How do I get the best automatic sync?

Paste complete, tidy lyrics and upload your own final mix, and lyrik can place nearly every word by itself.

lyrik lines up the words you paste with the voice it hears. When the two match, your lines come out green. When a line is missing or extra, the lines around it often go amber. Most of the work happens before you press Sync my lyrics, because your lyrics and language can't be changed after the upload.

Six habits for a good sync

1. Write out or mark every repeat. If you sing the chorus three times, your lyrics need it three times. You can write it out in full, or mark it:
   • An empty [Chorus] tag (with no lines under it) repeats the last chorus.
   • [Chorus x2] sings that tagged chorus twice.
   • x2 at the end of a line sings that line twice. (x2), 2x, ×2 and (repeat) work too, for 2 to 8 times.
   • A line that is only (x2) or (repeat) repeats the stanza just above it.
2. Tag your sections in square brackets. Put [Verse 1], [Chorus], [Pre-Chorus], [Bridge], [Hook], [Intro] or [Outro] on a line of its own. Tags don't show in your video. lyrik uses them as hints, and a tagged chorus is the surest way to get chorus effects and a good starting clip.
3. Leave a blank line between stanzas. A blank line starts a new stanza. It helps lyrik find your chorus when there are no tags.
4. Put ad-libs in round brackets. Write (yeah) on its own line, or at the end of a line. lyrik splits it off as an ad-lib line. Most styles show ad-libs smaller, and Tap along skips them.
5. Check the language. Under the lyrics box you'll see 'English (sounds like)' when lyrik is fairly sure, or 'Language: we’ll listen'. If it's wrong, or you know better, pick your language from the list.
6. Upload your own final mix, in a lossless format. Use a WAV or FLAC of the master, with the vocal take your lyrics describe. Your video uses this audio too, so a better file also means better sound.

An example to copy

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]

The last [Chorus] has no lines under it, so it repeats the chorus above. For a longer template, see Is there a lyrics template I can copy?

Good to know

• Some languages sync better than others. English and Nigerian Pidgin get the best timing, because lyrik checks every word two ways. In other languages, expect a few more lines to check.
• Watch out for lyrics-site habits.
  • (Repeat chorus) on its own line repeats the stanza just above it, which is often a verse. Use an empty [Chorus] tag instead.
  • Chorus: or Chorus x2 without square brackets is read as words you sing. Use [Chorus] or [Chorus x2].
  • A name at the start of a line, such as Ana:, stays in your lyrics. To mark a second singer, put the name in the tag: [Verse 2: Ana]. See How do I show a duet or a featured singer?
  • x10 isn't expanded. Repeat counts work from 2 to 8.
  • Only round brackets mark ad-libs. [ad lib] or {echo} in the middle of a line stays part of the sung line.
• Pasting from a lyrics website is fine. lyrik removes the usual clutter, such as a 'Lyrics' header, 'Embed' and 'You might also like'.
• Lines can't be added after the upload. If you missed a repeat, start a new video with the same audio file and complete lyrics. If it’s the very same file, syncing it again can be free. See Starting another project with the same audio
• Many amber lines? Tap along is quicker than nudging lines one by one. If more than about 3 lines in 10 are amber, the Sync screen opens in tap mode by itself. See How do I tap along to sync my lyrics?

If something goes wrong

• 'We hear singing at 1:23, 2:45 that no line starts on. It’s often an oh or a woah, or a line sung more times than your lyrics show.' Listen at those times. An oh or a woah is fine as it is, unless the line after it starts early. Otherwise a repeat is probably missing from your lyrics. See Sync says ‘We hear singing at 1:23 that no line starts on’
• 'Let’s sync this one together.' lyrik couldn't place enough words on its own. Tap along once and it does the rest. See How do I tap along?
• 'Those lyrics are too long (20,000 characters at most).' Check you haven't pasted notes, credits or a second song.
• Your language isn't in the list. Leave it on 'Language: we’ll listen'. lyrik can only sync in the languages on the list, so it uses the closest one it hears, often English. Expect rough timing and use Tap along.

Hidden extras

• Under the lyrics box, a line says what lyrik will tidy, for example '12 lines. We’ll tidy the tags, repeats and ad-libs.' If it doesn't mention repeats and your song has some, check how you've marked them.
• The line count there can differ from the count on the Sync screen. Sync writes out every repeat in full and gives ad-libs their own lines.