– I was excited to hear about the launch of its new competitor on April 10th: Udio. Though I accidentally almost signed up for the platform on a fake phishing website, once I navigated to the actual platform I knew I had to compare it to Suno, given their matching functions, similar capabilities, and nearly-identical UI designs. (Even the names feel like they mimick one another!) Below is what I found!
Comparisons
To best pit these Udio and Suno against one another, I decided to give them three different prompts, focusing on contemporary rap, classic pop ballads, and a curveball– yodeling. I believed that this range of tasks would allow for each platform to show off their abilities even if they produced vastly different works.
Rap Face-Off
Prompt:
A contemporary rap song about heartbreak.
Suno Responses: “Hopeless Hearts”
https://suno.com/song/52491175-d793-4cca-9743-845268969485
https://suno.com/song/3218452c-d1df-493c-89f7-e153608bff63
Udio Responses: “Love in Cold Ink” & “Spiraling Silence”
https://www.udio.com/songs/i7Rmdgv7ZQgiMTZoc5E755
https://www.udio.com/songs/2hS1miaDhLfbL5Dk61vJGr
Right off the bat I’m noticing some immediate differences:
- Where Suno produces two songs with the same title and lyrics, Udio creates two different titles and sets of lyrics entirely
- Where Suno creates two similar yet differentiated album covers, Udio uses a generic template for the art that is seemingly unrelated to the song it creates
- Udio’s “Love in Cold Ink” fully has sections with lyrics that are/sound like gibberish despite having written clear lyrics in its description. Additionally, the vocals on this track remind me a lot of Nicki Minaj’s tone quality which is interesting
- Udio’s “Spiraling Silence” also sounded a lot like a real song called “Escapism” by RAYE, so I’m noticing that this platform tends to produce music more acutely similar to existing songs
- Udio did a really solid job at following the prompt, while Suno had one very accurate execution of the genre (link #1) and one that missed the mark
- Neither platform’s lyricism was objectively better than the other’s on this iteration
Slow Ballads
Prompt:
A classic, slow tempo pop ballad that brings tears to my eyes.
Suno Responses: “Whispered Melodies”
https://suno.com/song/e2b154d9-84d5-4d62-94eb-b1245edaeb76
https://suno.com/song/ffd0eccf-ad7e-4bf7-a810-c166eb0ea4e7
Udio Responses: “Adrift Alone” & “Eternal Echoes”
https://www.udio.com/songs/hEGaKx58gMYwtsxAw7pYie
https://www.udio.com/songs/fUBxygfWjQGUm6upefLQdB
- In this test, Suno took the prompt in a weird direction, using actual parts of my phrasing in the lyrics; most notably “slow tempo” and “tears to my eyes.” Odd choice.
- Despite Suno’s slightly weird lyrical take, I think the melody and feel of it’s songs outdid Udio’s execution on this prompt
- Udio went a lot more rock than pop in “Adrift Alone,” and had pretty weak lyrics
- Udio’s “Eternal Echoes” was a more appropriate response, but once again fell short with its rather vague, non-descript lyrics
A Challenge; Yodeling
Prompt:
A yodel song about fruit.
Suno Responses: “Fruity Serenade”
https://suno.com/song/b6a65e6a-84e6-4057-898f-ae4572c8aa0b
https://suno.com/song/6b98dd37-206f-41fa-82e6-6e0724e8dbbb
Udio Responses: “Orchard Serenade” & “Homegrown Harvest”
https://www.udio.com/songs/p6r6ymHC2kLKFFjjZaDxPS
https://www.udio.com/songs/7rjQqkjjw37y7ZhoDmdJU4
- Both platforms intepreted my yodeling prompt as a country tune, which was fine because they both did it. Still, it is clear that AI has a ways to go in terms of producing music that exists outside the realm of the main American genres
- Suno’s lyrics were very juvenile on this one, and Udio’s “Orchard Serenade” far exceeded them in quality
- Both Suno and Udio produced vocals with American country accents, which I thought was impressive
Conclusion
After comparing and contrasting Suno and Udio, I have to say that I don’t think there is a clear winner! Both won in lyrics in different prompt iterations and failed in others, and where Suno makes just one song title/set of lyrics, Udio makes only two kinds of album art, so there is a range of pros and cons for each platform. As noted in previous blog posts, though, I think that music-generative AI as a concept has a far way to go until it can match human creation, but it definitely can be used as a tool for brainstorming at this point. All in all, I had a wonderful time seeing what each platform had to offer, and look forward to seeing how they evolve down the road!