Lyric Formats

This page introduces lyric formats supported by @applemusic-like-lyrics/lyric.

In this document, “word-by-word lyrics” means lyrics with timestamp precision finer than line-level. Depending on platform and format, it may be syllable-level or word-level.

TTML

TTML is the primary lyric storage and exchange format in the AMLL ecosystem. It supports all major AMLL capabilities, including translation/transliteration, background vocals, word-level transliteration, and ruby annotation.

See TTML for details.

This package provides parseTTML and stringifyTTML for TTML parsing and serialization.

LRC

LRC is the most common lyric file format and supports line-level timestamps only. File extension is .lrc.

Here, “LRC” means basic unextended LRC (sometimes called simple LRC). LRC was not formally standardized by a single organization; many variants exist and details vary.

Typically, each lyric line starts with a timestamp indicating line start time. Common forms:

[mm:ss]
[mm:ss.xx]
[mm:ss.xxx]

mm is minutes and ss.xxx is seconds. Fraction digits may be omitted, 2 digits, or 3 digits. One lyric line can have multiple timestamps to indicate repeated occurrences.

LRC also supports metadata lines at the top in [tag:content] format. Some implementations allow comment lines prefixed with #.

Example:

[al:崩坏星穹铁道-不虚此行 On the Journey]
[ti:不虚此行 On the Journey]
[ar:魏晨, Nea]
[length: 2:36]

[00:25.494]We venture through the cosmic sea
[00:27.541]A thousand light-years, wild and free
[00:30.805]We dance beneath the galaxy
[00:32.847]Then will you be with me?
# ...
[01:45.949]Catching on, our paths unknown
[01:50.261]To sink into daylight
[01:52.851]Break into the moonlight
[01:56.487]Life goes on, through tides of time
[02:00.900]Get in the line, to dream alive
[02:03.580]In our souls, do we know?
[02:05.896][02:08.473][02:11.262]On the journey

LRC does not natively support translation/transliteration. Common practice is to provide separate files with matching timestamps.

More background: Wikipedia: LRC (file format).

This package provides parseLrc and stringifyLrc.

LRC A2

LRC A2 (from A2 Media Player) extends LRC with inline timestamps in angle brackets <mm:ss.xx> for word-level timing. Timestamp format is similar to LRC. Each angle-bracket timestamp indicates the start time of the following text segment.

File extension is .lrc or .alrc.

Example:

[ti: Somebody to Love]
[ar: Jefferson Airplane]
[al: Surrealistic Pillow]
[length: 2:58]

[00:00.00] <00:00.04> When <00:00.16> the <00:00.82> truth <00:01.29> is <00:01.63> found <00:03.09> to <00:03.37> be <00:05.92> lies
[00:06.47] <00:07.67> And <00:07.94> all <00:08.36> the <00:08.63> joy <00:10.28> within <00:10.53> you <00:13.09> dies
[00:13.34] <00:14.32> Don't <00:14.73> you <00:15.14> want <00:15.57> somebody <00:16.09> to <00:16.46> Love

When parsing, spaces around timestamps should be normalized.

Because timestamps are embedded with < >, escaping literal < or > in lyric text is not officially standardized. Parsing attempts to match <mm:ss.xx> as timestamp patterns; unmatched < or > are treated as normal text.

LRC A2 also does not natively support translation/transliteration.

This package provides parseLrcA2 and stringifyLrcA2.

NetEase YRC and QQ QRC

Both are private word-level lyric formats used by music platforms:

NetEase Cloud Music uses .yrc
QQ Music uses .qrc

Both use line timestamps in [lineStart,lineDur] format, where values are integer milliseconds. Unlike LRC, they do not support multiple timestamps for one repeated line.

Word-level syntax differs:

YRC: (sylStart,sylDur,0)text (timestamp first, then text). The third field is always 0 in known samples.
QRC: text(sylStart,sylDur) (text first, then timestamp), without the extra 0 field.

All start times are absolute (from audio start).

