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When align=true (the default), lyrcs.ai generates four downloadable files per job: two LRC files and two SRT files. Each format comes in an original variant (source language script) and a transliterated variant (romanised phonetic form).

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LRC format

LRC (Lyric) is a plain-text format where each line is prefixed with a timestamp in [MM:SS.ss] format. 
[00:12.34]நான் உன்னை நேசிக்கிறேன்
[00:16.80]தெரியாமல் போனேன்
[00:21.15]உன் கண்களில் காணும்
[00:25.50]என் மனசு தொலைந்தது
LRC files are supported natively by most music players and karaoke apps and are the standard format for lyric display on streaming platforms.

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SRT format

SRT (SubRip Subtitle) uses a numbered block format with start → end timecodes. It is the standard for video subtitles and is widely supported by video players and editing tools. 
1
00:00:12,340 --> 00:00:16,800
நான் உன்னை நேசிக்கிறேன்

2
00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:21,150
தெரியாமல் போனேன்

3
00:00:21,150 --> 00:00:25,500
உன் கண்களில் காணும்

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Original vs transliterated

VariantContentUse case
_originalSource language script (e.g. Tamil script, Devanagari)Audiences who read the source script; DSP lyric display in source language
_transliteratedPhonetic romanisationAudiences who can’t read the script; karaoke sing-along; lyric apps for non-native listeners
The transliterated variant uses the same timestamps as the original — the timing is identical, only the text differs.

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Download URLs

Both variants are available via the downloads object on a completed job: 
"downloads": {
  "lrc_original": "https://lyrcs.ai/api/v1/jobs/{id}/download/lrc/original",
  "lrc_transliterated": "https://lyrcs.ai/api/v1/jobs/{id}/download/lrc/transliterated",
  "srt_original": "https://lyrcs.ai/api/v1/jobs/{id}/download/srt/original",
  "srt_transliterated": "https://lyrcs.ai/api/v1/jobs/{id}/download/srt/transliterated"
}
All four URLs require Authorization: Bearer <key>.

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When to use which format

ScenarioRecommended format
Spotify / Apple Music lyric deliverylrc_original
Karaoke app (source script display)lrc_original
Karaoke app (romanised sing-along)lrc_transliterated
Music video subtitlessrt_original
Subtitle track for non-native audiencesrt_transliterated
Lyrics editor / DAW importEither SRT

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Not available for align=false jobs

If a job was submitted with align=false, no LRC or SRT files are generated. The downloads key is omitted from the job response. Use align=true (the default) if you need time-synced files.

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Word-level JSON format

When word_align=true (the default), lyrcs.ai also generates per-word timestamps alongside the line-level LRC and SRT files. These are returned as a JSON array — one entry per word — from GET /api/v1/jobs/{id}/download/words/original and .../download/words/transliterated. Each entry contains the word text and its start timestamp in [MM:SS.XX] format: 
[
  { "word": "मैं",        "timestamp": "[00:08.12]" },
  { "word": "तेरे",       "timestamp": "[00:08.54]" },
  { "word": "बिना",       "timestamp": "[00:08.91]" },
  { "word": "जी",         "timestamp": "[00:09.40]" },
  { "word": "नहीं",       "timestamp": "[00:09.72]" },
  { "word": "सकता",       "timestamp": "[00:10.15]" }
]
The words_transliterated variant uses the same timestamps mapped to the Roman script words: 
[
  { "word": "main",       "timestamp": "[00:08.12]" },
  { "word": "tere",       "timestamp": "[00:08.54]" },
  { "word": "bina",       "timestamp": "[00:08.91]" },
  { "word": "ji",         "timestamp": "[00:09.40]" },
  { "word": "nahin",      "timestamp": "[00:09.72]" },
  { "word": "sakta",      "timestamp": "[00:10.15]" }
]
Use cases for word-level timestamps:
  • Karaoke with word-by-word highlight (bouncing ball)
  • Accessibility features requiring word-precise sync
  • Custom lyric renderers that need sub-line granularity
Bring your own lyrics: If you already have lyrics in your catalog and only need word-level timestamps, use POST /api/v1/align to skip transcription entirely and align directly against your existing text.

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Known limitations

Audio files in WAV or FLAC format may report duration_seconds: 0 in the job response. This is a known issue related to ffmpeg metadata extraction and does not affect the quality of the transcript or alignment output. MP3 and M4A files report accurate durations.