Drums & Percussion
Every drum and percussion prompt in the glossary, in one list. Every prompt stands alone: paste it into the Styles field as-is, or combine it with elements from other songs. The song name links to the full blueprint, where you will find what is actually making the sound and how the whole production fits together. Slider settings and standard excludes live on the glossary landing page.
Getting specific effects
The vocabulary that tends to steer Suno toward classic drum effects. These describe what the effect sounds like rather than naming gear, which is how Suno listens. Treat every phrase as a starting point, drop it into a fuller prompt, and expect to adjust by ear.
Gated reverb
A snare that explodes into a huge reverb which then slams shut instantly: enormous but tight. The defining 80s drum sound.
huge gated reverb snare, explosive reverb cut off sharply, massive 80s drum soundOne of the most reliable effect signals in the whole glossary; it anchors half the 80s blueprints.
Cavernous room
The kit recorded in what sounds like an aircraft hangar, every hit trailed by natural boom and bloom.
drums in a cavernous booming room, huge natural reverb tails, distant and enormousBone-dry close mics
The opposite move: zero reverb, every drum inches from your ear, tight and airless. Minimal funk and disco discipline.
bone dry tightly close miked drums, no reverb at all, every hit crisp and immediateThe engine of the driest blueprints in the glossary; pair it with excludes for hall reverb and lush reverb.
Brushes
Wire brushes instead of sticks: soft swishing snare texture and gentle taps, intimate and late-night.
soft brushed drums, swishing wire brush snare texture, gentle intimate late night feelDusty tape saturation
Drums that sound found rather than recorded: soft-edged, slightly crushed, sitting under a layer of warm hiss.
dusty muffled drums with warm tape saturation, soft crushed edges, worn vintage textureLo-fi core vocabulary; add vinyl crackle language for the full crate-digger effect.
Booming sub kick
A kick drum that is more felt than heard: a long, tuned sub-bass boom that hangs under the track.
booming sustained sub bass kick drum, deep tuned low end that hangs and humsWhat hip-hop and modern pop mean by an 808 kick; the audible description steers without the gear name.
Cracking rimshot
The snare hit catching the rim at the same time: a sharp, cutting crack with extra attack.
sharp cracking rimshot snare, cutting attack that snaps through the mixStuttering hat rolls
Hi-hats subdividing into rapid stuttering bursts and rolls, the rhythmic signature of trap-influenced production.
crisp programmed hi hats with rapid stuttering rolls and triplet burstsA strong modern-production signal; on an acoustic-leaning prompt it will pull the whole track electronic.
From the song blueprints
Every drums & percussion prompt in the glossary, each modeled on a classic record.
The Adventure · Angels & Airwaves
Propulsive and tom heavy, built around big patient builds and anthemic momentum.
Driving anthemic rock drums, propulsive tom heavy grooves and huge patient builds.A soft brushed groove with a tight, hip-hop influenced swing. Muted, intimate, and unexpectedly funky for a punk band.
Soft brushed drum groove with a tight hip hop influenced swing, muted and intimate.Fast, punchy, and relentless: a cracking snare and driving energy that never lets up.
Fast punchy punk rock drums, cracking snare and relentless driving energy, tight and loud.Absent, then arriving as a soft pulse that grows into a driving euphoric march.
Patient drums arriving late, building from a soft pulse to a driving euphoric march.Viva la Vida · Coldplay (Drums & percussion)
A stomping, ceremonial pulse: steady kick, booming timpani, and a ringing church bell accent.
Stomping steady kick drum pulse with booming timpani and a ringing church bell accent, march like and ceremonial.Tight, crisp, and danceable: snappy snare, clean punchy kick, modern pop-rock discipline.
Tight crisp modern pop rock drums, snappy snare and clean punchy kick with a danceable groove.Seven Nation Army · The White Stripes
Primal and minimal: a stomping floor tom and kick pulse with a cracking snare. Caveman discipline.
Primal stomping garage rock drums, booming floor tom and kick pulse with a cracking snare, raw and minimal.The groove is famously dry and mechanical. No room sound, no reverb tail, just kick, snare, and closed hi-hat repeating with total discipline.
