Featured Product Review 

I was not fortunate enough to have been aware of Virtual Studio Systems software product at the time of it's first release, however after acquiring Lyricist V2.1 and familiarizing myself with it's functionality, I will highlight on some of the features that I found to be intriguing and most beneficial.  In somewhat of a casual approach, I will supply a brief history on myself and then go into information as to how Lyricist V2.1 is contributing to organizational accomplishment, while providing incredible tools that enable me to work fluently with others in collaborated efforts.  To gain access to more detailed information related to each feature, click on the relative images to view the features in more detail and to access more "hands on" information provided for each topic.

Being  a songwriter for over twenty years, I have written hundreds of songs.  Many are finished and registered in the Library of Congress, while others are written in their entirety but need to be laid down to tracks. [see TrackNotes on VSS product pages]  In the meantime, multiples of other songs that I have written have been completed but are in serious need of revision, and yet, need I mention the tons of bits  and pieces of paper strung out here and there with song ideas that were scratched down on a notepad somewhere because I didn't have access or time to do anything more.  Obviously, I have tons of paperwork to keep organized.  I own four professional-grade 2 drawer filing cabinets, one deep 4 drawer filing cabinet, and a 36 compartment paper organizer that measures 3' x 4'.  I have plenty of storage available for organizing, but still I have stacks and stacks of files that need to be reviewed, revised when needed, retyped into programs that permit electronic transfer of files, and relocated to the proper filing cabinet once a hard copy has been printed.   Not having an office staff to organize my materials that continue to accumulate; it seems to be an endless effort trying to get organized and stay organized with the newer incoming materials.  I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am about the discovery of the Lyricist V2.  

In a quick overview of the product, my first impression would be to make the following comparison:  Virtual Studio Systems "Lyricist V2" is to songwriting what Microsoft "Office XP" is to office management.  Over the past twenty years, as technologies tend to change at warp speed, I have songs that have been typed on typewriters and word processors which are outdated that I have stored away in file drawers.  I have updated dozens of songs to Microsoft Word in efforts to get some type of electronic filing system organized and just the sense of having my song files at my fingertips, while using MS Word, has been rewarding.  Virtual Studio Systems incorporates many of the fine qualities found in Microsoft products while fine-tuning technology to suit the needs of the Songwriter and the Musician.  The beauty of it is, Lyricist V2 has been designed to be compatible with most Microsoft products and is easily transferred from one to the other.  

I was able to copy and paste files from my Word Documents directly into the lyric view of Lyricist which gave me a big head start on getting in and finding out what this software product "REALLY" had to offer.  The first thing I noticed was the thesaurus, the rhyming dictionary, and the spell checker; I personally had placed links to a Thesaurus and a Rhyming Dictionary on my website Tablatures, Fonts, and Writing Assistants to provide access to the links without having to go through multiple channels or search engines. Even with the links being located on my site, there were still three or four steps you needed to access what you were seeking to find. The Lyricist has these handy little gadgets that make a songwriter's life a whole lot easier right before you eyes and accessible with the click of one button.  Awesome feature!!!

The next thing I noticed were the Programmable Text Styles that allow you to select different fonts. You just choose from a wide variety of font styles and apply defaults for the Title, Verse, Chorus, and Bridge, along with two wild cards to set font styles for other entries.  You can format any text style you wish for each theme, then apply the font style you wish to apply to each section with the click of one button to change the theme from verse to chorus, chorus to verse, and etc.  There is a copyright icon that allows you to place your copyright endorsement to each new document with the click of one button; just format the information you wish to supply with each submission and it will provide the information displaying the copyright emblem wherever you place the cursor and click.  You do not even have to type the information in again until you decide to change your signature endorsement.

The Song Notes feature allows you to click on the quarter note which brings up a new window to where you may make entries about style, chord progressions, and other features that may need to be related to the artist playing or singing the material; including "mental notes" that you need for yourself as a reminder to accomplish recreating the unique sound that you achieved on day one.  This feature could also be used to supply tips on how you wish for the vocals to be projected, chords to be played, and etc.

The Multiple Document Interface allows you to open an entire album of lyrics at once, whereas, the Three Page Views will allow you to view your lyrics, enter chords to your lyric page in a separate window, and then view your chord arrangements solely in yet another window; all simultaneously.

Now that I have your attention with all these great features, get ready for the ultimate new feature included included in the V2 version!!! The title of "Lyricist V2" is an understatement for the features that can be found inside of this software product.  The Chord Charting and Chord Editing functions allow you choose from 2,550 chord combinations, inserting the chords where needed on the lyric pages.  Just go to the toolbar while in the page view of your selected song and click on view, select "chord chart or arrangement" and it will open a new window where you are allowed to insert chords where needed on the lyrics page inside of a new window that displays the lyrics and chords together, set the chord attributes, and change the voicings. The chord editing feature allows you to go back in and revise already placed chords, and if you do not find the chord you are looking for within the 2,550 chord combinations provided, you can enter user defined combinations through the editing function and also you may save your work to the clipboard to use in future applications.

The latest addition to Lyricist in the V2.1 version is the Chord Wizard which allows you to enter 3notes or more  within a chord and then the wizard will give you a listing of all possible chord combinations that utilize those notes.

Once you have written and recorded your song to .mp3 format, you can access the "media" option located under the Lyrics view, click on "link media" and then browse to the recorded sound file of the song. "Savvy"  Everything is stored in one neat profile and is accessible without having to sort through folder after folder to put a promotional package together.  It's ALL at the tip of your fingers.  Use the  Media File Launch feature to easily access the sound file linked to the lyrics and arrangements; merely click on the sound icon displayed in the toolbar of the song file you wish to access and it provides instant access to the sound file without having to go outside of the window you are using. 

You can instantly e-mail your song by clicking on the envelope provided in the toolbar using Outlook Express.  This is an excellent provision for online collaborations.  Also, with the "Lyricist's" compatibility to Microsoft products, you can also upload your song file, displaying the chord graphs, into MS base web designing programs such as Microsoft FrontPage.  I could continue to elaborate on all the features provided in this great software, but just to give you a general idea of the impact this product has already had on me, I received my first copy of this product less than a week ago and I immediately recognized how important of a tool this will be in helping me to put my music right where it needs to be; at a Professional Scale.  The appearance is very professional looking and there are no questions as to what a scribbled down chord is.  You can literally be better than half way done with the finished promo package, "as" you are writing the song for the very first time; it's that sophisticated and yet simple to use.  Two thumbs up on this product and an absolute "must have" for anyone serious about a career in songwriting.

Software Product Review Provided by Ani`Fa