Credits Explained

What the two Analyze options do, how credits work, why each option is its own per-minute charge, and why re-importing an Ableton file never costs you anything.

Analysis is what turns a folder of raw stems into a programmed song — tempo, key, time signature, and sections, and, when you ask for them, lyrics and chords. Those are two options, and each one spends credits on its own. This article explains both, and how the balance works.

Used Pliris before? Credits used to be flat: one credit per song, whether it was a 90-second interlude or a 12-minute epic. Credits now measure minutes of processing — short songs cost less, and one balance covers every kind of processing your crew does, including the new features on the way. Your monthly amount went from 35 to 1,000 (free accounts from 3 to 240), your balance converted automatically, and your current period restarted with the full monthly amount. Nothing else about your account changed.

The two Analyze options

When you drop stems into an arrangement, upload starts immediately. Analyze on that upload starts with both checkboxes unchecked. On the song-page offer card, Key, Tempo, Time Signature and Sections starts checked and Lyrics and Chords starts unchecked. Empty Key, Tempo, or Time chips request Key, Tempo, Time Signature and Sections only.

  1. Key, Tempo, Time Signature and Sections — Key, tempo, time signature, and song sections. This option does not show lyrics.
  2. Lyrics and Chords — Lyrics and chords, shown together after this runs. This run does not replace key, tempo, time signature, or sections.

For paste versus timing, and what AbleSet needs, see Lyrics Text vs Timing (and AbleSet).

Anything that came through wrong you can edit by hand (right-click tempo/key chips, or Edit → Done if needed; rename stems and sections on the song page). Hand edits do not spend credits.

Pro tip: Rename your stems on the song page after upload — Guitar, Lead Vocal, BGVs, Synths, Drums — so routing stays clean. Not sure what a stem is? Preview with Shift + Space, then right-click to rename (or Edit → rename → Done if right-click is not on your build yet). You do not pick groups in the uploader.

How credits work

Each selected option is its own analysis credit charge. Key, Tempo, Time Signature and Sections is 5 credits per minute of audio, rounded up to the minute, minimum 5. Lyrics and Chords is 15 credits per minute, rounded up, minimum 15.

  • Key, Tempo, Time Signature and Sections on a typical 4-minute song is about 20 credits. A 2-minute interlude is 10.
  • Lyrics and Chords on that 4-minute song is about 60 credits. A 2-minute interlude is 30.
  • Both together is two runs — about 80 credits for that same 4-minute song (40 for the 2-minute interlude). Each option is charged on its own. You'll see the cost before anything is charged.

If the balance covers the first charge and not the second, the song page says the lyrics run did not start, and Lyrics and Chords stays available to retry.

  • Free: 240 credits per month.
  • All-Access: 1,000 credits per month.

Your balance refills to the full amount at the start of each monthly period. You can see how many credits you have left — and when they refill — in the account menu (click your avatar in any Pliris app).

Two more things worth knowing:

  • If an analysis fails, you're refunded automatically. You only pay for processing that completes. A failed second run does not keep the charge for a run that never finished.
  • Credits are one balance for everything. Today that's analysis and catalog re-encoding; as new processing features roll out, they draw from the same balance — no separate limits to track per feature.

Free and All-Access offer the same two options. The difference is how many credits you get, and the plan caps — not a paywall on Lyrics and Chords.

Why the change to per-minute pricing?

There are new features on the way that will also use credits, and we needed to make this shift before releasing them. Counting credits by the minute means shorter songs take fewer credits and longer songs take more — which is what lets us sustainably offer song analysis and the new features alongside it, all from one balance. It's part of the same goal everything here points at: playback programming that takes 90% less time, and rehearsal prep that's effortless because the crew does the work.

Re-importing Ableton does NOT cost credits

Here's the part worth remembering. After you download an arrangement as an Ableton Set and make edits in Live — relabeling a section, tweaking the arrangement — you'll come back to Pliris and re-import the .als file to sync your changes.

That re-import costs nothing.

If you're out of credits, you'll see a warning when you upload the file. Ignore it. Re-importing an .als isn't re-analyzing anything — there are no stems to listen to and nothing to extract. It's just pulling your section changes back into Pliris so the app and your Ableton session stay in sync. It's essentially instant, and it's free every time.

Credits are spent on processing of audio (an Analyze option on your stems), not on syncing an Ableton file back in.

When to spend credits

Spend credits when you have new audio Pliris hasn't heard yet, or when you still need an option you haven't run:

  • Key, Tempo, Time Signature and Sections for key, tempo, time signature, and sections.
  • Lyrics and Chords for timed lyrics and chords.

Don't spend them to:

  • Re-import an edited .als file (free — see above).
  • Edit lyrics, chords, or section labels by hand (editing is always free, and paste does not add lyric timing).
  • Play back, mute, solo, or rehearse an already-analyzed arrangement.
  • Re-run Key, Tempo, Time Signature and Sections hoping it will fill Lyrics. It will not.

Frequently asked questions

Does Analyze give me lyrics?

Only if you check Lyrics and Chords. Key, Tempo, Time Signature and Sections returns key, tempo, time signature, and song sections. It does not show lyrics.

Where do chords come from?

They show together with the lyrics after Lyrics and Chords, or you type them on the Chords tab.

I ran Analyze and Lyrics is empty. Is that broken?

Expected when only Key, Tempo, Time Signature and Sections ran. That box starts checked on the offer card; Lyrics and Chords starts unchecked. Check Lyrics and Chords (with a lead vocal or a time-aligned reference). See Lyrics Text vs Timing (and AbleSet).

Do I spend credits twice?

Yes, if both options are selected. Key, Tempo, Time Signature and Sections is 5 credits per minute of audio, rounded up to the minute, minimum 5. Lyrics and Chords is 15 credits per minute, rounded up, minimum 15. Both together on a 4-minute song is about 80 credits. One option is one charge.

Are Free and All-Access different for these options?

No. Both plans show Key, Tempo, Time Signature and Sections and Lyrics and Chords. Free gets 240 credits a month; All-Access gets 1,000. Caps differ. The options do not.

How many credits do I get each month?

Free accounts get 240 credits per month and All-Access accounts get 1,000 per month. Key, Tempo, Time Signature and Sections costs 5 credits per minute of audio, rounded up to the minute, minimum 5. Lyrics and Chords costs 15 credits per minute, rounded up, minimum 15.

Why did my credit numbers change?

Credits now measure minutes of processing instead of whole songs, and monthly amounts scaled up to match — 35 became 1,000 (free: 3 became 240). We made this shift because new features are coming that will also use credits, and per-minute counting is what makes analysis and those features sustainable to offer. Existing balances converted automatically, with every account's current period restarted at the full monthly amount.

Why do I see an out-of-credits warning when re-importing an Ableton file?

The warning appears on upload when your balance is empty, but you can safely ignore it — re-importing an .als file never costs credits. There are no stems to analyze; Pliris is just pulling your section changes back in so the app and your Ableton session stay in sync, and it's free every time.

Does editing lyrics, chords, or section labels cost credits?

No. Editing by hand is always free. Credits are spent when a selected Analyze option processes audio. Pasting lyric text does not add timing and does not spend credits.

What if an analysis fails?

You're refunded automatically. Credits are only kept for processing that completes.

Where to go next

Questions about your credit balance or a bad analysis, click the support bubble on any page or email support@fromstudiotostage.com. You'll hear back within 24 hours.