First steps
This guide takes you from an empty library to your first rehearsal together.
Adding a song
The Library gives you four ways to get a song in:
| Method | When it fits |
|---|---|
| Blank song | You type lyrics and chords by hand |
| Scan | You have paper and want to pull the text off it with the camera (Android and iOS only) |
| Import file | You have a ChordPro file, a ZIP of several songs, or a SongBook Pro backup |
| Import from URL | The song is on the web and you want to fetch it by address |
Details for each route are in OCR scanning and Export & import.
Song editor
The editor has three tabs.
Info
Song metadata: title, artist, variant (for example "acoustic" or "live"), key, BPM, time signature, capo, tags and duration. Only title and artist are required, the rest is optional.
ℹ
The variant is a full part of a song's identity. Two songs with the same title and artist but different variants are two different songs to the app — including when syncing across devices.
ChordPro
The lyrics with chords. The editor supports two input modes and converts between them in both directions:
- ChordPro — chords in square brackets inline:
[G]Hello [D]world - Chords above lyrics — the classic layout with chords on the line above the words
The full list of supported directives is in the ChordPro spec.
Sheets
Attachments for the song: PDF, MusicXML and images. Images can be picked several at a time, reordered, rotated by 90° and viewed in a lightbox. Every attachment is stored as a file next to the database; the database only holds a reference to it.
Duplicate detection
When you save a song whose title, artist and variant match an existing one, the app warns you. The same key is used to match songs between devices — see Conflict resolution.
Creating a setlist
A setlist is a named list of songs with information about the event:
- Name, and optionally date, venue, start time and estimated duration
- Songs — added from the library and reordered by dragging
- Breaks — inserted between songs, with a length in minutes and their own label. When you reorder songs, breaks move with them.
- Song notes — a short text tied to a specific song in this setlist
You can duplicate a setlist, export it to PDF and copy it as plain text to the clipboard.
⚠
A setlist has no transpose setting of its own. Transposition is a property of a specific song on a specific device — you set it in stage mode and it is saved with that song. It does not carry over to other setlists or to other devices.
Band sync
One device leads, the others follow. The role is chosen manually when the session starts.
Starting a session (leader)
- Open the Sync screen and start a session.
- The app announces itself on the local network and shows a QR code with the address, port and optional PIN.
- The list shows connected members with their name, instrument and latency. You can kick a member out of the session.
A single session holds up to 50 members.
Joining (member)
You have three routes:
- Automatically — the session appears in the list on its own if you are on the same network
- QR code — you scan the code off the leader's screen
- Manually — you type the leader's IP address
If the leader set a session password, you will be asked for it.
ℹ
Both devices must be on the same local network. Mobile data is not enough — sync does not go through the internet and there is no server in the middle. Details in mDNS discovery.
Disconnecting
A member disconnects with a button; the leader ends the whole session. If the connection drops on its own, the member retries with growing pauses — see Conflict resolution.
Stage mode
Tapping a song takes you into stage mode — the full performance screen with auto-scroll, transposition, a metronome, annotations and five display modes. It is described in Stage mode.