Bone dry tight drum groove with no reverb, crisp closed hi-hats and a sharp snappy snare, steady and metronomic with machine like precision.A fast, energetic drum machine groove. The snare has a short gated reverb tail, the hi-hats are crisp and busy, and the whole kit pushes forward relentlessly.
Fast energetic 80s drum machine groove, punchy snare with a short gated reverb tail, crisp busy hi-hats, bright and danceable.A pounding programmed kick with rapid machine-gun fills and cold electronic percussion. Zero swing, zero human feel; the rigidity is the aesthetic.
Relentless pounding electronic kick drum with rapid machine gun style fills, cold programmed drum machine percussion, no swing, no human feel.Enjoy the Silence · Depeche Mode
A punchy mid-tempo programmed groove with a deep kick and a tight gated snare. Danceable but restrained, with a dark polished sheen rather than club brightness.
Punchy mid tempo programmed drums, deep kick and a tight gated snare, steady dance groove with a dark polished sheen.In the Air Tonight · Phil Collins (Gated drum kit)
The main event: enormous processed toms and a cracking snare, cavernous reverb cut short by hard gating. Huge and claustrophobic at the same time.
Enormous gated reverb drums, booming processed toms and a cracking snare, cavernous but cut short by hard noise gating, entering late as a dramatic explosion.In the Air Tonight · Phil Collins (Drum machine pulse)
The other half of the equation: a dry, thin, hypnotic vintage drum machine tick that carries the long quiet build.
Dry ticking vintage drum machine pulse, thin and hypnotic, steady beneath a sparse brooding arrangement.Every Breath You Take · The Police
Dry, tight, and deliberately polite: a crisp rimshot-flavored snare and a soft touch throughout. The restraint keeps all attention on the guitar.
Dry tight pop rock drums, crisp light snare with a rimshot feel, restrained and steady with a soft disciplined touch.A punchy, bone-dry drum machine groove with a cracking electronic snare and rolling tom fills. Funky but mechanical, with zero reverb.
Punchy dry 80s drum machine groove, cracking electronic snare and rolling electronic tom fills, funky and mechanical with no reverb.Africa · Toto (Drums & percussion)
A loping mid-tempo groove with a half-swung feel, tight studio drums layered with constant rolling hand percussion and shakers. The percussion layer is what gives it that gentle rolling motion.
Loping mid tempo groove with a relaxed half swung feel, tight polished studio drums layered with rolling hand percussion and shakers.A hybrid feel: drum machine steadiness underneath, live energy in the fills, and a big cracking gated snare stamped on the backbeat.
Big punchy 80s hybrid drums, cracking gated reverb snare on the backbeat, steady drum machine feel with live energy in the fills.Human Nature · Michael Jackson
Soft, polished pop drums: gentle kick, a light cross-stick feel on the snare, everything understated and smooth.
Soft polished pop drums, gentle kick and a light cross stick snare feel, understated and smooth.Dance-tight and dry, with a heavy cracking snare on the backbeat and a punchy kick. Machine discipline with rock weight.
Hard hitting dance rock drums, heavy cracking snare on the backbeat, dry punchy kick, machine tight.Born in the U.S.A. · Bruce Springsteen
The famous snare: thunderous, cracking, drenched in long natural room reverb, hammering relentlessly. This is room-sized drum sound as a statement.
Enormous booming arena rock drums, thunderous cracking snare with long roomy natural reverb, relentless and anthemic.Smells Like Teen Spirit · Nirvana
Heavy, hard hitting, and slightly loose: booming toms and an aggressive cracking snare played with full physical commitment.
Heavy hard hitting alternative rock drums, booming toms and a cracking aggressive snare, powerful and loose.A steady mid-tempo shuffle, tight and dry, sitting inside the guitar wall rather than cutting through it.
Steady mid tempo britpop drums with a shuffling feel, tight and dry, sitting inside the guitar wall.Slow and deliberate through the verses, crushing and heavy in the big sections, always powerful.
Heavy powerful alternative rock drums, slow and deliberate in the verses, crushing in the big sections.A steady looping groove with a programmed feel: soft compressed kick and snare, hypnotic and deliberately unchanging.
