My song didn't analyze right

Key, tempo, and sections from Key, Tempo, Time Signature and Sections are a best guess — fix them on the page. Lyrics and chords come from Lyrics and Chords. You usually do not need to re-run either option.

You do not need to re-run Analyze for a wrong guess.

Pliris™ has two Analyze checkboxes, and they guess different things:

  1. Key, Tempo, Time Signature and Sections — key, tempo, time signature, and song sections. It does not show lyrics. A wrong section, tempo, or meter from this option is an edit on the page, not a lyrics problem.
  2. Lyrics and Chords — lyrics and chords, shown together after it runs. Wrong words with good timing are a text edit. Missing timing is this option (plus vocal audio), not the first checkbox.

When a result is wrong, correct it on the arrangement page, then refresh and re-export. Re-running the same option throws away edits you already made and usually returns the same guess.

Everything below is an edit you make on the page, except the lyrics-timing case, which needs Lyrics and Chords. Find the one that matches what's wrong. Which option times lyrics: Lyrics Text vs Timing (and AbleSet).

You'll need Manage arrangements access on the band to make these edits. If you only see playback or Download, ask a band admin to raise your permissions — see Band Access Levels and Editing Songs in Pliris.

Edit song section names

The most common miss: the shape is right, but the labels aren't — a Chorus is called Verse 2, or a Bridge came through as Section 4.

  1. Open the song's arrangement page.
  2. Right-click the section on the timeline.
  3. Choose Rename (or double-click the section label), type the correct name, and press Enter.

Full walkthrough: How to Rename Song Sections and Adding and Changing Song Sections.

Change song section lengths

If a boundary landed in the wrong place — the Chorus starts two bars late, the Intro runs long — that's a length change, and it's a drag, not a right-click.

  1. Switch the arrangement to Pro mode.
  2. Grab the section boundary on the timeline.
  3. Drag it to the correct bar and release.
  4. Repeat for any other boundary that's off, then refresh.

Right-click renames a section; it does not resize one — length is a drag.

Full walkthrough: How to Change the Length of a Song Section. Pro boundary drag is the primary path there, with an optional fallback for anyone who'd rather work in the Live Set: move the section's locator in Ableton and drop the updated .als back on the arrangement. For the Pro lanes themselves, see Editing the Tempo and Meter Grid — the Pro walkthrough for tempo, meter, and section boundaries.

Change variable tempo to straight tempo

If Key, Tempo, Time Signature and Sections thought your song speeds up and slows down when it actually doesn't, you'll see a Variable tempo box on the arrangement.

  1. Open the Variable tempo box.
  2. Choose Default for a straight, steady tempo.
  3. Save, then refresh the page.

Default is what you want for the vast majority of songs. Raw keeps the detected tempo map exactly as analyzed — including drift and false detections — so leave it on Raw only when the song genuinely has a moving tempo you want preserved.

More: Setting the Tempo of a Song and Editing the Tempo and Meter Grid.

Edit time signature

If the grid is in 4/4 and the song is in 3/4 or 6/8, fix the meter — don't re-analyze.

  1. Right-click the Time chip in the arrangement header.
  2. Enter the correct time signature and confirm.
  3. If the meter changes partway through the song, switch to Pro mode and use the meter lane to add or move the change points.

More: Editing the Tempo and Meter Grid and Editing Songs in Pliris.

Edit tempo

A half-time or double-time detection (60 instead of 120) is a metadata fix, not a re-analysis.

  1. Right-click the Tempo chip in the arrangement header.
  2. Type the correct BPM — or use Halve / Double when offered — and confirm.
  3. For tempo that moves through the song, use the tempo lane in Pro mode.

Changing the tempo is metadata only. Your stems are not time-stretched — they keep playing at their recorded speed. What changes is the click, count-in, beat grid, section math, and Ableton export. Full detail: Setting the Tempo of a Song.

Pro tip: Left-click on a chip often copies the value rather than editing it. Right-click is the edit.

Remove tempo changes / time signature change points

Key, Tempo, Time Signature and Sections sometimes invents change points that aren't in the music — a stray tempo bump in a quiet section, or a meter change on a fill.

  1. Switch the arrangement to Pro mode.
  2. Open the tempo lane or meter lane.
  3. Delete the change points that shouldn't be there.
  4. Refresh the page before you press Play.

That refresh matters right now: until issue #1929 ships, the player can keep using the old grid in the current session, so a deleted change point can still sound like it's there until you reload. Refresh, then play. More: Editing the Tempo and Meter Grid.

Edit lyrics

Transcribed words are a guess too, and they're editable in place.

  1. Open the Lyrics tab at the bottom of the arrangement page.
  2. Click into the line you want to change (or paste corrected text where you edit lyrics).
  3. Correct the text and save.

