Keep this page open while you write Udio prompts. It has the vocabulary the 2026 model understands — genre kits, mood words, vocal terms, music-theory language, and the section tags that structure your song. Every table is copy-paste ready. Udio has two input areas: the description (Prompt) box for the sound world and the Lyrics box for your words plus section tags. For full walkthroughs, see the best Udio prompts and how to prompt Udio for songs.
The description-box formula
Every strong description breaks into five beats, in this order. Udio weights the earliest words most, so lead with genre and mood. Aim for 4-7 strong descriptors and keep each tag to 1-3 words.
| Part | What to write |
|---|---|
| 1. Genre + subgenre | The style foundation — synth-pop, boom bap, chillhop. Put it first; earliest words carry the most weight. |
| 2. Mood / emotion | A specific feeling — driving, melancholy, dreamy. Second most important. |
| 3. Vocal style + character | Who sings and how — breathy female lead, raspy male vocal, or no vocals. |
| 4. Instruments + production | Key sounds and mix quality — warm Rhodes, vinyl crackle, wide 48kHz mix. |
| 5. Tempo / BPM | A named feel or a number — uptempo, mid-tempo, 124 BPM. |
String these into a short comma-separated list, put the whole thing in the description box, and write your words plus [section] tags in the Lyrics box. See Udio prompt templates for fill-in-the-blank skeletons built on this exact formula.
Genre tag kits
Drop-in tag sets for the most-used genres, with the BPM range Udio expects for each. Pick a kit, then adjust the mood and vocals around it.
| Genre | Core tags | Typical BPM |
|---|---|---|
| Pop | bright synths, punchy drums, catchy topline, layered harmonies, wide stereo mix | 100-130 |
| Synth-pop | retro analog synths, gated reverb drums, shimmering arpeggios, neon 80s sheen | 110-125 |
| Lo-fi | jazzy Rhodes, warm vinyl crackle, dusty swung drums, mellow, chillhop | 65-80 |
| Trap | deep 808 sub-bass, fast rolling hi-hats, rattling snare, dark synth lead | 130-170 (half-time) |
| Drill | sliding 808 bass, syncopated snare, dark piano, menacing | 140-145 |
| Boom bap | sampled jazz loop, punchy dusty drums, vinyl scratch, laid-back flow | 85-100 |
| House | four-on-the-floor kick, deep bassline, filtered chords, warm pads | 120-128 |
| Drum & bass | fast chopped breakbeat, rolling reese bass, amen break, high-energy | 165-175 |
| R&B | smooth electric piano, finger-snap percussion, silky vocals, warm sub-bass | 60-90 |
| Rock | driving electric guitars, live drums, punchy bass, anthemic chorus | 110-140 |
| Acoustic / singer-songwriter | fingerpicked acoustic guitar, intimate vocals, close-mic room ambience | 70-100 |
| Cinematic | swelling strings, epic brass, taiko drums, orchestral, wide reverb tail | 60-110 |
| Country | acoustic guitar, pedal steel, banjo, warm storytelling vocal | 90-120 |
| EDM / festival | big-room synth lead, sidechained pads, huge drop, festival energy | 126-132 |
| Jazz | upright bass walk, brushed drums, warm piano comping, muted trumpet | 100-160 (swing) |
Don't name real artists — Udio deflects them. Describe the style instead, like 90s boom-bap flow or breathy indie-pop falsetto. Browse finished sets in the best Udio prompts.
