Irrvogel's MIDI Text Display: FAQ

Using the plugin

The notes don't show up in my piano roll. Check that the MIDI output is on in the ⋮ menu (while it is off, a MIDI out off badge sits next to the arrow button) and that the track receives MIDI from the plugin. If the routing gives you trouble, drag the arrow button onto a track instead.

The words look broken or letters are missing. Raise Note Rows in Layout, since thin fonts need more note rows than bold ones. If the row next to Text says the letters get small, split that section into shorter ones or switch it to One after another.

A message says characters don't fit. The row next to Text names the section and says how many characters don't fit, for example "14 characters in Chorus do not fit. Shorten its lines or split the section." Shorten the longest line of that section, or start a new section with a blank line.

Why are the letters small in a section with one line? The letters have the same size across the whole song, and the section with the most lines sets it. Split that section, use One after another for it, or widen the Note Range in Layout. Letter Size makes all the letters smaller, but never larger than the size that fits every section.

How do I give a section its own length? Click its tag at the top right of the section, or press Ctrl+Shift+Enter with the cursor in it, and set Length in the window. You can also drag the right edge of its block in the strip of the preview.

Can a line have its own length? In a section set to One after another, yes. Every line shows a chip with its length behind the text, and a click on it opens the window of that line.

How do I leave a gap, or a rest, in the text? Press Shift+Enter for an empty line inside a section. In a section set to One after another an empty line is a rest with a length of its own. For silence before a section, click the + above it, or drag the start handle of the first section in the preview strip.

How do I center the text in its bars? Click the center cell of the Align grid in Layout, which puts every line in the middle of its section. Matching Pre Gap and Post Gap (the chain button beside them) also leave the same quiet space on both sides.

Does it follow my project's tempo and time signature? It follows the tempo of your project. To follow the time signature as well, turn on From host in the top bar, or in the window of a section. Your DAW reports its time signature only at the playhead, so if your song changes signature, turn From host off and give each section its own. If your DAW plays a different signature than a section has, the row next to Text says so and offers a Use button.

Can I open lyrics from a file? Yes, with ⋮ → Open text file…, or by dragging one file onto the plugin window (on Windows). It reads plain text, text with [Verse] headers, ChordPro and chords over lyrics. LRC, SRT, WebVTT and UltraStar files open with their text only, and the times are left out. If your text already has something in it, you can choose Replace, Insert at cursor or Cancel. ⋮ → Save text file… writes your text with the names, lengths and rests of its sections. Both need a license, and the demo locks them.

The manual opens in the wrong program. What can I do? Open ⋮ → About and click Show in folder. The folder opens with the manual selected, and a right-click on the file and Open with lets you pick the program. Open program folder and Open user folder on the same page open the folder of the plugin and the folder of your settings.

Will my text and settings be saved with the project? Yes, the text, the font choice and every setting are stored in the project.

The plugin does not show up in my DAW. Check that the file "MIDI Text Display.clap" is in C:\Program Files\Common Files\CLAP and that the whole folder "MIDI Text Display.vst3" (with everything inside it) is in C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3, then scan for plugins again in your DAW. The plugin is an instrument. Look under instruments (generators). The manual has the steps for FL Studio and for other folders.

Why is there no VST2 version? Steinberg stopped licensing VST2 in October 2018. Without a license agreement nobody may release a new VST2 plugin, and Steinberg signs no new ones. The plugin comes as VST3 and as CLAP instead. Current versions of the common DAWs load VST3, and several also load CLAP. If your DAW loads neither, use the standalone program and save the notes as a MIDI file.

License

What does the license need from me, and what does it store? Your license key, once per computer, and internet for that one moment. The license server doesn't store your name, and it keeps your email address only as a fingerprint, which is enough for you to log in to the license page. For each computer it stores the computer name so you can tell your computers apart, and you can change that name when you activate. Payment details stay with the payment provider. The privacy notice lists everything.

What happens without a license? The plugin runs in demo mode. The notes it writes (live output, export and the preview) cover the first 2 sections of your text in full, and later sections are grayed and get no notes. The demo also uses the default font, the Layout controls are locked, and so are Open text file and Save text file. Save as MIDI file still works, with the first 2 sections. A license key lifts all of this.

On how many computers can I use it? A license key works on two computers at a time.

I bought a new computer. Open ⋮ → License… on the old computer, click Deactivate this computer and confirm with Remove, then activate on the new one. If the old computer is gone, open the license page (Manage computers…, or the link in your purchase mail), log in with your email address and remove it there, which works twice in any 30 days. Beyond that, contact support. A computer that someone else activated with your key can be removed with That wasn't me, and that doesn't count against the two.

I reinstalled my operating system and the license stopped working. A reinstall can change how the computer identifies itself, and the license then counts it as a new computer. Activate it again. If the key is already in use on 2 computers, remove the old entry on the license page.

I lost my license key. Keys are stored in a form that can't be read back, so nobody can look yours up. The license page makes you a new one. Log in with your email address, open the license, choose Replace a lost or shared key (free) and then Send me a replacement key. The old key stops working, but computers you have already activated keep working.

Does it work offline? Yes, once it is activated the plugin works offline and the license doesn't expire. Activation needs internet once, and again after you install a newer version. If the computer itself is never online, you can activate it through another device. Offline activation in the license dialog opens a view of the same name that shows an activation code. Enter the code with your license key on the activation page, then load the file the page gives you with Load file… and press Activate.

What if the license server cannot be reached? Activated computers keep working. New activations and new versions wait until the server is back. If it stays down for more than 60 days, or before we shut it down for good, we switch on a way to activate with your license key without the server. If only your own connection can't reach the server, check your internet connection or firewall, or use the offline activation.

Does the plugin phone home? When the computer is online, the plugin asks the license server about once a day whether its activation still exists, and it sends its activation token but no computer name. If a check doesn't get through, the plugin keeps the license as it was. Once a day it also looks for a newer version on updates.irrvogel.com.

The plugin says my license was withdrawn, refunded or blocked. After a withdrawal, a refund or a block for misuse, the license server tells the plugin at its next license check. The plugin then returns to demo mode and names the reason, also after a restart. Manage licenses (in the strip above the text and in the license window) opens the license page, which shows the reason and the date. If you think it is a mistake, write to support@irrvogel.com.

How do I ask for a refund through Link? You paid through Link (Sold through Link, LLC), which collects the price for us. As an EU consumer you have 14 days to cancel through Link support under Link's own terms. Link's help page "Requesting a refund for a Sold through Link payment" (support.link.com) walks you through the steps. While your right of withdrawal still exists, for example because we have not sent your key yet, we treat a request to Link support within these 14 days as your withdrawal. Once your right of withdrawal has ended, a refund through Link is not a withdrawal from your contract with us, but it can count in the check of earlier refunds (section 7 of the terms of sale). If you bought under version 1 of the terms of sale, a refund from Link within 14 days counts as your withdrawal. You can also withdraw directly with us, without a login, on the withdrawal page (https://irrvogel.com/withdraw) or by email to support@irrvogel.com. If the price is refunded in full, by us or by Link, the license ends and we block the key. Refunds that Link makes on its own follow Link's terms. They count in the check of earlier refunds only if they come within 14 days after your key email.

A new version came out. What do I need to do? The first start of a newer version contacts the license server once to confirm the license. On a computer without internet, repeat the offline activation. Your license covers every future version of the product at no extra cost.

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