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Vocal review challenge
A checklist for auditing the vocal half of a prompt, plus a symptom table for diagnosing voices that come back wrong.
The vocal checklist
- Register is named, or the genre carries an unambiguous default.
- Exactly one texture word is used — not three stacked.
- Delivery is specified, and it changes at least once across the song.
- Production cues match the texture (close and dry for intimate, reverb for large).
- Every additional voice has a register and a job.
- Harmony or choir is held back so the final chorus still has a lift available.
- The prompt says
instrumentalif no voice is wanted. - No contradictory pair (whispered + belted, pure + gritty) at the global level.
Diagnosing what came back
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Voice changes every run | register slot empty | name a register |
| Vocal feels flat across the song | one delivery everywhere | assign delivery per section |
| Breathy request sounds smooth | too much reverb, dense bed | add close-mic, dry; thin the arrangement |
| Two singers indistinguishable | same register and texture | contrast the registers |
| Chorus has no lift | harmony used from bar one | single voice in verses |
| Vocal buried | no placement cue | add forward in the mix |
| Unwanted singing | 'no vocals' instead of the keyword | write instrumental |
Self-test
- Describe a voice in exactly three words: register, texture, delivery.
- Rewrite one flat song with four different section deliveries.
- Write a duet brief where the two roles could not be confused.
- Name the production pairing that makes a whisper actually read as a whisper.
- Explain the difference between unison and harmony in one sentence.
Three words — register, texture, delivery — will out-perform a paragraph of vocal adjectives almost every time.
Example
audit:
register -> warm alto [ok]
texture -> breathy (single word) [ok]
delivery -> whispered V1 / half-sung PC /
belted CH [ok]
production-> close-mic, dry, forward [ok]
voice 2 -> baritone, chorus only [ok]
conflicts -> none [ok]
Practice
Audit the last three songs you generated with vocals, filling the checklist from the prompt text alone before you listen again. Then listen and mark which checklist failures you can actually hear. The overlap teaches you which boxes matter for the music you make, and the non-overlap tells you which rules you can safely relax.
vocalsreviewchecklist
FAQ
How much of the vocal can I realistically control?
Register, texture, delivery, count and placement are reliable. Exact timbre and phrasing are not — expect to generate several takes and pick.
Should the vocal description live in the style prompt or the lyrics?
Global character in the style prompt; per-section performance cues next to the section tags in the lyrics.