Lyrics

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1. Overview
I think it is possible to display the lyrics of the current playing song in Winamp.

There is a great plugin to do that in Foobar2000: foo_uie_lyrics.dll
(NB: you will need to decompress the file with Winrar or 7zip)

You can get synchronized lyrics (autoscrolling, with the current sentence highlighted):


An example of UI integration:


2. Dockable panels
The major trouble is that the component only works with the "columns" Interface, not with the default interface I presented here (and use myself). Ignore this section if you use the columns_UI interface. Too see more about user interfaces (UIs), see that post.

However, there is a workaround. It's actually a component which allows you to add columns-only elements on the default interface: foo_dockable_panels.dll
(NB: that component is not being developed anymore since May 2008. It still works as for October 2008).

3. Graphic setup
Once you installed the components:
-Menu>View>Layout>Enable Layout Editing Mode
-Insert a blank frame where your lyrics are going to be.
You can replace (right click>Replace UI element) any element by a Left/Right splitter; it will just create a new element on its right)

Now go to Menu>View>Dockable Panels>New
A little panel will appear in the middle of the window. Right-click on it and chose Lyric Show


Your window will probably display something like "Artist: ..... Title: ........ Album: ..... ", or maybe lyrics.

Now move this frame to the place you left free for it.


Then check the option Menu>View>Dockable Panels>Active Panel>No Frame
You will get something neat.
In the context menu of the panel, you can change the font and colors. To change background color go to Context menu>Settings, then in the Display tab, uncheck "Transparent background" at the bottom.

NB: Maybe when you restart foobar, the panel will have moved back to its default position. Put it back where you want it. It may fix the problem

WARNING: This panel is fixed to the screen. This means that if you move/resize foobar2000, it will not follow, but rather stay in the same place. That's the major shortcoming of the dockable panels.


4. How to use it
When you listen to a song, the component will look for:
-Lyrics embedded in the tags of the file
-Lyrics in a separate file
-Lyrics on a database (I still don't know which one)

If they are donwloaded, they will be copied on your disk or in the file.

NB: Some lyrics have no time data, and will not be sync'd. They will scroll regularly, but you can drag them to adjust.

You can fully configure it (will it download, where will the lyrics be stored, when will it scan for it, etc) in the context menu of the lyrics panel > Settings. If you don't want to know about this, leave the default config.

If no lyrics are displayed:
-Try Context menu>Reload Lyrics
-If it doesn't change, try Context Menu>Online Search and look into it.

Conclusion
Sync lyrics are very handy! Especially for us non native English speakers. However:
-The shortcoming of this method is that it requires dockable_panels, and the panel is not linked to the main window.
-The database doesn't seem to be very extensive. Don't expect underground lyrics...
You can add your own lyrics to the files.