The Big Book of Automation - Lyric Pad Automation Explained

Automation in Lyric Pad can be a little confusing to new users.
We have build a lot of flexibility and options into the automation system but unfortunately doing so does make the system more complex.
The purpose of this document is to give users a grounding on how the automation system works
(Note: These notes assume that the default settings for automation are current where all forms of automation are enabled)


There are 3 types of automation in Lyric Pad and each have a different purpose.

• Non-Scripted Automation - NSA
• Intelligent Non-Scripted Automation - INSA
• Scripted Automation - SA

Scripted Automation (SA)

Tags Used: @!speed @!pause @!xxx
Tags Ignored: @!duration
Overridden By: None

If a lyric file contains a @!xxx tag then it will use SA
Scripted automation is the most difficult form of automation to set up and use as it requires the use of specific @!xxx script tags.
The script tags tell Lyric Pad that xxx seconds after the song is loaded that it should commence scrolling until the script tags location is at the top of the screen. It will then pause until the next tag is activated.
eg. @!45
This tag would mean that when the 45 second mark after the song is opened is reached lyric pad will scroll until the tag is at the top of the screen and will then pause.
The scroll speed will be at the default scrolling speed set in options unless a @!speed tag is put in the file
Multiple @!xxx tags can be used in a single file to allow scrolling to a point and then stopping, then scrolling again later on.




Intelligent Non-Scripted Automation (INSA)

Tags Used: @!duration @!pause
Tags Ignored: @!speed @!xxx
Overridden By: SA

If a lyric file contains a @!duration tag it will use INSA unless there is a @!xxx present
INSA is the easiest automation to set up but has the most complex calculations associated with it.
It works on the basis of using all known data. Which is the max number of lines displayed on your screen, the no of lines in the lyric file and the duration of the song. Based on this INSA will determine the optimum scroll starting time and the optimum scrolling speed to suit the particular file.

A very basic (simplified) example....
Your lyric file has 40 lines in it, your tablet displays (at your set font size) 20 lines and the song duration is 3:30 (ie 210 seconds).
Based on this each line will be an average of 5.25 seconds and we want to start scrolling when the song would reach approx 60% down the first page. So 60% x 20 = 12 12 x 5.25 = 63 seconds. So the scrolling would start after 63 seconds.
Additionally, we want to be finished our scrolling well prior to the end of the song as well. 50% x 20 = 10 10 x 5.25 = 52.5 seconds.
This means our scrolling must be achieved in 210 - 63 - 52.5 = 94.5 seconds and we must scroll 20 lines in that time.

@!pause tags also directly effect the speed in INSA automation (but not in others).
Lets assume that the the file has one 30 second @!pause added in file. Now instead of 94.5 seconds of scrolling we have only 64.5 seconds of scrolling but the same distance has to be covered hence, the scroll speed would be higher.

Therefore INSA scrolling can be tweaked in the following ways:

• Changing the duration
• Changing the font size
• Adding or removing lines from the lyric file (adding blank lines to the end is a valid tactic to fine tune speed)
• Adding @!pause tags

Note: You can get very weird results if you add too many pauses where the pause time is greater than the calculated scrolling time.


Non-Scripted Automation (NSA)

Tags Used: @!speed @!pause
Tags Ignored: @!duration
Overridden By: INSA & SA

NSA is the most basic form of automation and is only used if INSA and SA is not.
It simply starts scrolling after the default time set in options (default 90 seconds) at the scroll speed that is set in options. The scroll speed can be altered using a @!speed tag. @!pause tags can be used to pause the scrolling.


Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ

How does the @!bpm tag effect automation?
It has no effect on automation at all. It is only used to set the BPM for the metronome

I have a @!xxx tag in my file. What type of automation am I using?
Scripted Automation

I have a @!duration tag in my file but also have a @!xxx tag. What type of automation am I using?
Scripted Automation

I have a @!duration tag in my file and do not have a @!xxx tag. What type of automation am I using?
Intelligent Non-Scripted Automation

Using INSA the automation acts differently on different devices
This is highly likely as either the screen size, screen resolution, screen orientation or font size could be different between devices. INSA determines the best scrolling for that particular device as explained above.

I am having trouble with automation and require the automation to have lots of pauses
Try reducing your font size. The more lines that you can show on your screen at once the less "accurate" the automation will have to be.
I personally recommend setting the font size as small as you can clearly see and use portrait orientation. This will maximize the lines that can be displayed on the screen at any time and the automation has a little lee-way to work with.