Apps that bands use for rehearsal/gigs?

[Laklandfan]

Not sure what the technical term of the niche is. Im wondering if there is an app that a band can use to share set list/lyrics/mp3s to use during for rehearsals and also during gigs. Basically, members of the band can pull up the lyrics/chord chart to read in the set lists order, Bonus points if they can sync to the same view so when bandleader calls an audible they can pull the song up on their tablet and it’ll jump to that song on the other tablets in one go. Currently the band members use their own process to pull this up on their tablets which adds down time between songs at rehearsal and gigs. It would be cool if an app also allowed to note keys and tempos.

 

[DonaldR]

I'm using Setlist Helper. Not sure it can syncs songs realtime with other members.

 

[furym]

Onsong will link iPads. I don’t use it but one of the churches locally does.

 

[Bassed in NZ]

Setlistmaker or it’s big brother Bandhelper I think will do what you want - Bandhelper I believe let’s you sync charts and files between devices via the web, and both will let you master / slave devices so the leader changes the chart and it changes for everyone (noting that people can have different views and even different annotations if they want). Takes a bit of setup and learning curve but can be done.
My trio uses synced Setlistmaker (Follow Actions) live as we don’t follow a structured set - we choose the next song based on where the audience is at, leader changes the chart, we get the click (mo3 loaded into the app) and we’re away

 

[El Spearo]

we use Stage Traxx 3. We all join the band leader's session and our iPads get synced to his. We also use it for some backing tracks, mainly pianos and horns for some songs. Not the cheapest, but very good.

 

[s0c9]

OnSong

 

[vanderbe]

The groups I play with use ForScore on iPads. We love it.

 

[fokof]

https://www.igigbook.com/

• Turn Pages Wirelessly/Hands Free - Built in support for Bluetooth keyboards, foot switch devices emulating one such as the iRig BlueBoard and iRig BlueTurn

 

[juliamarko]

We use Bandfix for sharing setlists, lyrics, and MP3s that everyone in the band can see and that syncs up. Many of various other features also, devs offered us to import our songs so we don't do this manually. It's free, but if you need extra it's much cheaper than other apps we tried before.

 

[erikteichmann]

We use Bandfix for sharing setlists, lyrics, and MP3s that everyone in the band can see and that syncs up. Many of various other features also, devs offered us to import our songs so we don't do this manually. It's free, but if you need extra it's much cheaper than other apps we tried before.

Just wanted to +1 Bandfix. I've been using the app for a few months now and it's great -- pretty lightweight, has a web interface and apps for Android and iOS. I pay for premium features, but other members of the band don't have to. I'm in the process of adding MIDI automation to our setlist in the app to control lights, so that's cool too. The best thing is that the developers are super responsive. I've put in probably a dozen feature requests since starting to use the app and most of them have already been implemented!

 

[Clark Westfield]

Songbook works very well, we have been using it for years successfully.

 

[Bonecat]

Another OnSong user here. We all share the same library and use it to put set lists together. Seems to work well…

 

[4Mal]

I'm sorta interested... Been using Good Reader for years just to organize my charts and lyric sheets. I keep a current and 'working on ' folder per band. Not sharable... Do any of these apps allow for off line use and still sync'ing iPads ?

That is, like come 'on! I live in the boonies. There isn't always a viable internet connection. There isn't always a cell connection, not even LTE... so being on line is simply not a given for me.

 

[_Some Dude]

I use Songbook Pro, but I don't believe it syncs.

One of my bands uses BandHelper and the bandleader can sync the band. It seems pretty capable/in-depth, but I don't have a lot of experience with it as I stick with Songbook because I'm more comfortable with it.

 

[pbass2]

You OnSong users don't have issues with it? Man, I didn't try to use any of the syncing or anything beyond trying to do my own charts/sets in OnSong and it was far too glitchy and unreliable for me. Couldn't import stuff reliably, files opening up totally blank(that's fun at show time), etc. I even got a reply from them when looking for support that they knew it was tweaky and were "working on it".

 

[jaredvanhensen]

Has anyone tried PopSongChordBook.com ? I was looking for a good tool for our band for a while and we didnt wanna pay haha (cheap skates we are)

But the app is really cool in syncing chords on a scrolling chord timeline across devices in real time and also lets you create a band and connect with others. Pretty cool...

 

[s0c9]

You OnSong users don't have issues with it? Man, I didn't try to use any of the syncing or anything beyond trying to do my own charts/sets in OnSong and it was far too glitchy and unreliable for me. Couldn't import stuff reliably, files opening up totally blank(that's fun at show time), etc. I even got a reply from them when looking for support that they knew it was tweaky and were "working on it".

Been using it for 13+ yrs. I've had a few issues importing in the early days, but not for years. I don't use any of their fancy stuff. Syncing has never worked (just backup and import). The big advantage for me is for church. Many songs require key changes based on whom the WL is that week. OnSong supports changing keys seamlessly. Which version were you using? 2020 or 2026?