Summary of the Differences Between Suno AI’s Remix, Inspo, Mashup, and Sample Features
2026-02-08 17:40 (16 hours ago)
ytyng
Introduction
Suno AI offers multiple features for creating new music from existing tracks. However, Remix, Inspo, Mashup, and Sample each have different purposes and behaviors, so it’s easy to mix them up. This article organizes the differences between them.
Comparison Table of the 4 Features
| Feature | Input | What it does | Relationship to the original |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remix | 1 track | Transform an existing track (Cover / Extend / Reuse / Speed) | Directly reshapes the original. The structure remains |
| Inspo (Inspire) | Playlist (up to 4 tracks) | Analyzes the playlist’s “vibe” and generates a completely new song | Loose inspiration. Melody/structure are new |
| Mashup | 2 tracks | Fuses two tracks to generate a third track (“creative collision”) | A hybrid of the two tracks |
| Sample | A specific section (30 sec) of 1 track | Uses the selected phrase as a seed to build a completely new song | Anchored to a specific moment; everything else is newly generated |
Remix — “Change the song itself”
Remix is the oldest feature, and it provides the following four workflows for a single existing track.
- Cover: Re-sing it in a different style or genre
- Extend: Generate a continuation to extend the song
- Reuse: Reuse lyrics or style to create another version
- Speed: Change the tempo
Because the original structure is preserved to some extent, you use it when you want “another version of the same song.”
Inspo (Inspire) — “Make a new song with the vibe of these songs”
A feature added in July 2025 with v4.5+. Using a playlist of songs you made as a reference source, the AI analyzes musical characteristics such as mood, tempo, and instrumentation, and generates a completely new song based on them.
How to use
- Go to Create → Custom Mode and click the “+Inspo” button
- Select a playlist that includes your own songs
- Enter lyrics and a style prompt, then generate
Key points
- The playlist must include at least one song you created (you can’t use it with only other people’s songs)
- You can add up to 4 songs to a playlist
- Especially useful when you want a cohesive sound for an album or series
- Inspo references only the “vibe,” so using a style prompt alongside it improves accuracy
Mashup — “Fuse these two songs”
A feature added on January 20, 2026. Suno calls this the “MAFO (Mashup As a Form Of)” philosophy, positioning it not as DJ-style splicing but as a “creative collision engine.”
How to use
- From the song’s “…” menu, select “Mashup”
- Select another song to combine with it
- Audio Influence slider: Adjust which song it leans toward
- Weirdness slider: Adjust how experimental it is (low = stable, high = unpredictable)
Key points
- Combining two songs from different genres often produces interesting results
- It’s best to start with low Weirdness and gradually increase it
- Persona is currently unavailable (a limitation)
Sample — “Build from this specific part”
A beta feature added on January 28, 2026. Suno describes it as a “partial Cover.” You select a 30-second segment from the waveform view of an existing track, and use that phrase as a seed to build a new song.
How to use
- From the song’s “…” menu, select “Sample”
- In the waveform view, drag to select the 30-second section you want to use
- Audio Influence slider: How strongly the source sample affects the result
- Style Influence slider: How strongly the style (genre/vibe) affects the result
Key points
- Perfect when you want to leverage a good part—like a catchy hook, a groove you like, or a memorable chorus
- Difference vs. Remix: Remix reshapes the whole song; Sample creates a completely new song from a fragment
- Persona is currently unavailable (a limitation)
Which should you use? Flowchart
Want to make a new song from an existing song ├─ Want another version of the same song → Remix ├─ Want a new song using the “vibe” of your own set of songs → Inspo ├─ Want to combine two songs → Mashup └─ Want to use only a specific phrase to make a new song → Sample
Summary
- Remix = Transformation (the original structure remains)
- Inspo = Inspiration (references only the vibe; everything is new)
- Mashup = Fusion (a third song emerges from the collision of two)
- Sample = Fragment reuse (grow a new song from a 30-second seed)
Because each has a different purpose, choosing the right one for what you want to make greatly expands what you can do with music creation in Suno.
We look forward to discussing your development needs.