Lyric Editor
Access: Click lyrics column cell button, or double-click the cell (depending upon Preferences setting)
Unsynchronized Lyrics
Unsynchronized Lyrics are shown in the Main Editor's Lyric's Column as one line of text, with line breaks replaced by caret (^) symbols. Before a multi-line lyric is saved to a file, each caret is replaced with a newline character code sequence (hex '0D0A'). A line break can be inserted in Lyrics text in the main Editor cell just by typing-in a caret symbol anywhere you would like a new line to begin. Likewise, you can remove a line break by removing a caret from a cell.
Of course, most lyric text is too lengthy to edit or view comfortably in the single-line data cell provided in the Main Editor. Access a stand-alone Lyrics Editor by either double-clicking a lyrics cell, or by clicking a small "ellipse" button that appears on the right side inside the cell when it's selected (depending upon the Subeditor Access Method specified in Preferences):
This brings up the field's contents in a stand-alone editor:
Two copies of the Lyrics text field's current contents are shown. The copy on the left is an optional read-only copy of the Unsynchronized Lyrics for use as a reference and copy source, while the one on the right is editable and will become the new contents when the "OK" button is depressed, or when you move to another tag. To expose the original copy check "View > Original Lyrics" on the Menu bar. Resize the editor by dragging a corner of the window with the mouse or by clicking the "Arrow" keys on the bottom left. Click on the "Reset" button to return the editor to its default size and proportions. The Undo button re-reads the entire tag and reloads the Editor; it does not undo the last edit operation.
Optional data fields
- Lyricist: The name of the author of the lyrics. The Lyricist field is a separate tag field distinct from the Lyrics field itself and is stored in its own frame within the tag. This field is a mirror of Lyricist column. Changing the content in on location changes it in both.
- Original Lyricist: The name of the original author of the lyrics. Like the Lyricist field above, this field is a separate tag field distinct from the Lyrics field, is stored separately in the tag, and is only shown here for convenience. This field is a of the Original Lyricist column. Changing the content in on location changes it in both.
- Description: Enter a brief description or summary describing the lyrics. This information is stored as part of the Lyrics field itself and is automatically cleared if the Lyrics Editor is exited with no lyrics present.
- Language: From this drop down list, select the language that the lyrics are written in.
Three conditions determine which language appears in this field when the Editor is executed:
If there is already a lyrics frame present in the tag, and it contains a recognized language descriptor, the language found appears.
If there is already a lyrics frame present in the tag, but it contains an unrecognized language descriptor, the selection "Undetermined" appears.
If there is no lyrics frame present in the tag, it is assumed that a new one is being created, and the Default Language specified in Preferences is presented.
Like the Description, the Language is stored as part of the Lyrics field itself and is automatically cleared if the Lyrics Editor is exited with no lyrics present.
The Description field is cleared, and the Language reset to the Default Language, if the lyric's contents are altered by any process other than a direct edit of the individual lyrics cell. Thus, for example, if data are swapped between the lyrics column and another column, any text in the Description field is discarded and the Language is set to the Default Language specified in Preferences. The Lyricist and Original Lyricist fields are left untouched, since technically they are separate tag frames and not part of the Lyrics frame itself.
Not all lyrics fields are supported in all tags. Those not supported are "grayed out" and/or disabled when not applicable to the tag being edited.
Main Menu "Options"
Font: Runs a standard "font chooser" dialog for selecting the font used in the Lyrics Editor.
Auto fill: Copies lyrics from page to page. When on the Unsynchronized Lyrics page, copies lyrics line by line into the Synchronized Lyrics grid ready for editing. When on the Synchronized Lyrics page, copies synchronized lyrics into the Unsynchronized Lyrics editor.
Download: Do an online search for lyrics and install in the Editor if found. Search requires a valid artist and title in the tag.
Synchronized Lyrics
Synchronized lyrics contain a series of lyrics text pieces (lines, words, syllables) intermixed with timestamps that indicate at what specific time in the audio each piece begins. While UNsynchronized lyrics are stored in a tag as plain text, synchronized lyrics are stored as a single, contiguous binary object composed of text pieces interleaved with their associated timestamps.
A brief example will illustrate the use of the Synchronized Lyrics Editor, here using the following two lines of lyrics:
Strangers in the night
Exchanging glances
The simplest synchronization scheme would be a single line of lyrics per each grid line, with a corresponding timestamp indicating when each line begins in the audio:
Each line in the grid does not have to represent a whole line of lyrics, however. A more typical synchronization scheme would be based upon whole words or syllables. Below are the same two lines of lyrics timestamped by syllable this time:
Some basic formatting rules are visible above:
- New line indicators ("^") always go at the beginning of a grid line (but none should go on the first line).
- If a space character falls at the end of a piece of text, it should be placed at the beginning of the next grid line.
- All entries should be listed in ascending order of time.
Controls:
 Insert a new row above the current row. Delete the current row. Add a new row to the end. Move the current row up or down. As in the Main Editor, any row can be swapped with any other row by dragging its row number button to another location while holding the control key depressed Copy unsynchronized lyrics into the grid, one line of lyrics per grid line. Clear the grid of all data. |
