An AI song that comes back shorter than you wanted almost always has one of six causes: the model makes a fixed length, the tool used its 60-second default, the model stopped before the length you asked for, part of your lyrics was dropped, a video tool trimmed the track when you put it under a clip, or a merge removed the sound altogether. Each has a specific fix, and most are settings, not bugs.
TL;DR
- Lyria 2 makes one 30-second clip per generation. For a full song, use a model with a length setting
- 60 seconds is the default on MiniMax Music 3 and ElevenLabs Music. Set the length before you generate
- MiniMax Music 3 may stop early. Its provider calls the length an upper limit, and the request is what you pay for
- Lyrics on the same line as a section tag are dropped on MiniMax Music 3. Put each tag on its own line
- Video tools trim audio. Creatify Boreal keeps only the clip's length of your track, lip sync tools cap the audio, and Montage drops sound entirely
1. The model makes a fixed length
Some music models do not take a length at all. On 8frame:
| Model | Length | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Lyria 2 | One 30-second clip per generation | 13 |
| Lyria 3.5 | No length setting; songs "up to a few minutes", length steered by the prompt | 14 |
| MiniMax Music v2 | No length setting; needs lyrics (10 to 3,000 characters) | 5 |
| MiniMax Music 3 | 10 s to 5 min, default 60 s | 17 for 60 s, 49 for 3 min, 81 for 5 min |
| ElevenLabs Music | 3 s to 10 min, default 60 s | 81 per started minute |
If you used Lyria 2 and got 30 seconds, nothing went wrong: that is the model. For a bed under a 15 or 30-second ad it is the cheapest fit. For a full song, switch to MiniMax Music 3 or ElevenLabs Music and set the length, or to Lyria 3.5 and write the length into the prompt ("a 2-minute track", or timestamped sections), which is how the model's provider says to control it.
MiniMax Music v2 has no length field, so we cannot tell you in advance how long a v2 song will be. If length matters, use Music 3.
2. You got the 60-second default
MiniMax Music 3 and ElevenLabs Music both open at 60 seconds on 8frame. If you wrote a three-verse song and did not change the length, the model had 60 seconds to fit it in.
Fix: set the length before generating. Plan the cost with it:
- MiniMax Music 3 is billed per second of the length you request: 60 s is 17 credits, 3 minutes 49, 5 minutes 81.
- ElevenLabs Music is billed per started minute, 81 each: a 30-second track and a 60-second track both cost 81, and 61 seconds costs 162. If a track can be 60 seconds instead of 65, make it 60.
3. The model stopped before the length you asked for
On MiniMax Music 3, the length you set is a maximum, not a promise. Its provider's own documentation says: "The model may stop earlier; the actual duration is returned in the output." 8frame charges for the length you requested, so an early stop does not refund the difference.
What to do:
- Give the song enough material for its length. A two-line lyric will not fill three minutes. Add verses, a bridge, an outro, or instrumental sections.
- Use structure tags. MiniMax Music 3 accepts tags such as [intro], [verse], [chorus] and [outro], and lists [instrumental] and [solo] among them, which is how you ask for a section without vocals.
- When the exact length matters, use ElevenLabs Music. You set the length, it is billed per started minute, and you trim in the editor.
4. Part of your lyrics was dropped
If the song is the right length but a verse is missing, check the formatting. MiniMax Music 3's documentation says structure tags need their own line, and that "text on the same line as a leading tag is dropped by the model's input contract."
So this loses the first line of the verse:
[verse] Walking down the river road
and this keeps it:
[verse]
Walking down the river road
On MiniMax Music v2, lyrics must be 10 to 3,000 characters; a longer lyric will not fit in one generation, so split the song or shorten it.
5. A video tool trimmed your track
The song can be complete and still get cut when you put it under a picture. On 8frame:
- Creatify Boreal keeps only the first part of your track: its provider's docs say "the first
durationseconds of the audio are used". Boreal opens at 5 seconds, so a two-minute song under a default Boreal clip keeps 5 seconds. Raise the length (up to 20 s) or add the song in the editor instead. - Pruna p-video takes an audio track of up to 20 seconds, and the track sets the clip's length.
- Lip sync tools cap the audio. Pruna Avatar refuses audio over 35 seconds before charging; OmniHuman 1.5 runs 5 to 35 seconds; Hailuo H3 Max Lip Sync clips audio at about 14.8 seconds. For a full song, sync it in sections.
- Sound effects stop at 22 seconds. ElevenLabs SFX makes 0.5 to 22 seconds per generation (1 to 6 credits by length). It is not a music tool, and a long effect has to be built from pieces.
6. The merged video has no sound at all
If you joined clips with the Montage node and the song vanished, that is how Montage works: it joins the picture only, and the merged file has no audio track. It also uses at most 15 seconds of each clip. Put the music on the Video Editor timeline instead, which has sound layers, or add it in your own editor.
The fastest path to a full-length song
- Write the full lyric with each section tag on its own line.
- Choose a model with a length setting (MiniMax Music 3 or ElevenLabs Music) and set the length to the finished song.
- Generate once, listen to the end, and check the actual length before building the video.
- Put the song on the Video Editor timeline, not into a video model's audio input, unless you want the model to follow it.
A credit is about $0.01 at pack rate, so a 3-minute MiniMax Music 3 song is 49 credits, about $0.49. Every audio price is in AI music and voice price by model, and the free options are in best free AI song generator.
FAQ
Why is my AI song only 30 seconds? Lyria 2 makes one 30-second clip per generation. For longer songs, use MiniMax Music 3 (up to 5 minutes) or ElevenLabs Music (up to 10 minutes) and set the length.
Why did my AI song end before the length I set? On MiniMax Music 3 the length is a maximum; the provider says the model may stop earlier. Give it enough lyrics and sections to fill the length, or use ElevenLabs Music when the exact length matters.
Do I get credits back if the song is shorter than I asked? No. MiniMax Music 3 is charged for the length you requested. Failed generations are refunded automatically; a shorter song is not a failure.
Why is a verse missing from my AI song? On MiniMax Music 3, text on the same line as a section tag is dropped. Put each tag on its own line.
How do I make an instrumental section? On MiniMax Music 3, use the [instrumental] or [solo] tag on its own line. MiniMax Music v2 always needs lyrics, so it makes sung tracks.
Why did my song get cut when I added it to a video? Creatify Boreal keeps only the clip's length of your track, lip sync tools cap the audio length, and Montage drops sound. Add the song on the Video Editor timeline.
Sources
- Lyria 2 "30 second duration" and WAV output: fal.ai/models/fal-ai/lyria2/api, checked 2026-11-02
- Lyria 3.5 song length, no duration parameter, length by prompt: fal.ai/models/google/lyria-3.5/api, checked 2026-11-02
- MiniMax Music 3 "may stop earlier", tag rules, [instrumental] and [solo]: fal.ai/models/minimax/music-3/api, checked 2026-11-02
- MiniMax Music v2 lyrics length and no duration parameter: fal.ai/models/fal-ai/minimax-music/v2/api, checked 2026-11-02
- ElevenLabs Music length range: fal.ai/models/fal-ai/elevenlabs/music/api, checked 2026-11-02
- Creatify Boreal audio rule: fal.ai/models/creatify/boreal/api, checked 2026-11-02
- 8frame prices, defaults and limits (music lengths, defaults and prices, billing on requested length, ElevenLabs SFX, Boreal and p-video audio, lip sync caps, Montage without sound, Video Editor sound layers, automatic refunds): the 8frame app, checked 2026-11-02
Set the length, tag each section, add the song last.
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