5 min read

TRK:IQ — Timestamp Editor

Trimmed a verse? Grabbed a YouTube rip? Your synced lyrics drift out of time — here's how to fix them in about a minute.

TRK:IQ fetches synced lyrics from LRCLIB. Those timestamps match the original studio recording. If your audio is different, the lyrics land in the wrong spots:

Shortened edits — you cut a verse or outro to fit your show window.
YouTube rips — a few seconds of silence or a logo bumper before the music.
Live or extended versions — extra bars, crowd noise, ad-libs.
Different-speed versions — an acoustic or remix that runs faster or slower.

When your file's length doesn't match the LRCLIB original, TRK:IQ shows a trim warning with a one-click button into the Timestamp Editor. You can also open the editor any time from the lyrics panel toolbar.

TRK:IQ trim warning banner with an arrow pointing to the Open Timestamp Editor button — The trim warning appears when your audio length doesn't match the original.

The four tools

Pick the tool that matches what you did to the song. You can combine them — apply one, then open the editor again for another pass.

Tool	Use it when…
✂️ Cut Sections	You removed lines from the song.
↔️ Shift All	Every timestamp is off by the same amount.
📌 Re-anchor	Some sections are on time and others aren't.
⏱️ Tempo Scale	Your version plays faster or slower throughout.

Timestamp Editor with four tool tabs — Cut Sections, Shift All, Re-anchor, Tempo Scale — and the full lyric list — The Timestamp Editor with Cut Sections active.

Cut Sections: you removed part of the song

The most common case. You cut a verse in Audacity, and now every lyric after the cut shows up late. Snip snip, fix fix.

1
Click Activate Scissors
This turns on cut mode.
2
Click the first and last lines you removed
The range turns red. For a one-line cut, click the same line twice.
3
Set the anchor timestamp
An input appears for the first surviving line after the cut. Type the time where that line starts in your edited audio.
4
Confirm, then Apply Changes
Every line after the cut shifts automatically. Check the preview first.

Cut mode with a range of lyric lines highlighted in red and a scissors icon on the last selected line — Red highlight = the lines you're cutting.

Timestamp input asking where the first surviving line starts in the edited version, with Confirm and Cancel buttons — Type where the first surviving line starts in your edit.

The math: new_time = anchor_new + (original_time - anchor_original). In plain English, the gaps between lines stay the same — everything just slides over. Need more than one cut? Make as many as you want; each shows as a red divider, and the shifts add up from top to bottom.

Example: you cut the second verse of "In the Air Tonight." The next surviving line used to start at 02:15.80, but in your edit it starts at 01:31.41. Enter 01:31.41 as the anchor and every later line slides back about 44 seconds.

Review panel with cut lines struck through, the anchored line in green, an LRC preview, and the Apply Changes button — Review the preview, then click Apply Changes.

Shift All: everything is off by the same amount

The simplest tool. Every timestamp moves by one fixed offset. Use it when the song itself is untouched but the start point moved — a 3-second YouTube bumper, silence you padded onto the front, or LRCLIB timestamps that drift by a steady amount.

Switch to Shift All.
Enter the offset in seconds. Negative = earlier (enter -3 to remove a 3-second bumper). Positive = later.
Check the first and last lines in the live preview.
Click Apply Changes.

Timestamps never go below zero — the editor clamps them for you.

Re-anchor: fix one section at a time

The most flexible tool. Click any line, type the correct time, and everything after it shifts by the same amount — until your next anchor. Great for live versions with extra bars, extended bridges, or fine-tuning after a cut.

Switch to Re-anchor.
Click any timestamp in the list (a dotted underline appears on hover).
Adjust the pre-filled time to match your audio and confirm.
Repeat for other sections. Each anchor shows as a purple chip above the list.

Example: a live recording has an 8-second crowd cheer before verse two. Lines 1–15 are fine; everything after is 8 seconds early. Click line 16, add 8 seconds, confirm. Lines before it stay put.

Tempo Scale: the whole song runs fast or slow

For versions of the same performance at a different speed — say, an acoustic take that's 5% slower. Instead of sliding, every timestamp gets multiplied: new_time = time × scale. The song changed pace, so the lyrics should too.

Two ways to enter the scale:

Direct factor — 0.95 means your version is 5% faster (timestamps compress); 1.05 means 5% slower (they spread out).
Duration ratio — enter the original length and your version's length in seconds, and the editor does the math. Original 240s, yours 228s → scale 0.95.

Workflow tips

Preview before applying. Every tool shows the full updated LRC output. Spot-check a few lines against your audio first.
Combine tools. Shift All to fix a bumper, then reopen the editor and Cut a section. Each apply saves in place.
Let Audacity find the times. Select a spot in your audio, read the start time from the toolbar, and type it into the editor.
Not sure where to start? Re-anchor just the first lyric line so the vocals begin on time, then see how the rest lines up.

Lyrics panel showing corrected synced timestamps labeled Custom (synced), with no trim warning — Fixed: corrected timestamps, no warning, ready to generate.

Timestamp formats

Every timestamp input accepts these:

mm:ss.xx — like 01:31.41
m:ss.xx — leading zero optional
mm:ss — centiseconds default to 00
[mm:ss.xx] — brackets stripped automatically, so you can paste straight from an LRC file