ace-step-ui README

The project's README from github.com/fspecii/ace-step-ui. As one markdown file: README.md.

ACE-Step UI

ACE-Step UI

The Ultimate Open Source Suno Alternative
Seamless integration with ACE-Step 1.5 - The Open Source AI Music Generation Model

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Demo • Why ACE-Step • Features • Installation • Usage • Contributing

React TypeScript TailwindCSS SQLite License Stars

🎬 Demo

Watch Demo on YouTube

ACE-Step UI - Open Source Suno Alternative

Generate professional AI music with a Spotify-like interface - 100% free and local

🚀 Why ACE-Step UI?

Tired of paying $10+/month for Suno or Udio? ACE-Step 1.5 is the open source Suno killer that runs locally on your own GPU - and ACE-Step UI gives you a beautiful, professional interface to harness its full power.

Feature Suno/Udio ACE-Step UI
Cost $10-50/month FREE forever
Privacy Cloud-based 100% local
Ownership Licensed You own everything
Customization Limited Full control
Queue Limits Restricted Unlimited
Commercial Use Expensive tiers No restrictions

What Makes ACE-Step 1.5 Special?

✨ Features

🎵 AI Music Generation

Feature Description
Full Song Generation Create complete songs with vocals and lyrics up to 4+ minutes
Instrumental Mode Generate instrumental tracks without vocals
Custom Mode Fine-tune BPM, key, time signature, and duration
Style Tags Define genre, mood, tempo, and instrumentation
Batch Generation Generate multiple variations at once
AI Enhance Enrich genre tags into detailed captions with proper BPM/key/time
Thinking Mode Let AI reason about structure and generate audio codes

🎨 Advanced Parameters

Feature Description
Reference Audio Use any audio file as a style reference
Audio Cover Transform existing audio with new styles
Repainting Regenerate specific sections of a track
Seed Control Reproduce exact generations for consistency
Inference Steps Control quality vs speed tradeoff

🎤 Lyrics & Prompts

Feature Description
Lyrics Editor Write and format lyrics with structure tags
Format Assistant AI-powered caption and lyrics formatting
Prompt Templates Quick-start with genre presets
Reuse Prompts Clone settings from any previous generation

🎧 Professional Interface

Feature Description
Spotify-Inspired UI Clean, modern design with dark/light mode
Bottom Player Full-featured player with waveform and progress
Library Management Browse, search, and organize all your tracks
Likes & Playlists Organize favorites into custom playlists
Real-time Progress Live generation progress with queue position
LAN Access Use from any device on your local network

🛠️ Built-in Tools

Feature Description
Audio Editor Trim, fade, and apply effects with AudioMass
Stem Extraction Separate vocals, drums, bass, and other with Demucs
Video Generator Create music videos with Pexels backgrounds
Gradient Covers Beautiful procedural album art (no internet needed)

💻 Tech Stack

Layer Technologies
Frontend React 18, TypeScript, TailwindCSS, Vite
Backend Express.js, SQLite, better-sqlite3
AI Engine ACE-Step 1.5 (Gradio API)
Audio Tools AudioMass, Demucs, FFmpeg

📋 Requirements

Requirement Specification
Node.js 18 or higher
Python 3.10+ (3.11 recommended) OR Windows Portable Package
NVIDIA GPU 4GB+ VRAM (works without LLM), 12GB+ recommended (with LLM)
CUDA 12.8 (for Windows Portable Package)
FFmpeg For audio processing
uv Python package manager (recommended for standard install)

⚡ Quick Start

🎯 Pinokio - 1-Click Install (Recommended for All Users!)

The easiest way to get ACE-Step UI up and running on any platform — no terminal, no manual setup:

Install with Pinokio

Pinokio handles everything automatically: Python, Node.js, dependencies, model downloads, and launching. Just click install and start making music.

🪟 Windows - One-Click Start (Easiest!)

cd ace-step-ui
start-all.bat

That's it! This starts everything: API + Backend + Frontend in one command.

Note: By default, it looks for ACE-Step in ..\ACE-Step-1.5. If yours is elsewhere, set ACESTEP_PATH first:

set ACESTEP_PATH=C:\path\to\ACE-Step-1.5
start-all.bat

🪟 Windows - Manual Start

REM 1. Start ACE-Step Gradio (with API endpoints)
cd C:\ACE-Step-1.5
python_embeded\python -m acestep --port 8001 --enable-api --backend pt --server-name 127.0.0.1

REM 2. Start ACE-Step UI (in another terminal)
cd ace-step-ui
start.bat

Linux / macOS - One-Click Start (Easiest!)

cd ace-step-ui
./start-all.sh

That's it! This starts everything: Gradio + Backend + Frontend in one command.