Steady looping drum groove with a programmed feel, soft compressed kick and snare, hypnotic and unchanging.Restrained and steady until the loud sections, where they open up with heavy cracking force.
Restrained steady alternative rock drums opening up with heavy cracking force in the loud sections.Bitter Sweet Symphony · The Verve
A steady, unchanging mid-tempo groove with a loose swaggering feel, compressed and hypnotic.
Steady unchanging mid tempo drum groove with a loose swaggering feel, compressed and hypnotic.Loose and behind the beat: crisp rimshot clicks, easy fills, zero urgency.
Relaxed reggae rock drums with a loose behind the beat feel, crisp rimshot clicks and easy fills.A slow, deliberate, pounding groove with crashing cymbals. Weight over speed.
Slow heavy alternative rock drums, deliberate pounding groove with crashing cymbals.Black or White · Michael Jackson
Tight early 90s pop-rock punch with a crisp programmed feel: hard snapping snare, driving energy.
Tight punchy early 90s pop rock drums with a crisp programmed feel, hard snapping snare and driving energy.Semi-Charmed Life · Third Eye Blind
Upbeat and driving with a snappy bright snare and energetic fills. Airborne, never heavy.
Upbeat driving pop rock drums, snappy bright snare and energetic fills.Soft, brushed, and patient, swelling with the big sections rather than driving them.
Soft brushed alternative rock drums, gentle and patient, swelling in the big sections.What Would You Say · Dave Matthews Band
Nimble and intricate with a light funky swing: crisp hi hat work and playful syncopated fills everywhere.
Nimble intricate drums with a light funky swing, crisp hi hat work and playful syncopated fills.A light shuffling groove played with brushes, understated by design.
Soft laid back drums with a light shuffling groove, brushed and understated.Where the Streets Have No Name · U2
Urgent, propulsive, and unrelenting from the moment they enter. The energy never dips.
Driving propulsive rock drums with urgent steady hi hat energy, relentless forward momentum.Slow, deliberate, and roomy, with heavy unhurried fills that land like statements.
Slow deliberate rock drums with heavy unhurried fills, roomy and cavernous.Sultans of Swing · Dire Straits
Tight and understated with a light swinging feel. Crisp hi hat work, minimal fills, total restraint.
Tight understated rock drums with a light swinging feel, crisp hi hat groove, relaxed and unobtrusive.Hotel California · Eagles (Drums & percussion)
Laid back and roomy with soft dynamics, colored by light hand percussion. The groove leans back.
Laid back mid tempo rock drums with a roomy natural sound and soft dynamics, colored with light hand percussion.Sweet Child O' Mine · Guns N' Roses
Big late 80s hard rock drums: cracking snare with generous reverb, driving and swaggering.
Big hard rock drums, cracking snare with generous reverb, driving and swaggering.Gentle, steady, and hypnotic: a warm padded kick and light crisp hi hats that never vary and never push.
Relaxed airy soft rock drum groove, warm padded kick and light crisp hi hats, gentle steady and hypnotic.Explosive and untamed: thunderous rolling fills, crashing cymbals, loose ferocious energy that treats every fill like a finale.
Explosive untamed rock drums, thunderous rolling fills and crashing cymbals, loose and ferocious.When the Levee Breaks · Led Zeppelin
The legendary sound: a full kit in a huge natural space, miked from a distance. Booming kick, cracking echoing snare, slow stomping groove of enormous physical weight.
Cavernous thunderous rock drums recorded in a huge natural room, slow heavy stomping groove, booming kick and a cracking echoing snare.A slinky mid-tempo groove built on deep punchy toms and a fat cracking snare, with polished dramatic dynamics.
Slinky mid tempo hard rock drum groove, deep punchy toms and a fat cracking snare, polished and dramatic.Restrained and atmospheric, building patiently from a soft pulse to a driving passionate climax over the length of the song.
Restrained atmospheric drums building patiently from a soft pulse to a driving passionate climax.Muted, patient, heartbeat-adjacent, growing gradually in intensity without ever fully cutting loose.
