What do I need before I start?

Have your final audio file and an email address ready. Paste or auto-detect your lyrics. You can add cover art later in Style.

No written lyrics yet? Detect them from the vocal, then check and correct the words in Sync.

Your checklist

1. Your audio file.
   • MP3, WAV, FLAC or M4A. AAC, AIF and AIFF work too. OGG is not accepted by the cloud upload check.
   • Longer than 5 seconds and up to 8 minutes.
   • Up to 100 MB.
   • Use your final master, in a lossless format (WAV or FLAC) if you can. Your video uses the audio you upload, so a better file means better sound.
2. If you paste your lyrics.
   • One sung line per line.
   • Every repeat written out, or marked (see the example below).
   • Section tags in square brackets, such as [Chorus].
   • A blank line between verses and choruses.
   • Ad-libs in round brackets, such as (yeah).
3. Your cover art (optional).
   • A square JPG or PNG. 3000 px is ideal.
   • Most styles take their colours from it (Flicker stays black and white).
   • A clear photo of a person unlocks the Behind style and lets some styles cut you out.
   • No cover yet? You can skip it, and lyrik makes a simple placeholder.
4. An email address. There's no password. lyrik emails you a 6-digit code to sign in.
5. The rights. You need to own or control the recording and the lyrics, or have everyone's agreement. For a cover, it must be your own recording of the song.

An example of lyrics ready to paste

This is a made-up song, laid out the way lyrik reads best:

[Verse 1]
Streetlights hum along the high road
I count the windows, one by one

[Chorus]
Keep the porch light on (keep it on)
I'm nearly home x2

[Verse 2]
Rain on the roof of the night bus
Your name is fogged on the glass

[Chorus]

• [Chorus] on its own repeats the last chorus.
• x2 at the end of a line means it's sung twice.
• (keep it on) becomes an ad-lib, shown smaller by most styles.

More detail: How should I paste my lyrics? and How do I mark choruses, verses and repeats?

Good to know

• Keep the page open until your upload finishes. Your saved project link lets you return to setup; you may need to choose the audio file again. After upload, the work continues in the background.
• Use a stable connection for big files. If upload fails, follow the retry message before leaving the page.
• You can correct words later. In Sync, select a word to edit or delete it. A missing verse or different recording needs a new project. See What can I change after uploading?.
• Languages. lyrik reads English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Dutch, Tagalog / Filipino, Indonesian, Yoruba, Nigerian Pidgin and Zulu. See Which languages does lyrik support?

If something goes wrong

• 'Tracks can be up to 8 minutes long.' Upload a shorter edit of the song.
• 'That file is over 100 MB.' Try a FLAC or a 16-bit WAV export first. They're smaller and keep the full sound. An MP3 works, but your video's sound will be MP3 quality.
• 'Use an MP3, WAV, FLAC or M4A file.' The file isn't an audio type lyrik takes. Video files (.mp4, .mov) and voice notes (.opus) aren't accepted. Export the audio first.
• 'That file doesn't seem to contain audio.' The file is empty, or 5 seconds long or less.
• 'We couldn't read that audio file.' The file may be damaged. Export it again.
• 'Cover art must be a JPG or PNG.' or 'That cover is over 20 MB.' Save your cover as a JPG or PNG under 20 MB.
• 'Those lyrics are too long (20,000 characters at most).' Check you haven't pasted extra text, such as notes or credits.

Hidden extras

• Paste straight from a lyrics website if you like. lyrik removes the usual clutter, such as 'You might also like' and 'Embed'.
• Singing a duet? Put the singer's name in the tag, such as [Verse 2: Ana]. Styles can then set the second singer differently. See How do I show a duet or a featured singer?
• Want a template to copy? See Is there a lyrics template I can copy?