noCap 0.3.0

noCap 0.3.0 is the first release for Windows. It also adds a Lyrics page where you can read, fix and export the words, makes transcription noticeably more accurate, and shows exactly what is happening while a track is being analyzed.

Download

Everything is bundled (Python, Whisper, Demucs): no setup, and analysis works offline.

macOS

noCap-0.3.0-arm64.dmg: open it and drag noCap into Applications.

• Requires a Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or later).
• Signed and notarized by Apple.

Windows (new)

The first Windows build. It is split in two because of GitHub's 2 GB file limit:

1. Download both noCap-0.3.0-win-x64.7z.001 and noCap-0.3.0-win-x64.7z.002 into the same folder.
2. Open the .001 file with 7-Zip and extract it (about 6.4 GB).
3. Run noCap.exe from the extracted folder.

• Requires 64-bit Windows 10 or 11. An NVIDIA graphics card speeds up analysis; without one it runs on the processor, just slower.
• The Windows build isn't code-signed yet, so SmartScreen may warn you the first time: choose More info → Run anyway.

What's new

Lyrics page (press 3)

• The whole track as a lyric sheet: one bar per line, grouped by section, with rhymes in their colours (can be turned off).
• Fix a misheard word or line and the flow map, rhymes and metrics update with it. The original transcription can be restored at any time.
• Export as plain text, synced .lrc, word-timed .lrc, or copy to the clipboard.

More accurate lyrics

• Filters remove words Whisper makes up: runaway repeated tokens, symbol-only words, and words over silent parts of the vocal track.
• A second pass goes back over passages the first pass skipped, so whole verses no longer go missing.
• Measured on a new 20-song benchmark (benchmark/PHASE1.md): word error rate 33.9 % → 27.6 %. On one rap track with many gaps: 35 % → 20 %, empty lyric lines 23 → 4.

While you wait

• Analysis shows each step in plain words (reading the track, finding the beat, separating the vocals, listening to the lyrics, mapping syllables) with real progress and time left.
• Small findings appear as steps finish (length, BPM, words heard, rhyme groups), with tips on using noCap in between.
• Cancel now stops within a few seconds, even during vocal separation.

First launch

• A short five-step intro explains how to read the flow map, then lets you open the demo or analyze your own track. Open it again from the shortcuts window (?).

Fixes

• Bars without vocals show as thin rows instead of disappearing, and show up as gaps in the Lyrics view.
• Top bar labels no longer overlap in narrow windows; tooltips stay on screen; menus and dialogs focus the right button.

Upgrading from 0.2.0

Install over the old version. Your library is kept as it is. Tracks analyzed with 0.2.0 keep their old transcription; analyze a track again to get the new filters and missed-verse recovery.

noCap 0.2.0

noCap 0.2.0 is a full redesign, much faster analysis on Apple Silicon, and the first build that is signed and notarized by Apple — it opens without a security warning.

Download

noCap-0.2.0-arm64.dmg — open it and drag noCap into Applications.

• Requires a Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or later).
• Everything is bundled (Python, Whisper, Demucs): no setup, and analysis works offline.

What's new

A flow map you can read

• Syllables now show their text inside each block, placed on the 16th-note grid; stressed syllables are filled and bold.
• Smart zoom: zoom out to see the whole track, zoom in to read every syllable (⌘+ / ⌘− or pinch).
• The eight largest rhyme groups get their own colour-blind-checked colour, plus a letter on every block.
• A pocket notch under each syllable shows whether it lands ahead of or behind the grid.
• Optional layers for density, beat switches and cuts, energy and drum onsets, with a legend.

Inspector and report

• Inspector with Track, Bar and Rhymes tabs: bar metrics against the track average, the bar's lyrics, why a marker fired, and bars with a similar flow.
• Rhyme groups named by their sound (IPA) and example words.
• New Report page: density and pocket across the whole track with section bands; click any bar to jump to it.

Player and keyboard

• Draggable timeline with a density mini-map, section marks and loop region.
• Loop any bar or range (L), switch mix / vocals (V), nudge sync, and a full set of shortcuts (press ?).

Library and analysis

• Library cards with a density mini-map, search and sort; a demo track for first-time users.
• Analysis runs in the background with step-by-step progress and can be cancelled.
• Faster analysis on Apple Silicon: transcription and vocal separation run on the GPU.
• Stricter rhyme detection: words only rhyme when their stressed vowel matches.

Under the hood

• The library is now a single SQLite database in ~/Library/Application Support/noCap/.
• Signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple.

Upgrading from 0.1.0

Tracks from the previous version are copied into the new library automatically on first launch. The old ~/.nocap_library folder is left untouched; you can delete it once you have checked your tracks.

first realase

release

test github actions