Soft steady drums with a muted heartbeat kick, restrained and patient, growing gradually in intensity.Huge and precise: a deep punchy kick and a massive cracking snare, relentless and metronomic.
Huge powerful metal drums, deep punchy kick and a massive cracking snare, precise and relentless.A greasy swung pocket: fat kick, cracking snare, loose and behind the beat. The laziness is the funk.
Greasy swung funk drums, fat kick and cracking snare with a loose behind the beat pocket.Immaculate four on the floor: tight sixteenth hi hats with an open hat lift, perfect pocket, zero drama.
Crisp four on the floor disco drums, tight sixteenth note hi hats with an open hat lift, immaculate pocket.September · Earth, Wind & Fire (Drums & percussion)
Buoyant four on the floor with tight layered percussion, crisp and joyful, engineered to lift.
Buoyant four on the floor funk groove, crisp and joyful, with tight layered percussion.My Girl · The Temptations (Drums & tambourine)
A gentle backbeat: soft snare cracks with tambourine on top, relaxed and swinging. Politeness with a pulse.
Gentle soul backbeat, soft snare cracks with tambourine on top, relaxed and swinging.A relentless, hypnotically steady four on the floor strut with hissing hi hats. Constancy as a hook.
Relentless four on the floor disco strut, tight crisp drums with hissing hi hats, steady and hypnotic.What's Going On · Marvin Gaye (Drums & percussion)
A gentle swinging groove: soft drums with rolling congas, relaxed, warm, and unhurried.
Gentle swinging soul groove, soft drums with rolling conga percussion, relaxed and warm.Uptown Funk · Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars
Tight, dry, retro-styled but modern-punchy: snapping backbeat snare, crisp groove, stacked hand claps.
Tight dry retro funk drums, snapping snare on the backbeat, crisp and punchy with stacked hand claps.Hard knocking and unhurried: deep punchy kick, crisp snare, a slow head-nodding west coast groove.
Hard knocking west coast hip hop drums, deep punchy kick and crisp snare, slow head nodding groove.Mo Money Mo Problems · The Notorious B.I.G.
A glossy four on the floor hip hop groove with disco DNA: crisp, punchy, bright hi hats, built to celebrate.
Glossy four on the floor hip hop groove with a disco sheen, crisp punchy drums and bright hi hats.Bad Guy · Billie Eilish (Beat)
Sparse and dry: finger snaps, a tight thumping kick, and lots of deliberate emptiness. Trap-adjacent bounce with no clutter.
Minimal trap influenced pop beat, dry finger snaps and a tight thumping kick, sparse and bouncy.A fast, driving retro drum machine: punchy gated snare, relentless four on the floor energy.
Driving 80s style drum machine at a fast pulse, punchy gated snare and relentless four on the floor energy.Big, pounding, and compressed, building relentless anthemic euphoria.
Big pounding electronic drums, compressed and anthemic, relentless building euphoria.A stomping four on the floor kick with sharp claps, growing into a thunderous full groove. March first, storm later.
Stomping four on the floor kick drum with sharp claps, building into a thunderous full groove.Somebody That I Used to Know · Gotye (Percussion)
A soft ticking loop, restrained and steady, only filling out late in the record.
Soft ticking percussion loop, restrained and steady, opening into a fuller beat late.A perfectly steady disco groove: tight four on the floor, crisp hats, warm and unhurried.
Perfect steady disco groove, tight four on the floor drums with crisp hi hats, warm and unhurried.Glossy late 90s dance pop: four on the floor kick, bright crisp percussion.
Glossy late 90s dance pop beat, four on the floor kick with bright crisp percussion.Huge and glossy with a pumping, breathing compression feel: punchy kick, bright cracking snare, the mix moving with the beat.
Huge glossy pop rock drums, punchy kick and bright cracking snare, the whole mix pumping and breathing with the beat.Something Just Like This · The Chainsmokers & Coldplay (Percussion)
Crisp modern pop percussion building from soft claps to a big pumping four on the floor drop.
Crisp modern pop percussion building from soft claps to a big pumping four on the floor drop.