A Curator's Guide: 4 Telltale Signs of a Low-Effort AI Song (And How to Fix Them)
As a playlist curator, you listen to a lot of music. After sifting through hundreds of submissions in the last few months, I’ve picked up an unexpected new skill: spotting a low-effort AI track in under 30 seconds. This guide isn’t about how to fool curators into thinking your music is human. It’s about how to avoid common pitfalls so you can create a better-sounding, more compelling song. The goal is quality, not deception.
Sign #1: The "Shotgun Submission": A Lack of Focus
One of the quickest ways to signal a low-effort approach isn't even in the music itself, but in the submission. I often receive half a dozen songs from the same account, claiming to be from six different "AI bands," all submitted at once to a variety of wildly mismatched playlists. This "shotgun approach" screams a lack of thoughtfulness in both creation and targeting. It suggests the artist is simply generating a high volume of generic content and hoping something sticks, rather than thoughtfully crafting a piece for a specific audience.
The Fix (The Curator's Mindset): Respect the curator's time and your own art. Instead of a spray-and-pray method, take the time to research curators whose tastes genuinely align with your best song. Submit one or two polished tracks that truly fit. Write a personalized pitch that explains why your track is a good fit, showing you've done your homework. Quality curation, both of your music and your outreach, will always beat quantity.
Sign #2: The "Cymbal Test": Unmasking Sonic Flaws
This is often the most immediate giveaway for AI-generated rock, metal, or even some electronic tracks. Listen closely to the cymbals. Instead of a crisp, defined "tssh," you often get that dreaded static-y "swish." It’s a hazy, undefined fizz where the crisp high-end should be. This sonic artifact, often accompanied by a general lack of clarity in denser mixes, is a common byproduct of current AI models. It’s a telltale sign that the raw AI output hasn't received the crucial human polish it needs.
The Fix (The Human Polish):
Quick Fix: Use a targeted EQ to reduce the harsh, static-like frequencies in the cymbals (often in the 8-12kHz range) and apply other post-processing like transient shapers or gentle compression to give them more definition. This can significantly improve the sound with minimal effort.
Advanced Fix: For the best possible result, export the full drum stem from the AI generation. Then, use that as a guide to reprogram the entire drum track with a high-quality plugin like Superior Drummer or EZDrummer. This takes more time and effort, but it gives you complete control over the dynamics and timbre, resulting in a professional, polished drum sound. This perfectly illustrates that AI is just one tool in a modern creator's toolset.
Sign #3: The "Vocal Clone": Escaping the Generic Sound
Many AI-generated songs suffer from recurring, generic vocal timbres. It's as if the AI pulls the same "off-the-shelf" voice, regardless of the song's specific mood or genre. This isn't necessarily a flaw of the AI itself, but often a byproduct of vague prompting. If you simply ask for "a male vocal," the AI has no choice but to give you its most statistically probable (i.e., generic) option.
The Fix (The Augmented Creative): Since you cannot use specific artist names in your prompts (AI tools won't accept them), the key is incredibly descriptive language. Instead of "a female singer," try "a soaring mezzo-soprano with a touch of vulnerability, reminiscent of a classic folk ballad." Use rich adjectives to define the vocal character you want: specify the texture, emotion, and delivery. Generate multiple takes and carefully curate the one that best serves your song's unique story.
Sign #4: The "Arrangement Rut": The Missing Story
A common pitfall of low-effort AI tracks is a dynamically flat arrangement. The AI might generate a catchy loop or a cool section, but without human intervention, it often struggles to build tension, create release, or tell a compelling story over the course of an entire song. The track starts strong, perhaps loops a few times, and then ends abruptly, lacking the narrative arc that distinguishes a truly engaging piece of music.
The Fix (The "Better Mess"): This reinforces our core philosophy. Use AI to generate the "Lego bricks": the compelling loops, melodies, and sounds. But remember that the human artist must be the "Master Builder" who arranges those bricks into a dynamic and engaging structure. Introduce new sections, build to a chorus, create a bridge that offers contrast, and craft an outro that provides a sense of resolution. Your human ear and artistic vision are indispensable for turning a collection of good ideas into a great song.
JGBL's Take: Quality is the Only Thing That Matters
Ultimately, these fixes are not about hiding the fact that you used AI. They are about respecting the listener and the craft of songwriting. The truth is, AI is creating a lot of noise in the music submission landscape. The artists who will cut through that noise are the ones who recognize that AI is a powerful instrument that still requires skill, taste, and dedication to play well. Use every tool at your disposal—AI included—to create the best-sounding, most compelling music possible. In a world flooded with noise, that dedication to quality is the only thing that will make you heard.
