Turn a voice memo into a full song
Export the memo from your phone and drop it into Lyro. It reads the tempo and key of your singing in the browser, then writes the instruments that are missing, such as drums, bass, chords and keys, in the style you describe. The music comes back as its own track, and your memo plays on top of it exactly as you recorded it: Lyro does not replace, clone or re-sing your voice. It works on every plan. A new account can try it once for $1, without a subscription, on the first 60 seconds of its own file.
Lyro works on the first 60 seconds of your vocal for $1, once. Not a subscription.
Build a song around this memo for $1No file at hand? Start from a description, or generate a prompt.
How it goesThree steps
- Get the memo off your phoneOn an iPhone, open Voice Memos, tap the memo, tap the three dots, then Share and Save to Files. On Android, share the file from your recorder app. M4A, MP3 and WAV all work.
- Put the best part firstTrim the silence and the talking at the start, so the memo opens on the part you want to hear as a song.
- Describe the sound and generateCheck the tempo Lyro reads, pick a genre or describe the band you hear in your head, and generate. Then balance your voice and the music in the mixer.
The details
What happens to your voice
Nothing. Your memo is used as the lead track and as the guide the music follows. The instruments are generated as a separate track that follows your timing and key, and the two play together in the mixer. There is no voice model and no re-singing, so the song keeps your actual performance, breaths and all. If you want the voice brighter, closer or with some reverb, the vocal tools and effects in the mixer do that without changing the take.
Humming, whistling and memos with a guitar
- Humming or whistling: the music is built around it, and the hum stays a hum. Lyro does not turn a hummed melody into sung words, and it cannot follow a tune note for note to write lyrics for you. If you want words, write them, sing them into a new memo and use that.
- A memo with a guitar or piano already on it: it can work, because the instruments are written around everything they hear, but we have tested sung vocals on their own, not voice with an instrument. Expect a looser fit and try more than once.
- Free-time singing, with no steady pulse, is the hardest case. If you can, sing the idea again to a click or a simple loop in your headphones.
How to record a memo that turns into a good song
- Hold the phone about a hand’s width from your mouth, a little off to the side, and keep that distance.
- Record in a small, soft room, such as a bedroom or a car. Bathrooms and kitchens add echo that the model hears as part of the voice.
- Turn off any music in the room. Headphones are fine.
- Sing the whole idea through once: a verse and a chorus give the music more to follow than a single line.
- If the level meter hits the top and the voice sounds harsh, move back and record again. Clipping cannot be undone.
Where the limits are
- Phone microphones pick up room noise. The music can hide some of it, but it does not remove it.
- Tempo detection can land on half or double the real speed, and key detection on the relative key. Check both before you spend credits.
- The first arrangement is not always the right one. When the drums drift away from your timing, generate again or describe a steadier groove.
- The new music is instruments only. Backing vocals and harmonies are not added.
Plans, credits and rights
A song around your memo costs one credit per started minute, with a minimum of 2 credits, on every plan, from $9 a month for 20 credits, enough for a one-minute memo 10 times. A new account can try it once for $1, without a subscription, on the first 60 seconds of its own file. Mixing, mastering and downloads cost no credits, and the finished mix exports as WAV from the studio.
Your memo and your melody stay yours: Lyro claims no rights in what you upload or make, and a song you wrote and sang is human-authored work. The generated instruments are covered by the commercial licence in every paid plan. See music rights.
Questions
Will Lyro change my voice or use a voice model?
No. Your recording plays exactly as you sang it. Lyro only writes the instruments around it, as a separate track, and never re-sings or clones the voice.
Can I turn a hummed melody into a song with words?
Not directly. The music is built around your hum, and the hum stays a hum. For a sung song, write the words, sing them over the idea and upload that recording. If you would rather an AI voice sang your lyrics, start from a description or from a beat instead: see add vocals to a beat.
Which phone formats work?
M4A from iPhone Voice Memos, MP3, WAV, FLAC and OGG, up to the upload size limit. There is no need to convert the file first.
How much does it cost?
One credit per started minute of audio, with a minimum of 2 credits, so a three-minute memo costs 3 credits. It works on every plan, from $9 a month. A new account can try it once for $1, without a subscription, on the first 60 seconds of its own file. See the pricing page.
Is it different from adding a beat to a studio vocal?
It is the same tool. This page is about phone recordings: how to get them off the phone, how to record them so the music fits, and what happens with humming. For a clean studio vocal, see add a beat to your vocals.
Related: Add a beat to your vocals, Mixing and mastering, Add vocals to a beat