Editing or pasting lyrics fixes the words only — it does not add timing. Timing comes from Lyrics and Chords, not from Key, Tempo, Time Signature and Sections. An empty Lyrics tab after only Key, Tempo, Time Signature and Sections is expected. If stems have no lead vocal and Lyrics and Chords returns large gaps, upload a time-aligned reference with lead vocals, then check Lyrics and Chords again. Lyrics and Chords does not replace key, tempo, time signature, or sections. Full write-up: Lyrics Text vs Timing (and AbleSet).

See Editing Songs in Pliris for the rest of the on-page editing surface.

Re-group stems

If Analyze put your stems in the wrong groups — keys landed under Guitars, or your drum mics got split apart — regroup them instead of re-uploading.

For one stem:

  1. Right-click the stem in the stem list.
  2. Choose Move to group and pick the correct group.

For several stems at once (for example a drum kit that got split), open the song's Assets panel (the Upload button), tick the rows, and use Move to group… — or set each row's Group dropdown. Right-click in the stem list is one-stem-at-a-time.

Full walkthrough: How to Rename and Regroup Stems and Changing a Stem's Group on a Song.

Re-name stems

Same menu, different item — for when Audio 07 should say Lead Vox.

  1. Right-click the stem in the stem list.
  2. Choose the rename option.
  3. Type the correct name and save.

Full walkthrough: How to Rename and Regroup Stems.

When to actually re-analyze

Re-analyze only when the audio itself is wrong — not when the analysis result is wrong.

That means:

  1. The wrong file got uploaded (the wrong song, the wrong mix, the wrong take).
  2. A stem is truncated — it cuts off early or starts late compared to the rest of the song.
  3. A stem is corrupt and never produced a usable waveform.

In those cases, replace the audio and run the option you still need: Key, Tempo, Time Signature and Sections for key, tempo, time signature, and sections; Lyrics and Chords for lyrics and chords. Each is its own credit charge. See Replacing Stems and Re-analyzing and Uploading and Analyzing Your Stems.

If the audio is right and only the sections, tempo, meter, words, or stem grouping are wrong, edit them on the page. Re-running an option discards corrections you've already made on that result. Do not re-run Key, Tempo, Time Signature and Sections to fill an empty Lyrics tab.

After you fix it: refresh, then re-export

  1. Refresh the arrangement page so the player picks up the new grid.
  2. Play through the changed part and confirm it lines up.
  3. Re-export to Ableton so your session gets the corrected sections, tempo, and meter — see Exporting Your Show Back to Ableton.

An export made before your edits still carries the old guess. Re-export is what pushes the fix downstream.

Frequently asked questions

Should I just re-analyze the song to fix this?

No — not for wrong sections, tempo, meter, words, or stem grouping. Each option is a best guess and will usually return the same guess, and re-running it discards corrections you've already made. Edit on the arrangement page, refresh, and re-export.

Does Analyze give me lyrics?

Only if you check Lyrics and Chords. Key, Tempo, Time Signature and Sections does not show lyrics. An empty Lyrics tab after that option alone is expected.

Where do chords come from?

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

AbleSet is missing timed lyrics after I analyzed. Why?

Key, Tempo, Time Signature and Sections does not time lyrics. Paste does not add timing. Check Lyrics and Chords with vocal-capable audio (a lead in the stems, or a time-aligned reference), then re-export. See Lyrics Text vs Timing (and AbleSet).

Do I spend credits twice if I run both options?

Yes. 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 is two runs. A 4-minute song with both is about 80 credits. Free and All-Access offer the same two options; plans differ on credits and caps.

Analyze got my tempo half of what it should be. Do I need to re-upload?

No. Right-click the Tempo chip and type the correct BPM, or use Double if it's offered. This is metadata only — your stems are not time-stretched, so nothing about how the audio sounds changes.

Why can't I right-click to make a section longer?

Right-click renames a section; it doesn't resize one. Length changes are a drag: switch to Pro mode and drag the section boundary to the right bar. Full detail: How to Change the Length of a Song Section, which also covers the optional Ableton-locator fallback. The Pro lanes in depth: Editing the Tempo and Meter Grid.

The song doesn't actually change tempo, but Pliris says it does. What do I pick?

Open the Variable tempo box and choose Default — that gives you a straight, steady tempo. Raw keeps the analyzed tempo map as-is, including drift and false detections, which is what's making it wander.

I deleted a tempo change but it still sounds wrong on playback.

Refresh the page before you press Play. Until issue #1929 ships, the player can hold onto the old grid for the rest of the session, so the deleted change point can still be audible until you reload.

Where to go next

Still stuck?

If you've corrected the arrangement, refreshed, and it still doesn't match the music, we want to see it. Click the support bubble in the bottom-right corner of any page, or email support@fromstudiotostage.com. Tell us the band, song, and arrangement, and what Analyze got wrong — that gets us to the cause fastest.