Example for the same lyrics:

# NetEase YRC
[190871,1984](190871,361,0)For (191232,172,0)the (191404,376,0)first (191780,1075,0)time
[193459,4198](193459,412,0)What's (193871,574,0)past (194445,506,0)is (194951,2706,0)past

# QQ QRC
[190871,1984]For (190871,361)the (191232,172)first (191404,376)time(191780,1075)
[193459,4198]What's (193459,412)past (193871,574)is (194445,506)past(194951,2706)

QRC and YRC do not have LRC A2 style adjacent-space collapsing.

Parentheses in lyric text are tricky because timestamps also use (). Based on observed platform samples:

YRC samples consistently use full-width parentheses （） in text
QRC samples keep normal parentheses in text

Based on this behavior:

YRC likely avoids half-width parentheses in text; this library replaces half-width parentheses with full-width ones when exporting YRC
QRC parser skips non-timestamp parentheses and treats them as text

YRC/QRC also do not natively support translation/transliteration; common practice is companion LRC files.

Also, this library treats fully parenthesized lines as background lines in YRC/QRC and removes outer parentheses during parsing.

This package provides parseYrc and stringifyYrc for YRC; parseQrc and stringifyQrc for QRC.

QQ Music also distributes an encrypted QRC format: XML containing QRC text, encrypted with a DES-like algorithm and base64-encoded. This package provides decryptQrcHex to decode such base64 payloads to XML text, and encryptQrcHex to encode plaintext XML to base64.

Lyricify Formats

Lyricify is a popular word-by-word lyric display app. It defines three private formats: Lyricify Lines, Lyricify Syllable, and Lyricify Quick Export.

Lyricify Lines: line-level format, extension .lyl
Lyricify Syllable: word-level format, extension .lys, with background and duet support

Official docs exist for the first two formats: Lyricify format docs.

This package provides parseLyl/stringifyLyl and parseLys/stringifyLys.

Lyricify Quick Export uses extension .lqe (Lyricify Quick Export). There is no official formal spec, but the format is straightforward from exported samples:

[Lyricify Quick Export]
[version:1.0]

[lyrics: format@Lyricify Syllable]
[4]A(365,350)ni(715,307)ro(1022,312)dham (1334,419)a(3203,337)nut(3540,350)pā(3890,306)dam(4196,382)
[5]Qua(6206,312)e(6518,350)so (6868,370)do(7238,338)mi(7576,373)ne (7949,413)nos (8362,736)ple(9098,306)ne (9404,338)sal(9742,237)va (9979,244)tam(10223,350)
[4]A(6164,1436)nuc(7600,744)che(8344,724)dam (9068,399)a(9467,293)śā(9760,240)śva(10000,225)tam(10225,893)
[4]Hi (11851,812)ma(12663,344)ma (13007,369)ja(13376,263)gad (13639,237)i(13876,212)daṃ(14088,800)


[translation: format@LRC]
[00:00.365]不生亦不灭
[00:06.206]主人啊，求你像这般，赐给我们完全的救恩
[00:06.164]不常亦不断
[00:11.851]此世已为我之世


[pronunciation: format@LRC, language@romaji]
[00:00.365]阿难罗昙 阿耨钵昙
[00:06.164]阿耨遮昙 阿刹缚多
[00:11.851]天摩诃满 荼揭谛檀

The header defines file version. Then blocks follow:

[lyrics: format@Lyricify Syllable] for word-level lyrics
[translation: format@LRC] for translation lines
[pronunciation: format@LRC, language@romaji] for pronunciation/transliteration lines

Translation/pronunciation blocks include only lines that have content. Missing translation/transliteration lines are omitted.

So Lyricify Quick Export supports word-level timing, background lines, duet lines, translation, and transliteration.

See also Lyricify Lyrics Helper, an MIT-licensed project by the Lyricify developer that includes parsing and generation logic.

This package provides parseLqe and stringifyLqe.

Summary Table

Format	Extension	Line timing	Word timing	Native translation/transliteration	Native background/duet
TTML	`.ttml`	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
LRC	`.lrc`	Yes	No	No	No
LRC A2	`.lrc`, `.alrc`	Yes	Yes	No	No
NetEase YRC	`.yrc`	Yes	Yes	No	No
QQ QRC	`.qrc`	Yes	Yes	No	No
Lyricify Lines	`.lyl`	Yes	No	No	No
Lyricify Syllable	`.lys`	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Lyricify Quick Export	`.lqe`	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes