MP3 audio editors and lyrics

Does anyone know of a Mac editor for MP3's (or a PC one) that can do basic gain change and EQ duties without losing the embedded lyrics when exported?

I use tracks I mix myself in a keyboard, and I'm using Qmidi to add lyrics. But every audio editor I've tried including Fission for Mac, which does gain change (but not EQ) without an MP3 to wav conversion first (most audio editors convert your MP3's to .wav before you work on the file, then reconvert back) loses the lyric information when you export the edited file.

So, has anyone used a program that DOESN'T lose the lyrics if you do any audio editing to it? Even just basic gain change would be sufficient, but some basic EQ might help!

Anyone?

Hello,

- Open the MP3 with QMidi.
- Go to Edit mode and save, a txt file with lyrics is created on disk.
- Do whatever changes to the MP3 with any application (the modified file must have the same name of previously created lyrics text file).
- Re-open the modified file with QMidi and export as usual.

Bruno

A-Ha!  I guess I should have tried that. I opened up the exported .txt file in a normal program, saw only the lyrics, assumed that was all there was to it.

It appears that there is hidden info in the .txt file with the timing information that doesn't display in normal text editors.

Outstanding!

Problem solved!

I definitely think you need to do an FAQ about this, as I presume quite a few users are doing the same kind of thing if they audio edit their MP3's at all. It isn't obvious that the same lyrics and timing information can be applied to multiple tracks.

I also presume, even if I alter the start time of a file (to remove a count-in, or add an extended intro, etc.) that the 'Shift' parameter could be used to shift the lyric blocks around to line up with the new start time.

I guess I could also use that to easily completely restructure the song as well... I sometimes like to have multiple versions, with extra solos in case players sit in, or I feel like filling more time. As long as I keep careful track of how much extra time I added, and where, the Shift parameter could save me from re-entering the timing information, right?

The more I mess with this, the more powerful it seems!

But the basic question remains...

Does ANYONE know of a PC or Mac program that can do at least gain change and preferably also EQ adjustment WITHOUT losing the embedded lyrics tags?

OK... answered my own question!

There's a free utility called MacMP3Gain which can adjust MP3 volumes (but no EQ) without losing the lyrics tags.

Unfortunately the newest version needs MacOS 10.7, and I'm running 10.6.8. :( (and no idea if it runs on newer OS's)

So the old version has a very convoluted way of adjusting just ONE audio file at a time, there is no way to set say +2db, -2db etc. It sort of analyses the max volume of a track and then you have to give it a 'target' db, but the 10.6.8 version doesn't tell you the analyzed volume! So it's a bit hunt and peck until you get the amount of adjustment you want. Plus, it's all in integer adjustments in the 10.6.8 version. You can't ask for 89.5db, it's 89db or 90db. The 10.7 version seems to offer a lot more control.

There is a PC version which several people have told me works pretty well. To be honest, it is designed to take a whole folder of MP3's and make them all perceptually the same volume, but for me, I need to make sure loud songs are loud and quiet ones are quiet (the idea is to not have to adjust the volume knob as I do different songs), so I'm not really using it as designed. But it IS at least working without stripping the lyrics, so, 'mission accomplished'!