The 'AI sound' is real — it's over-quantized timing, pitch-perfect vocals, safe generic choices, and a flat mix. Every one of those is fixable:
1. Humanize the timing. Get stems, and in your DAW nudge a few hits slightly off-grid — a late snare here, an early hi-hat there. Real drummers breathe; quantized ones don't.
2. Add ONE human element. Your own vocal, a real guitar line, hand percussion, even room noise under the intro. One genuine human performance reframes the entire track — listeners stop analyzing and start feeling.
3. Prompt dangerously. Safe prompts produce AI-sounding songs. Weirdness, odd instruments, bold dynamics — the less 'default' your choices, the less AI it sounds.
4. Mix against references. A/B your track with a commercial song you love. Match the loudness, the width, the vocal level. Half the 'AI sound' is just 'demo mix sound.'
5. Keep imperfections. A breath before the chorus, a slightly cracked note, a count-in — the flaws are the fingerprints. Stop polishing them away.
Good luck! Hank founder of SonorixPG