Mood & energy words
Concrete mood words steer the arrangement far more than generic ones. Note that "energetic" alone is weak — prefer driving, urgent, or high-octane.
| Group | Example words |
|---|---|
| Uplifting | euphoric, triumphant, sunny, feel-good, anthemic, hopeful |
| Dark | brooding, ominous, sinister, gritty, haunting, menacing |
| Chill | mellow, laid-back, dreamy, hazy, warm, easygoing |
| Intense | driving, urgent, high-octane, relentless, explosive, frantic |
| Emotional | melancholy, bittersweet, wistful, tender, aching, nostalgic |
Vocal styles
Name the singer's character in the description box. Combine a delivery term with a lead type, like breathy female lead or raspy male vocal.
| Term | Sound |
|---|---|
| Raspy | Gritty, textured edge — soul, rock, blues |
| Breathy | Soft, airy, intimate — indie-pop, R&B |
| Belted | Powerful, full-chest, loud sustained notes |
| Falsetto | High, light head voice above normal range |
| Spoken word | Talked, not sung — rap verses, poetry |
| Mumble | Loose, slurred, melodic rap delivery |
| Auto-tuned | Pitch-corrected, robotic sheen — trap, hyperpop |
| Choir / harmonies | Layered, stacked voices, group backing |
| Whispered | Very quiet, close-mic, hushed intimacy |
| Male / female / androgynous lead | Sets the lead voice's gender character |
Section tags (Lyrics box)
These go in the Lyrics box, each on its own line in square brackets, to structure the song. They belong nowhere near the description box.
| Tag | What it does |
|---|---|
[Intro] | Opens the track — instrumental or a soft lead-in |
[Verse] | Main storytelling section that sets up the chorus |
[Pre-Chorus] | Builds tension into the chorus |
[Chorus] | The hook — biggest, most repeated section |
[Post-Chorus] | A short tag or riff right after the chorus |
[Bridge] | Contrast section that breaks the pattern |
[Hook] | A catchy repeated phrase, common in rap |
[Instrumental] | A no-vocals passage |
[Guitar Solo] | Cues a lead guitar solo |
[Break] | A stripped-back or beat-free breather |
[Outro] | Closes the track — fade or final phrase |
A line beginning with / inserts a guidance tag — Udio reads it as direction rather than a lyric to sing. Backing vocals and ad-libs go inside lyric lines in parentheses — (whispered), (harmonies), (ad-libs), (falsetto) — right where you want the effect to land.
Music-theory terms Udio understands
Udio handles music-theory language well, so you can steer harmony and feel precisely. Add these to the description box alongside your genre tags.
| Concept | Examples you can use |
|---|---|
| Modes | Dorian mode, Phrygian, Mixolydian, Lydian brightness |
| Keys | in A minor, C major, F# minor, modulating up a semitone |
| Chord voicings | lush 7th chords, suspended chords, jazzy 9ths and 13ths, open power chords |
| Progressions | ii-V-I turnaround, I-V-vi-IV pop progression, 12-bar blues |
| Time signatures | 4/4 groove, waltz in 3/4, odd-meter 7/8, 6/8 shuffle |
Settings & features
These are app controls and sliders, not description text. Reaching for them does more than any tag you could type into the description box.
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Prompt Strength slider | Controls how tightly Udio sticks to your description. Higher hugs the tags; lower gives the model creative room. |
| Lyrics Strength slider | Sets how faithfully the vocal follows your written lyrics versus improvising phrasing and melody. |
| Inpainting | Udio's standout edit: select a short region (about two seconds), describe a change, and it regenerates only that slice. Fixes a word or swaps an instrument without re-rolling the song. |
| Extend | Adds roughly 30 seconds — the next section — to a clip so you can grow a track past its first generation. |
| Remix | Re-generates a track with adjusted description or settings while keeping its overall shape. |
| Stems | Downloads split parts (vocals, drums, bass, melody) for mixing in your own DAW. |
| Cover | Re-records an existing song in a new style you specify. |
| Instrumental toggle | Removes vocals entirely. Or add instrumental, no vocals to the description and leave the Lyrics box empty. |
The 2026 model outputs 48kHz stereo and can build songs up to about 8 minutes. Arrange, trim, and stitch sections on the timeline in the Sessions editor. For loopable background music add seamless loop, no fade in, no fade out to the description.
Example prompts
Five complete description-box prompts built from the tables above. Each is ready to paste straight into the description box, with a one-line note on what it's for.
