Creating My First Lofi Track with AI
As a Software Engineer
Fenruary 17, 2025
As a software engineer, I’m used to working with code and logic, but recently, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try something different—creating a lofi music track with the help of AI. The result? Living in Jesse’s Shadow, a blend of my favorite movie’s dialogue and a chill lofi beat. In this article, I'm going to talk about the process of creating it.
The Idea: Combining Film Dialogue with Lofi Beats
The inspiration for the track came from one of my favorite films, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. I’ve always found the movie’s dialogue to be poetic, so I wanted to experiment by combining that with a calming, nostalgic lofi beat. Specifically, I wanted to capture the overall vibe and atmosphere of the movie—its melancholy, its introspective mood, and its cinematic feel.
The Tool: Suno AI
To bring this idea to life, I turned to Suno, an AI music tool that can generate tracks based on prompts you give it. As a software engineer, I’m no stranger to working with AI, but I quickly realized creating music with AI wasn’t as simple as writing a few lines of code.
The Challenge: Finding the Right Prompt
The real challenge was finding the right prompt. Lofi music is all about atmosphere, mood, and subtlety, so I had to experiment with different ways to describe the vibe I was going for. After some trial and error, I landed on the following:
A slow, melancholic lofi track with soft piano, airy guitar, and subtle vinyl crackle. Nostalgic and cinematic, evoking a lone cowboy on a misty prairie at night, perfect for deep thinking.
This prompt gave me the feel I was after, but there were still a lot of adjustments to make as I fine-tuned the track.
Mixing the Dialogue with the Track
Once I had the instrumental, it was time to integrate the dialogue from the film. Casey Affleck’s voice was key to setting the mood I wanted—his calm, introspective delivery fit perfectly with the track. I carefully selected lines that would complement the music and create a cohesive experience for the listener. I used Soundtrap to combine the dialogues and the lofi.
The Final Product: Living in Jesse’s Shadow
After mixing the dialogue and finalizing the track, I named it Living in Jesse’s Shadow to reflect the story and tone of the music. It’s now live on SoundCloud, and I’m excited to share it with you.
Conclusion
Creating this lofi track with Suno was a rewarding experience that allowed me to blend my technical skills with a creative process.
Whether you’re a developer looking to try something new or someone who just enjoys music, I hope you find this blog helpful!