Audio PromptMonster

How to write prompts for Udio

Last checked 4 October 2026Not affiliated with Udio

Udio reads a Prompt that describes the song, an optional Style Reduction list of what to keep out, and your Lyrics, with section tags like [Verse] and [Chorus]. Its own guide describes a prompt as a topic followed by comma-separated genre tags. One thing to know first: Udio has not let anyone download what they make since 29 October 2025.

What does Udio read?

Udio's song description is called the Prompt. Under Advanced Controls, Style Reduction takes the genres, styles or ideas to play down. With your own words, the Lyrics Editor takes the lyrics and their section tags. Udio states no length limit for the prompt or the lyrics, and suggests splitting longer lyrics into sections.

Before you start: since its partnership with Universal Music Group on 29 October 2025, Udio has turned off downloads of audio, video and stems. You can make and share songs on Udio, but not take the files away.

WhatValueSource
DownloadsTurned off since 29 October 2025 (audio, video and stems)Udio, UMG partnership changes, 4 October 2026
Modelsv1, v1.5 and v1.5 AllegroUdio, WMG partnership, 4 October 2026
Song length2:10 or 32 seconds per generation; Extend up to 10 sections in allUdio, Create Your First Song, 4 October 2026
PromptNo length limit statedUdio, Prompt Like a Master, 4 October 2026
Things to avoidStyle Reduction, in Advanced ControlsUdio, Prompt Like a Master, 4 October 2026
LyricsYour own, in the Lyrics Editor; no length limit statedUdio, your own lyrics, 4 October 2026
Lyric tagsUdio's list includes [Verse], [Chorus], [Pre-chorus], [Bridge], [Instrumental Break], [Spoken Word] and [Choir]; it is not exhaustiveUdio, guidance tags, 4 October 2026
Backing vocalsWritten in (parentheses) in the lyricsUdio, Prompt Like a Master, 4 October 2026
Edit (replace music or lyrics)Paid subscribers, and those trialling oneUdio, Edit, 4 October 2026
APMonster's Udio promptA topic, then comma-separated tags, under 1,500 charactersAPMonster's own practice

What does Udio say a prompt should contain?

Udio's own guide describes a prompt as a topic, or any free text, followed by one or more genre tags separated by commas, such as a song about summer rain with the tags jazz, mellow and warm. A method written by community members and published in Udio's help centre orders the parts: genre, then the vocalist, the mood, the instruments, and finally what the song is about and how it should sound.

How does APMonster write a Udio prompt?

APMonster writes Udio's prompt the way Udio's own guide describes one: a short topic or scene, then comma-separated tags in the order the method in Udio's help centre gives. That is the genre, the vocalist, the mood and the instruments, then how and where the song should sound, with the tempo as "N BPM" among the tags. It stays under 1,500 characters, APMonster's own working length: Udio states no limit.

How do you tell Udio what to avoid?

Open Advanced Controls and list them in Style Reduction, which Udio says reduces the impact of specific genres, styles or concepts. APMonster writes them on a separate "Style Reduction" line, kept out of the prompt itself.

How does Udio take song structure and lyrics?

Section tags go in the lyrics. Typing [ in Udio's lyrics box offers a list of tags, from [Verse] and [Chorus] to [Instrumental Break] and [Spoken Word]; Udio says the list is guidance, not hard-coded commands. Backing vocals go in (parentheses).

A generation is 2:10 or 32 seconds long. A longer song is built with Extend, up to 10 sections in all, and paid subscribers can edit a section's music or lyrics afterwards.

The example song's structure, as APMonster writes it for Udio 
[Intro]
[Instrumental]
[Verse]
[Chorus]
[Verse]
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
[Chorus]
[Outro]
[Instrumental]

APMonster writes Udio's tags unnumbered and from Udio's own list, so an instrumental section becomes [Instrumental] or [Instrumental Break]. LyrAssist writes the lines under each tag.

One brief, written for Udio

Every guide on this site writes the same song for its platform. This is the shape APMonster asks for on Udio; the wording of a generated prompt varies from one generation to the next.

Prompt
A slow drive home through a sleeping city, dream pop, breathy female vocals, wistful, hopeful, chorus-soaked electric guitar, warm analog synth pads, soft drum machine, round bass, 92 BPM, late-1980s shimmer
Style Reduction
heavy distortion, trap hi-hats
Lyrics (the section tags; LyrAssist writes the lines under each)
[Intro]
[Instrumental]
[Verse]
[Chorus]
[Verse]
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
[Chorus]
[Outro]
[Instrumental]

What changed for Udio, and why

  • The prompt opens with a short scene, as Udio's guide starts with a topic. The brief names no topic, so this one is in keeping with its mood; give your own if the song is about something in particular.
  • The rest became comma-separated tags in the order of the method in Udio's help centre: genre, vocalist, mood, instruments, then how the song should sound, with the tempo as "92 BPM".
  • Things to avoid went into Style Reduction, not the prompt.
  • The section tags are unnumbered and come from Udio's list; the instrumental intro and outro each gained an [Instrumental] tag.
  • At about 2:47 the song is longer than one Udio generation (2:10), so its end comes from an Extend. And it can be played and shared on Udio, but not downloaded.

Frequently asked questions

Can I download songs from Udio?

Not at the moment. Udio turned off downloads of audio, video and stems on 29 October 2025, as part of its partnership with Universal Music Group, and has not announced their return on its own pages.

Should a Udio prompt be sentences or tags?

Udio's own guide describes a topic followed by comma-separated genre tags, such as a song about summer rain with the tags jazz, mellow and warm. APMonster writes a short topic, then tags.

Does Udio have a negative prompt?

Yes: Style Reduction, under Advanced Controls. It reduces the impact of the genres, styles or ideas you list.

What is Udio's prompt character limit?

Udio states none. APMonster keeps its Udio prompts under 1,500 characters.

How long is a Udio song?

Each generation is 2:10 or 32 seconds long; Extend builds a longer song, up to 10 sections in all.

Which tags does Udio understand in lyrics?

Udio's lyrics box suggests a list of tags as you type [, including [Verse], [Chorus], [Pre-chorus], [Bridge], [Instrumental Break], [Spoken Word] and [Choir]. Udio says they guide the song rather than command it.

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