LyricTimestamps

Choose the lyric timing format your player needs

LRC, SRT, VTT and JSON can describe the same song timing, but they serve different consumers. Choose the file your music player, video editor or application can actually read.

Create and refine your lyric timing once. Then export the formats you need without repeating the alignment.

Create lyric timing to export

Start with the free preview. See pricing for current limits and paid options.

LRC: lyrics alongside a song

Standard LRC associates text lines with their start times. Enhanced LRC adds timestamps for words inside the line, which a compatible karaoke player can use for highlighting.

Use line LRC for broad synced-lyrics playback and test enhanced LRC in the particular player you intend to use.

A line-timed LRC excerpt
[00:12.48]I remember every word you said
[00:16.02]Standing in the rain again

SRT: timed caption cues

SRT describes numbered cues with start and end times. It is useful for caption import workflows in editors that support it. Basic SRT is not a portable definition of a karaoke animation.

SRT cue syntax
1
00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:15,960
I remember every word you said

2
00:00:16,020 --> 00:00:19,340
Standing in the rain again

WebVTT: text tracks for web media

WebVTT describes timed text for web media. A basic file has a WEBVTT header and timestamped cues. The player still determines how the track is rendered.

WebVTT cue syntax
WEBVTT

00:00:12.480 --> 00:00:15.960
I remember every word you said

00:00:16.020 --> 00:00:19.340
Standing in the rain again

JSON: timing values for software

Use JSON when you need to inspect or process each word's start and end values. An application can use those values to build highlighting, find phrases or prepare its own output.

Keep a data export when you plan to reuse the alignment. Converting a file that contains only line starts cannot recover word timing that was never stored.

Example word timing data
{
  "duration_seconds": 194.6,
  "words": [
    { "word": "I", "start": 12.48, "end": 12.61, "confidence": 0.97, "line_index": 0 },
    { "word": "remember", "start": 12.63, "end": 13.12, "confidence": 0.95, "line_index": 0 }
  ]
}

File precision and timing accuracy are separate

LyricTimestamps writes LRC tags to hundredths of a second and SRT/VTT cue times to milliseconds. Its word-level JSON rounds start and end values to milliseconds. These choices describe the data you download, not a guarantee that an automatic boundary is within that distance of the vocal.

Already have a file in the wrong format?

Generating new timing and converting existing timing are separate jobs. MusicTimestamps can help with format conversion and repairs; return here when you need to align lyrics to audio.

Questions about this workflow

Which file should I use for a music player?
Start with the player's documented lyric format. Standard LRC provides line timing; enhanced LRC adds word timing only where the player supports it.
Which file should I use for a video editor?
Use the caption format your editor accepts, commonly SRT in an import workflow. Test the imported timing and style in that editor.
Does converting line LRC to JSON create word timings?
No. A format conversion can reorganize timing that exists, but it cannot recover individual word times absent from the source.
Can one alignment produce all four formats?
Yes. LyricTimestamps can export LRC, SRT, VTT and JSON from the timing you have generated and reviewed.

More about lyric timing

Create lyric timing to export

Use the exact recording and lyric text you want to time. Listen to the result before exporting.

Start with the free preview. See pricing for current limits and paid options.