Whisper timestamps or supplied-lyric alignment?
Start with the task you need to solve: finding the words in a recording, or timing words you already know. Whisper is a speech-recognition system with a word-timestamp option. LyricTimestamps is a workflow for aligning your supplied lyrics and refining their timing.
If you already have the correct lyric sheet, keep it as the text source. Generate a timing draft, listen to the performance and correct lines and words before exporting.
Start with the free preview. See pricing for current limits and paid options.
What Whisper's timestamps refer to
Whisper's transcription code can return timestamps for the words it recognizes. Its initial prompt gives transcription context; it is not a guarantee that a complete supplied lyric sheet will be reproduced verbatim.
That makes transcription useful when you need a text starting point. Check the recognized words before treating their timing as the final timing of a song.
When the words are already known
An alignment workflow takes the text you want to time as an input. For a song, prepare that text against the actual recording: include every repeated chorus and audible ad-lib, and remove directions that are not sung.
LyricTimestamps adds a review workflow around that task. The automatic result is a draft you can refine, rather than a claim that every word will be correct without listening.
Choose by your starting material
- Recording with unknown words: obtain a transcript, then check its wording.
- Recording plus exact lyrics: align the supplied words and refine the timing.
- Existing LRC, SRT or VTT with a formatting problem: use a conversion or repair workflow.
- DJ mix needing track start times: use SongTimestamps rather than lyric-word alignment.
Questions about this workflow
- Can Whisper produce word-level timestamps?
- Yes. The official transcription implementation has a word_timestamps option. Those timestamps accompany the words recognized during transcription.
- Does an initial prompt force Whisper to use my whole lyric sheet?
- An initial prompt supplies context for transcription. It should not be treated as a guarantee that all supplied lyrics will be returned exactly.
- Can I use corrected transcription text with LyricTimestamps?
- Yes. First make sure it matches the song, including repeats and ad-libs. Then use the corrected text as the lyrics to align.
- Does LyricTimestamps guarantee perfect singing transcription?
- No. This workflow starts from the lyrics you supply and focuses on timing them. Review the automatic placement by listening and refine it where needed.
More about lyric timing
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.