1. Uplifting synth-pop
synth-pop, euphoric and hopeful, breathy female lead with stacked harmonies, shimmering analog arpeggios, gated reverb drums, punchy bass, neon 80s sheen, uptempo 120 BPMBest for: feel-good radio pop with a soaring singalong chorus.
2. Dark trap
trap, brooding and menacing, auto-tuned male lead with ad-libs, deep 808 sub-bass, fast rolling hi-hats, rattling snare, dark minor synth lead in F# minor, 148 BPM half-time feelBest for: hard-hitting rap beats with a shadowy top line.
3. Lo-fi instrumental
lo-fi chillhop, mellow and hazy, instrumental, no vocals, jazzy Rhodes with 7th chords, warm vinyl crackle, dusty swung drums, soft upright bass, seamless loop, no fade in, no fade out, 74 BPMBest for: loopable study and background beats — flip the Instrumental toggle on too.
4. Cinematic epic
cinematic orchestral, triumphant and sweeping, choir harmonies, swelling strings, epic brass, taiko drums, wide reverb tail, slow build in D minor to a huge climax, 88 BPMBest for: trailer music and dramatic score beds.
5. Intimate acoustic
acoustic singer-songwriter, tender and wistful, breathy male lead, fingerpicked acoustic guitar, subtle piano, close-mic room ambience, gentle 6/8 shuffle, mid-tempo 82 BPMBest for: stripped-back emotional ballads and coffee-shop folk.
Want more finished examples before you start? Browse the best Udio prompts or learn the method in how to prompt Udio for songs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many tags should a Udio prompt have?
Aim for 4-7 strong descriptors, or roughly 8-15 short tags in the description box. Cover all five beats of the formula — genre, mood, vocals, instruments, and tempo — and keep each tag to 1-3 words. Udio weights the earliest words most, so lead with genre and mood. Too many conflicting tags and the model averages them into a muddy blend.
What goes in the description box vs the Lyrics box?
The description (Prompt) box describes the sound world: genre, mood, vocal type, instruments, and tempo. The Lyrics box holds your actual words, the [section] tags in square brackets on their own lines, and backing vocals or ad-libs in parentheses inside lyric lines. Keep lyrics out of the description box and genre tags out of the Lyrics box.
How do I set the BPM in Udio?
Add a tempo cue to the description box — either a named feel like "slow", "mid-tempo", "uptempo", or an explicit number like "124 BPM". Udio treats BPM as a target rather than a hard lock, so pair it with a genre whose typical range matches, for example "150 BPM, drill, half-time feel".
How do I get an instrumental in Udio?
Turn on the Instrumental toggle, or add "instrumental, no vocals" to the description box and leave the Lyrics box empty. For loopable background music also add "seamless loop, no fade in, no fade out". The toggle is the most reliable way to guarantee no vocals sneak in.
What are the essential section tags in Udio?
The core structure tags are [Intro], [Verse], [Chorus], [Bridge], and [Outro]. Add [Pre-Chorus], [Post-Chorus], [Hook], [Instrumental], [Guitar Solo], and [Break] as the song needs them. Each goes on its own line in the Lyrics box. A line starting with "/" inserts a guidance tag, and backing vocals or ad-libs go in parentheses inside lyric lines.
How do I keep the same voice across Udio songs?
Save the vocal and stylistic fingerprint as a Persona, then apply it to new generations so the same singer and character carry across your catalog. Reusing the exact vocal descriptors in the description box and generating from the same seed track with Extend also helps hold the voice steady.
What is Inpainting and when should I use it?
Inpainting is Udio's standout edit tool: select a short region of the track (around two seconds), describe the change you want, and Udio regenerates only that slice while keeping the rest intact. Use it to fix a flubbed word, swap an instrument for one phrase, or smooth a rough transition without re-rolling the whole song.
Why does "energetic" not work well on its own?
"Energetic" alone is too vague and pulls the model in several directions. Use a specific energy word instead — "driving", "urgent", "high-octane", or "relentless". Concrete mood words steer the arrangement far more reliably than generic ones.