Embedding Scrolling Lyrics in Midi Files

[GSpro]

Hello forum.
I did a google search on how to "embed scrolling lyrics in a MIDI file" and came across this link

http://www.hittrax.com.au/images/artist ... i_file.pdf

Does Metro have/support the feature of lining up the lyrics with the melody line?
If there is a way to do this, it will save time

Any help/suggestions on how to or if there is an app for the Mac that can do this is appreciated.

Thank you,
Adriano

[Jerm]

I haven't used this in a while so I am not sure but I am confident Metro will open lyrics as markers and will probably write keep them as lyrics if they came in that way.

[GSpro]

Good morning Sir,

Sorry for the broken link on the first post. It is fixed now and an explanation of what I'm looking for can be read.
Anyway, I actually purchased a midi file with embedded lyrics from that link so that I can test how Metro displays them. Yes, Metro opens them as markers.

What I'd like to do is, I want to embed scrolling lyrics in my midi files, so that lyrics can be displayed on "hardware midi file players" that support that feature. Can I do that in Metro?

As always, any help is very much appreciated.

Thank you,
Adriano

[Jerm]

Did you try renaming the file so it has a karaoke extension?

[GSpro]

Hello Sir.
No, I did not.

The thing is it has to be a .mid file. Did you by any chance take a peak a the link.
I actually tried it, since, I had a copy of Sonar that came with the SonicCell. I installed it on my wife's PC and and the lyrics snapped and lined up fallowing the melody track. I then saved the file in a .mid and played it back through QMidi and displayed perfectly.

My issue is that I don't work on Windows and I sure don't want another piece of hardware in the studio.

[Jerm]

Well it would be fairly easy to implement if you wanted to paste hyphenated lyrics and have them align as lyric-type-markers with a melody track. You could then export that as a MIDI file.

Please enter a feature request and then send me a Metro MIDI file with a separate lyrics text file. After this feature is implemented I will email you back the final Metro file so you can see if it is working properly with QMIDI.

[GSpro]

Hello Sir.
I placed a feature request for this. I will have a midi and a lyric file for you shortly.

I thank you very much for your attention and responsiveness.

Adriano

[w]

I will have a midi and a lyric file for you shortly.


Adriano

Please post it here because I would like to try it in Metro and also some other midi/audio sequencer applications that I have.

I have an midi player ( QMidi) that can display and sing the karaoke ( lyrics ) and I also have Harmony Assistant that can sing the lyrics as well as line up the lyrics with the notes.

[Jerm]

This feature is implemented and working in 6.4.9.2. It will be available in all incarnations of Metro after the next release.

[w]

Sorry, but I am lost in that can I add lyrics to a midi track in the version I have now, Metro LX 6.4.9.1 ?

And will there be a "karaoke" window with the readable lyrics in a somewhat larger font in the next version 6.4.9.2 ?

[GSpro]

Hi w,

No, you can't with the current version, but it has been implemented on the upcoming one. Jeremy did a fantastic job on implementing it in less then 24 hours.

About the second question, I don't know. It will be a good idea, in my case for testing purpose, to make sure that the lyrics, highlight and stay on time with the music and if a word, here and there highlights to soon or later, it's just matter of moving the marker to the right place and take care of the project all within Metro. Right now I'm switching to second program called QMidi to display the lyrics and to make sure that they are in sync. No big deal for me.
Here is the link if interested http://www.mixagesoftware.com/

Hope that helps

[w]

GSpro,

I have been using QMidi for years so i could never understand why Metro or some other high end midi/audio sequencer did not have that feature although i do understand that not to many find any value in that feature.

Finale 2011 have made the addition of lyrics line up with the words more elegantly without making a mess of the notation.

Scrolling the "notation" with the words is great but there should also be a way of increasing the size of the track to be readable even on our modern large sized monitors.

So I am looking forward to the update Metro. Did you get a "preview" version ?

Walter

[GSpro]

Hi w,

I don't think that scrolling lyrics in midi files has been around long, maybe I'm wrong. This is a feature that not many midi programmers/musicians use. It just so happened that I'm also in that kind of work and that a company has asked me to program midi files for them and requirements are, embedding lyrics. So, to answer your question: "If we don't ask, we'll never see it". The good thing is that there is a feature request section and Jeremy is very good at implementing them.

About "increasing the size of the track to be readable even on our modern large sized monitors." Do you mean a Zoom In/Out function on the notation editor?

Yes, Jeremy wanted me to beta test Metro with the new implementation and it worked as expected. I'm just waiting for the final release. In the mean time, I'm getting more midi files done in 6.4.9.1 and when 6.4.9.2 is released, I'll just add the lyrics and ship the material out.

Adriano