Up until now, I’ve kept concurrent setlists in Gig Performer (on my laptop) and ForScore (on my iPad), and I’ve decided it’s time to simpify my life by keeping the setlists in just one place.
Both ForScore and GP have the ability to send program change messages and they both have the ability to respond to program change messages. So, I can either keep the setlist in ForScore and then send the PC message from ForScore to GP to change songs, or I can keep the setlist in GP and do the reverse: send the PC message from GP to ForScore.
Does anyone have any advice on which makes more sense? I can think of advantages to both approaches.
If I store the setlists in GP and send PC messages from there to ForScore, then I might be able to get to the next rackspace and start playing faster than if I had to wait for the PC message from ForScore. Further, I’d be able to take advantage of predictive rackspace loading. Also, I’d be able to go to the next song without having to reach over to tap the button on my iPad screen.
On the other hand, if I store the setlists in ForScore, and I send the PC message from ForScore to GP using a score button, then I’ll be able to peek ahead at the next song in the set on ForScore without triggering any rackspace changes, which might be useful. If I go the other way around, then there will be no easy way to “look ahead” in that way.
I’m leaning toward using GP setlists and sending the PC change to ForScore.
Why would you have to wait? Those messages are pretty instant.
I used forScore for many years until recently switching to Mobile Sheets. I had a hybrid approach though. I would use forScore to select the song and Gig Performer would then respond. However, I could then use a couple of buttons on a controller as well as on my MIDI pedal controller) to change pages in forScore as the song progresses. It’s all pretty instantaneous.
I moved to MobileSheets after the developer added a feature that I’ve wanted for years where pitch bend messages can be used to go directly to specific pages in a song (although you can kind do the same thing in forScore it’s much more awkward as you have to create links all over the place) so my approach is
Select the song in Mobile Sheets
If the song has multiple song parts, then I’ll step through the parts using a “Next” button on my pedal controller
When I do that, the new song part will send a pitch change message back to MobileSheets to switch to the new page automatically.
For me that hybrid workflow is very effective and MobileSheets was absurdly inexpensive so well worth the switch. Had my first show with this new process a week ago.
I can only tell you what I do. I run on my iPad, an app called OnSong. This app features lyrics and chords, and It is the master midi controller i.e. Gig Performer acts as slave in all situations. I never touch GP once a group of 20 songs are loaded. From the iPad through an Ethernet wired connection, OnSong sends PCs, controls outboard hardware (muting, harmony on off etc - anything that a widget can do) to the PC. I don’t use set lists within GP, but use rack spaces called up individually by the iPad in groups of 20. The reason for this is that 90% of my songs (rack spaces) use bass and drum vsts and are complete units in themselves as I am a solo performer.
The OnSong iPad app uses midi commands embedded into each heading (Intro, Verse 1, Chorus 1 etc) and I use a Surface Pro 8 i7 with 16gigs ram. I have many songs in groups of 20 which is roughly one hours playing time. Predictive is set to 3 and most songs load in 5 to 6 seconds. For random playing I have a combined Gig File of nearly 500 songs. This monster gig loads in about 4 minutes, and each individual song then loads between 6 to 10 seconds. Works well for me.