Lyric timestamp maker: LRC and SRT files
Paste your lyrics, play the song and stamp each line as it starts. Download a timed LRC or SRT file. Free, no account, nothing uploaded.
Nothing is uploaded. The audio plays from your own device.
Want the words on screen automatically? — See the lyric video maker
LRC or SRT: which file do you need?
Choose LRC when the lyrics will scroll in a player or karaoke app. It is lightweight, one line per timestamp, and has no end times, because each line simply lasts until the next one starts.
Choose SRT when the lyrics will appear as captions over a video. YouTube, Instagram and every video editor read it. Each cue has a start and an end, so this tool ends each line where the next begins and keeps the last line up until the track ends.
Make both if you are not sure. They come from the same stamps, so there is no extra work.
How to time lyrics by hand, step by step
Start with clean lyrics, one line per line, with no section labels you do not want shown on screen. Blank lines are ignored. Choose your audio file, add a title and artist if you want them in the LRC header, and press Load lines.
Play the track and keep your eyes on the next line shown above the list. Press Enter as the first word of that line starts. The line gets its time and the next one appears. A second pass through the song to check the timing costs a few minutes and catches most slips.
If you make a mistake, Undo last removes the previous stamp and rewinds the audio a second. When every line is stamped, download the format you need.
Making timing feel right
A caption that lands a little early reads as in time. One that lands late reads as broken, so lean early by a tenth of a second or two. Keep lines short enough to read at a glance. Break long lines at a natural pause rather than mid phrase, since each line becomes one cue.
Repeated choruses are the easy win: time the first chorus carefully, then copy the lines into the later ones and stamp them again, which is faster than writing them fresh.
From a lyric file to a lyric video
An SRT is a good start for a YouTube upload: add it as captions and viewers can follow along. A lyric video goes further, with the words designed into the picture. Melodious's AI lyric video maker builds that for you and times words from your vocal automatically, over scenes generated for the song. The planning is free to start and rendering needs a plan.
Frequently asked questions
What is an LRC file?
A plain text file where each lyric line starts with a time tag in minutes, seconds and hundredths, like 01:05.50 in square brackets. Music players and karaoke apps read it to show lyrics in time with the song.
What is an SRT file?
A subtitle file. Each cue has a number, a start and end time, and the text. YouTube, video editors and most social platforms accept SRT for captions, so it is the one to use for a lyric video.
How do I time the lyrics?
Paste the lyrics, choose the audio, and press Load lines. Play the track and press the Stamp button or Enter at the moment each line begins. Use Undo last if you were early or late, and the audio jumps back a second so you can try again.
How accurate will the timing be?
As accurate as your reaction. Most people land within about a quarter of a second, which is fine for karaoke style lines but loose for fast rap. For tight timing, stamp slightly early, because people press after they hear the word.
Is the audio uploaded?
No. The track plays from your own device through the browser, and the files are built in this tab. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Can it time the words for me automatically?
This tool is manual on purpose. Melodious's lyric video feature does it automatically by isolating the vocal and taking word timings from the audio, but that is part of the paid product, not this free tool.
Turn timed lyrics into a finished video
Melodious puts your lyrics over AI-generated scenes, with each word timed to your vocal. A new account gets a free storyboard first, and rendering takes a plan.
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