Foundations

Responsible prompting

These rules are not decoration. They are the difference between describing a sound you want and asking a machine to copy someone's work.

Responsible prompting: The practice of writing prompts that specify objective musical characteristics rather than referencing identifiable artists, compositions, recordings, voices or lyrics.

Six rules, and what to do instead

Do not name artists, bands, producers or performers

Why: A named performer is a request for that person's protected creative work and, in many jurisdictions, their voice and likeness rights.

Instead: Describe the musical characteristics you associate with that name: instrumentation, tempo, harmony, production space.

Do not name songs, albums, labels, films or playlists

Why: Titles identify specific protected compositions and recordings. Asking for a title is asking for a copy.

Instead: Name the genre family and the concrete features - “slow 6/8 orchestral cue with solo cello and a quiet ending”.

Do not request voice cloning or vocal imitation

Why: Recreating a real person's singing or speaking voice can infringe personality, publicity and performers' rights even where no recording is copied.

Instead: Describe a vocal role generically: “wordless female vocalise, soft and breathy, no lyrics”.

Do not paste lyrics you did not write

Why: Lyrics are separately protected literary works. Reproducing them, in whole or in part, is copying regardless of the music.

Instead: Write your own lyric, or ask for an instrumental.

Keep content non-explicit

Why: This library is a public educational resource used in workplaces, classrooms and clinical settings.

Instead: Describe emotional tone - intimate, warm, tender - rather than explicit acts or imagery.

Do not imply endorsement or affiliation

Why: Suggesting that a real artist, brand or institution was involved is misleading and can constitute passing off.

Instead: Describe your own work on its own terms and label AI-assisted output where your platform requires it.

Translating a reference into a description

When a reference comes to mind, ask four questions and write the answers down instead of the name: What is the tempo and feel? Which instrument families carry the melody, harmony and low end? How does the piece change from beginning to end? How wide and how reverberant does it sound? Four answers give you a usable, original prompt.

SonicSenses.com explores the emotional, immersive and sensory power of sound. It is an educational music and audio platform. Pornography, sexually explicit content and adult-entertainment uses are not permitted.

Responsible use - how SonicSenses positions AI-assisted audio overall.
Rights and content - ownership, licensing and how rights holders can contact us.

Editorial owner: iDigits LLC. Last reviewed August 5, 2026. Policy information was reviewed against publicly available ElevenLabs materials on August 5, 2026. ElevenLabs may update its policies, so users should consult the current official terms before using its services.