Note: By default, it looks for ACE-Step in ../ACE-Step-1.5. If yours is elsewhere, set ACESTEP_PATH first:

export ACESTEP_PATH=/path/to/ACE-Step-1.5
./start-all.sh

To stop: ./stop-all.sh

Linux / macOS - Manual Start

# 1. Start ACE-Step Gradio with API (in ACE-Step-1.5 directory)
cd /path/to/ACE-Step-1.5
uv run acestep --port 8001 --enable-api --backend pt --server-name 127.0.0.1

# 2. Start ACE-Step UI (in another terminal)
cd ace-step-ui
./start.sh

Windows (Standard Installation)

REM 1. Start ACE-Step Gradio with API (in ACE-Step-1.5 directory)
cd C:\path\to\ACE-Step-1.5
uv run acestep --port 8001 --enable-api --backend pt --server-name 127.0.0.1

REM 2. Start ACE-Step UI (in another terminal)
cd ace-step-ui
start.bat

Open http://localhost:3000 and start creating!

📦 Installation

1. Install ACE-Step (The AI Engine)

The easiest way to get started on Windows! This package includes everything pre-configured:

  1. Download ACE-Step-1.5.7z (~5GB)
  2. Extract to C:\ACE-Step-1.5 (or your preferred location)
  3. Done! The package includes python_embeded with all dependencies

✅ Works with 4GB GPU - No LLM installation required ✅ CUDA 12.8 included ✅ Zero setup hassle

Note: Thinking Mode (LLM features) is automatically disabled on GPUs with <12GB VRAM. You can still enable it manually if you have 12GB+.

Standard Installation (All Platforms)

# Clone ACE-Step 1.5 - the open source Suno alternative
git clone https://github.com/ace-step/ACE-Step-1.5
cd ACE-Step-1.5

# Create virtual environment and install
uv venv
uv pip install -e .

# Models download automatically on first run (~5GB)
cd ..

2. Install ACE-Step UI (This Repository)

Linux / macOS

# Clone the UI
git clone https://github.com/fspecii/ace-step-ui
cd ace-step-ui

# Run setup script (installs all dependencies)
./setup.sh

Windows

REM Clone the UI
git clone https://github.com/fspecii/ace-step-ui
cd ace-step-ui

REM Run setup script (installs all dependencies)
setup.bat

Manual Installation (All Platforms)

# Install frontend dependencies
npm install

# Install server dependencies
cd server
npm install
cd ..

# Copy environment file
# Linux/macOS:
cp server/.env.example server/.env
# Windows:
copy server\.env.example server\.env

🎮 Usage

Step 1: Start ACE-Step Gradio Server

🪟 Windows Portable Package:

cd C:\ACE-Step-1.5
python_embeded\python -m acestep --port 8001 --enable-api --backend pt --server-name 127.0.0.1

Linux / macOS:

cd /path/to/ACE-Step-1.5
uv run acestep --port 8001 --enable-api --backend pt --server-name 127.0.0.1

Windows (Standard Installation):

cd C:\path\to\ACE-Step-1.5
uv run acestep --port 8001 --enable-api --backend pt --server-name 127.0.0.1

Wait for "API endpoints enabled" before proceeding.

Step 2: Start ACE-Step UI

Linux / macOS:

cd ace-step-ui
./start.sh

Windows:

cd ace-step-ui
start.bat

Step 3: Create Music!

Access URL
Local http://localhost:3000
LAN (other devices) http://YOUR_IP:3000

⚙️ Configuration

Edit server/.env:

# Server
PORT=3001

# ACE-Step Gradio URL (must match --port used when starting ACE-Step)
ACESTEP_API_URL=http://localhost:8001

# Database (local-first, no cloud)
DATABASE_PATH=./data/acestep.db

# Optional: Pexels API for video backgrounds
PEXELS_API_KEY=your_key_here

🎼 Generation Modes

Simple Mode

Just describe what you want. ACE-Step handles the rest.

"An upbeat pop song about summer adventures with catchy hooks"

Custom Mode

Full control over every parameter:

Parameter Description
Lyrics Full lyrics with [Verse], [Chorus] tags
Style Genre, mood, instruments, tempo
Duration 30-240 seconds
BPM 60-200 beats per minute
Key Musical key (C major, A minor, etc.)

AI Enhance & Thinking Mode

Mode What it does Speed impact
AI Enhance OFF Sends your style tags directly to the model Fastest
AI Enhance ON LLM enriches your tags into a detailed caption and generates proper BPM, key, time signature +10-20s
Thinking Mode Full LLM reasoning with audio code generation Slowest, best quality

Tip: If your genre tags (e.g. "pop, rock") produce ballad-like output, turn on AI Enhance for much better genre accuracy. No extra VRAM needed — the LLM runs on CPU with the PT backend.

Batch Size & Bulk Generation

Setting Description
Batch Size Number of variations generated per job (1-4). Default is 1 for broad GPU compatibility. Higher values generate more variations but use more VRAM. 8GB GPU users should keep this at 1.
Bulk Generate Queue multiple independent generation jobs (1-10). Each job runs sequentially, so this is safe for any GPU.
LM Backend Choose between PT (1.6 GB VRAM) and VLLM (9.2 GB VRAM). PT is the default and works on most GPUs.

Tip: Both batch size and bulk count are remembered in your browser — set them once and they stick for future sessions.

