Iterative Refinement

One generation is luck; iteration is method, changing one variable at a time and keeping the last version.

Related

TimbreTempoDAW

The problem

The first generation is usually "almost right", so you edit the prompt and generate again, and it swings somewhere else. Iteration without method oscillates: fix the top end and the low end goes wrong; restore the old settings and every problem returns.

How it works

Generation couples many parameters, so one changed sentence can alter timbre, structure and mood at once. Control variables by changing one thing per pass and comparing immediately. Keep prompt, seed and output for every version so you can go back. Judge in layers: structure first, instrumentation next, timbre last, since the reverse order wastes effort.

Practice

Keep a simple version table recording number, change and conclusion. Change one variable per pass and decide whether to keep or revert after listening. Solve structural problems by regenerating and timbral problems in post, never mixed together. After three passes without improvement, stop and re-examine the brief instead of drawing more samples.

What to listen for

In the ballade, how a theme takes shape across versions; in the kit, what each nudge changes; in the folk tune, when ornaments enter. Iteration is worth it when every step can be explained.

Sources

• 迭代式创作的常见流程，依设计实践公开资料核对，未抄原文
• 版本管理的基本方法，依工程实践通识核对，未抄文本

Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.