How do I tap along to sync my lyrics?

Play your song and tap once as each line starts: lyrik allows for your reaction time and snaps each tap to the exact moment you start singing.

It's the quickest way to fix a song where lots of lines are out.

When tap mode opens by itself

If lyrik couldn't place enough of your words on its own (more than about 3 lines in 10 are amber), the Sync screen opens in tap mode with:

'Let’s sync this one together.' 'We couldn’t place enough of the words on our own. Start the song below and tap as each line starts. We’ll do the rest.'

You can also open it yourself at any time: tap More tools, then Tap along.

How to tap along

1. Press Start tapping at the bottom of the screen. The song plays from 2.5 seconds before the next line.
2. While the song plays, the button turns pink and shows the next line (up to its first 42 characters), for example Tap: “Streetlights hum along the high road”.
3. Tap the button the moment that line starts. On a computer you can press Space instead.
4. The button moves on to the next line. Keep tapping, one tap per line.
5. To redo a line, tap it in the list. Tapping carries on from there.
6. When every line is done, you'll see 'Every line tapped. Have a listen, then carry on.' Play it back. If it sounds right, press Looks right.

To stop tapping and stay on Sync, open More tools and choose Listen and fix. Your taps so far are kept. Skip, it looks right also keeps them, but it finishes the sync and takes you on to the styles.

How lyrik uses your taps

• It allows for your reaction time. Everyone taps a little late. lyrik assumes about 0.15 seconds at first. After your first 3 taps on lines it was already sure of, it learns your own timing, anywhere from 0 to 0.4 seconds.
• It snaps to your voice. Each tap moves to the nearest moment you start singing, within a quarter of a second.
• It moves the start of the line. Your tap moves the line's first word. The other words stay where lyrik heard them, unless they would now come before it.
• It confirms lines that were right. A tap close to a green line's start (within about a third of a second) just confirms it and moves nothing.
• It fixes unsure words too. If your tap moves a line by more than half a second, the line's unsure words move with it.
• It skips ad-libs. Lines in round brackets aren't tapped.

With More tools open, a line tells you how you're tapping: 'We allow for your reaction time.', 'You tap right on time.', 'You tap a touch late. We allow for it.' or 'You tap a little late. We allow for it.'

Good to know

• Tapping is free, however many times you go through.
• Tap mode opens by itself only on a fresh sync. If you've already made edits, open it from More tools.
• Singing in Yoruba or Zulu? When you pasted your lyrics, lyrik said you'd tap along once. Tap mode only opens by itself when lots of lines are amber, so if it doesn't, open More tools and choose Tap along.
• Got it wrong? Use Undo under More tools, or Cmd+Z / Ctrl+Z. See Are my sync fixes saved, and can I undo them?

If something goes wrong

• Your taps seem to land late. Keep going. lyrik learns your timing after a few taps on lines it's sure of.
• One line is still off after tapping. Tap that line in the list and tap it again, or nudge it with −50 and +50 under More tools. See How do I fix a line's words or timing?
• The words inside a line are off, not the start. Move single words instead. See How do I move a single word?
• There's singing with no line to tap. Your lyrics may be missing a repeat. See Sync says 'We hear singing at 1:23 that no line starts on'

Hidden extras

• Space taps on a computer, which is easier than clicking.
• Tap any line in the list to jump there and carry on tapping from it.