🔧 Built-in Tools

Tool Description
🎚️ Audio Editor Cut, trim, fade, and apply effects
🎤 Stem Extraction Separate vocals, drums, bass, other
🎬 Video Generator Create music videos with stock footage
🎨 Album Art Auto-generated gradient covers

🐛 Troubleshooting

Issue Solution
ACE-Step not reachable Ensure Gradio server is running with --enable-api flag (see Usage section)
CUDA out of memory Use --backend pt (default), set batch size to 1, reduce duration, or disable Thinking Mode
4GB GPU - Out of memory Use PT backend (default), batch size 1, and keep Thinking Mode OFF. LLM features require 12GB+
Genre always sounds like ballad Enable AI Enhance toggle in the Style section — it enriches your tags with proper metadata
AttributeError: 'NoneType' Update to latest ACE-Step-1.5 (fix merged in PR #109)
Songs show 0:00 duration Install FFmpeg: sudo apt install ffmpeg (Linux) or download from ffmpeg.org (Windows)
LAN access not working Check firewall allows ports 3000 and 3001

🤝 Contributing

We need your help to make ACE-Step UI even better!

This is a community-driven project and contributions are what make open source amazing. Whether you're fixing bugs, adding features, improving documentation, or sharing ideas - every contribution counts!

Ways to Contribute

How to Contribute

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
  3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
  4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
  5. Open a Pull Request

📣 Stay Connected

YouTube

X/Twitter

Subscribe and follow for:
🎥 Video tutorials and demos
🚀 New feature announcements
💡 Tips and tricks
🎵 AI music generation news

💼 Need a Website Like This?

If you like the engineering and design behind ACE-Step UI and want something similar built for your business, the same team offers professional web development services.

We build:

webdesignstudio.london

From the makers of ACE-Step UI — we ship production-grade web experiences.

👤 About the Author

ACE-Step UI is built and maintained by Vali — open-source developer and founder of Web Design Studio London, a specialist web design and development studio serving London businesses and international clients.

Web Design Studio London builds high-performance Next.js websites, ecommerce platforms, and AI-integrated web applications — the same technical approach that powers this project.

If you need a professional website, ecommerce build, or AI integration for your business, visit webdesignstudio.london.

🙏 Credits

📄 License

This project is open source under the MIT License.

⭐ If ACE-Step UI helps you create amazing music, please star this repo! ⭐

Made with ❤️ for the open-source AI music community

Stop paying for Suno. Start creating with ACE-Step.

ace-step-ui (fspecii/ace-step-ui)

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5.1K ·GitHub
Ace-step-ui
What is this?ACE-Step UI is a free, open-source, locally-run web interface for the ACE-Step 1.5 AI music generation model, letting you create full songs with vocals or instrumentals without paying for Suno or Udio.
Is this the AI model itself or just an interface for it?It is only the frontend/backend layer (React, TypeScript, Express, SQLite) that talks to a separately installed ACE-Step 1.5 model through its Gradio API - you still need to install ACE-Step as the actual AI engine.
How do I get it running?Install ACE-Step 1.5 first (Windows Portable Package or manual Python setup), then run the one-click start-all.bat on Windows or ./start-all.sh on Linux/macOS, which launches the API, backend and frontend together; Pinokio offers a true 1-click install on any platform.
What do I need installed before using it?Node.js 18+, Python 3.10+ (or the Windows Portable Package), an NVIDIA GPU with at least 4GB VRAM (12GB+ for LLM features), CUDA 12.8 for the portable package, and FFmpeg for audio processing.
Any catches if I only have a weaker GPU?Thinking Mode and other LLM-powered features are automatically disabled on GPUs under 12GB VRAM; 4GB cards must stick to the PT backend with batch size 1 to avoid running out of memory.
Does any of my data leave my machine?No, everything runs locally after setup - generation, storage (SQLite) and audio tools all stay on your own GPU and network.
What built-in audio tools come with it?It ships with an AudioMass-based audio editor for trimming and effects, Demucs-powered stem extraction to separate vocals/drums/bass, a music video generator using Pexels footage, and procedural gradient album covers.
Can I use it from another device on my network?Yes, it supports LAN access so you can generate and play tracks from any device on your local network, as long as firewall ports 3000 and 3001 are open.
What is 'Thinking Mode'?It is a mode where an LLM reasons about the song structure and generates audio codes before synthesis, giving the best quality but running slowest and needing 12GB+ VRAM.
What can I control in Custom Mode?You can set full lyrics with structure tags like [Verse] and [Chorus], genre/mood/instrumentation, duration from 30-240 seconds, BPM from 60-200, and musical key.
What are similar projects?yovoice, stemkit, MiniMax-Music3, WanGP, youtubepro, openwhispr, vlo, bark
Which topics is it in?music-generation, audio-generation, express, music, tailwindcss, ffmpeg, vite, audio, offline, sqlite, nvidia, generative-ai
Creator
fspecii
Size
20.4 MB
Stars
5.1K
Updated
CommitJun 27
Age
8mo
Commits · 90 Days