SRT to LRC Tutorial — Convert Subtitles to Lyrics | AllSubConverter

Subtitle files and lyrics files both pair text with timing, but they speak different dialects. Music players want LRC, not SRT. This tutorial explains the LRC format, where it shines, and how to convert SRT to LRC so your tracks light up with synced lyrics.

What Is the LRC Format

LRC (short for LyRIC) is the de-facto standard for time-synced lyrics. Instead of a separate start and end timestamp per line like SRT, each line of lyrics is prefixed with a single time tag marking when it should appear. The format is compact, human-readable, and supported by virtually every music and karaoke player.

A basic LRC file looks like this:

[ti:Song Title]
[ar:Artist Name]
[00:12.00]First line of the song
[00:16.50]Second line of the song
[00:21.10]Third line of the song

The bracketed metadata at the top is optional but useful — it tags the title ([ti:]), artist ([ar:]), album ([al:]), and more. Each lyric line is a single timestamp in square brackets followed immediately by the text.

Timestamp Format Differences

The biggest mechanical change when moving from SRT to LRC is the timestamp style. SRT stamps are verbose and use a comma before the milliseconds; LRC stamps are short and use a period (or colon).

Feature	SRT	LRC
Timestamp format	00:01:23,400	[01:23.40]
Start / end times	Both start and end per cue	Start only; end implied by next line
Separator	Comma before ms	Period before ms
Cue numbers	Required (1, 2, 3…)	Not used

Because LRC only stores the start time, the converter takes each SRT cue's start timestamp, reformats it as [mm:ss.xx], and drops the end time entirely.

Where LRC Shines — Use Cases

LRC was built for music, and that is where it still dominates:

• Karaoke players. Desktop and embedded karaoke systems read LRC to highlight lines in time with the music.
• Mobile music apps. Many Android and iOS players scroll LRC lyrics as the track plays.
• Embedded devices. Portable MP3 players and some car stereos display LRC alongside the track.
• Songbooks and study. Language learners follow along with synced lyrics more easily than static text.

If you have ever transcribed lyrics into an SRT while watching a music video, converting to LRC turns that transcript into a file your music player can actually use.

Conversion Guide

1. Open the converter. Go to the SRT to LRC tool.
2. Load your SRT. Drag in the subtitle file, paste its contents, or select it from your device.
3. Run the conversion. The tool extracts each cue's start time, rewrites it as [mm:ss.xx], removes cue numbers, and appends the lyric text after the tag.
4. Add optional metadata. Edit the top of the file to include [ti:] and [ar:] tags so players show the song title and artist.
5. Download the LRC. Save it with the same base name as your audio file (e.g. song.lrc beside song.mp3) so players auto-detect it.
6. Test playback. Open the track in your music or karaoke player and confirm the lyrics scroll in sync.

Two things to watch for: if your SRT was timed to a music video, the start times may drift slightly against the pure audio track, so verify the first few lines. And if a cue in the SRT wraps onto two lines, the converter merges them into a single LRC line so the timestamp stays attached to the whole lyric.

Tip: keep milliseconds to two digits in LRC. SRT uses three-digit milliseconds (,400), but LRC conventionally rounds to centiseconds (.40). The converter handles the rounding for you.

Common Questions

What happens to the end timestamps?

They are dropped. LRC only stores the moment a line should appear; the line stays on screen until the next timestamp arrives. This is what lets music players scroll lyrics cleanly without managing two timestamps per line.

Can I get word-by-word karaoke highlighting?

Plain SRT to LRC produces line-by-line lyrics. For syllable-level highlighting you need Enhanced LRC, which nests a second timestamp inside each word. Start from the line-based LRC and add the inner tags manually where you want per-word sync.

Why do my lyrics feel slightly early or late?

If the SRT was timed against a music video, the audio in your player may be offset by a few hundred milliseconds because of the video's intro or a different master. Nudge every tag by a fixed offset in the editor until the first line lands exactly on the vocal.

Which players support LRC?

Most dedicated music players do, including popular desktop and mobile apps, karaoke software, and many portable media devices. Browser-based players vary, so if you are publishing to the web, keep a VTT or SRT copy alongside the LRC for maximum reach.

Coming from a web captions file instead? You can follow the same workflow after a quick VTT to SRT step, or jump straight from VTT using the dedicated VTT to LRC path.