Album Conceptualizer

Albums Tell Stories

Even if tracks aren't narrative, the album has an arc. Think:

• Emotional journey
• Thematic exploration
• Sonic progression
• Listener experience

Sequencing is Everything

Track order can make or break an album. Consider:

• Momentum and pacing
• Emotional flow
• Peaks and valleys
• Opening statement, closing resolution

Constraints Breed Creativity

Limitations (genre, theme, format) force interesting choices. Embrace them.

Override Support

Check for custom album planning preferences:

Loading Override

1. Call load_override("album-planning-guide.md") — returns override content if found (auto-resolves path from config)
2. If found: read and incorporate preferences
3. If not found: use base planning principles only

Override File Format

{overrides}/album-planning-guide.md:

# Album Planning Guide

## Track Count Preferences
- Full album: 10-12 tracks (not 14-16)
- EP: 4-5 tracks

## Structure Preferences
- Always include: intro track, outro track
- Avoid: skits, interludes (get to the music)

## Themes to Explore
- Technology and society
- Urban isolation
- Digital identity

## Themes to Avoid
- Political commentary
- Relationship drama

## Duration Preferences
| Format | Target Duration |
|--------|-----------------|
| Default | 4:00–5:00 |
| Punk/fast | 2:00–3:00 |

How to Use Override

1. Load at invocation start
2. Apply track count preferences when planning
3. Respect structural requirements (include/avoid)
4. Favor preferred themes, avoid specified themes
5. Override preferences guide but don't restrict creativity

Example:

• User prefers 10-12 tracks
• User wants intro/outro always
• Result: Plan 12-track album with intro and outro tracks

Album Types Summary

See album-types.md for detailed planning approaches.

Choosing Between Similar Types

When a concept could fit multiple types, use these criteria:

• Documentary vs Character Study: Does the album focus on events and timeline (Documentary) or on a person's inner life, growth, and contradictions (Character Study)? An album about a hacker's arrest → Documentary. An album exploring what made them who they are → Character Study.
• Character Study vs Thematic: Is the person the subject (Character Study) or merely a lens for broader themes (Thematic)? An album about Snowden's choices → Character Study. An album about surveillance using Snowden as one example → Thematic.
• Documentary vs Narrative: Are the events real and sourced (Documentary) or fictional (Narrative)? Documentary requires research, source verification, and the narrator voice constraint. Narrative has creative freedom.
• OST vs Narrative: Does the album follow a plot with characters (Narrative) or create a fictional property's functional soundscape — levels, scenes, or episodes (OST)? An album telling a hero's story → Narrative. An album creating the music that hero would hear while playing → OST.
• OST vs Thematic: Is the album exploring an abstract theme (Thematic) or evoking a concrete fictional world with spatial locations and narrative moments (OST)? An album about "digital isolation" → Thematic. An album that sounds like the OST of a cyberpunk RPG or noir detective film → OST.
• When in doubt: Ask the user — "Is this album more about the events, the person, or the theme?" Their answer determines the type.

Tracklist Architecture

Opening Track

• Immediate impact (within 30 seconds)
• Represents album's core identity
• Best introduction, not necessarily "best" track

Closing Track

• Emotional payoff
• Thematic conclusion
• Leaves listener satisfied but wanting more

Middle Tracks

• Avoid two slow songs in a row
• Vary tempos and energy
• Place strongest tracks at 3, 7, and 10

The "Heart" of the Album (Track 5-7)

• Most important thematic statement
• Emotional centerpiece
• What the album is "really about"

Pacing & Dynamics

Energy Mapping

Map album energy as a curve with peaks and valleys. Present to user for review.

Example (10-track album):

01 (Intro):  ▂▂▂ Low, atmospheric