Members slodge Posted June 17, 2017 Members Share Posted June 17, 2017 My needs are few. Don't need to store sheet music or backing tracks. Mostly Fake Book style chord charts and occasionally lyrics. Nothing fancy, just text. But it has to have sufficient onboard memory because I cannot always rely on wifi to access cloud - The software needs to have an intuitive way of filing, categorizing, and accessing the songs on the fly - even as simple as a title/artist/playlist sorting function. Budget is a big consideration. Any recommendations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted June 17, 2017 Moderators Share Posted June 17, 2017 how good is your eyesight? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members slodge Posted June 17, 2017 Author Members Share Posted June 17, 2017 Should have covered that in the OP, my bad. I use reading glasses and have been able to use chord apps on my iphone while wearing them, but it is not ideal. I'm looking for a bigger screen and an ability to make the text large enough to read without the glasses. In my homemade fake book right now, the font is Ariel and the size is 36, and I can read it without the glasses. Here's an example of the format I use - it's pretty half-assed, but it works for me. Ideally, I would like a screen large enough for this to be readable on a stand/table/floor while I'm playing. It's even possible that the right App run on my iphone would be sufficient. Against The WindG Bm / C G / D C ( C D ) :/Em D G / Em C G / Em D C / C DG Bm / C G / C Am G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FloridaFrailer Posted June 18, 2017 Members Share Posted June 18, 2017 OnSong on an iPad been working well for me for a few years now. Beats the big notebook, for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted June 18, 2017 Moderators Share Posted June 18, 2017 I don't use my tablet, or my net book any more. I have gone back to the 'note book'/folder classic method...because batteries run out, power outlets are mis-wired, wi-fi not available...and I carry a small LED clip-on lamp...but I am still working with 14p font size I find it also adds a twist of unpredictability/serendipity; one may turn to the wrong sheet and find the right song, not the one you would have selected.... It also ups my internal need to multi-task...talking to the audience while paging through the book...a lost art... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steve mac Posted June 18, 2017 Members Share Posted June 18, 2017 OnSong on an iPad been working well for me for a few years now. Beats the big notebook, for sure. Me as well but even a second hand iPad is expensive and the op is on a strict budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Drummer44 Posted June 18, 2017 Members Share Posted June 18, 2017 Nothing fancy, just text. But it has to have sufficient onboard memory because I cannot always rely on wifi to access cloud - The software needs to have an intuitive way of filing, categorizing, and accessing the songs on the fly - even as simple as a title/artist/playlist sorting function. Budget is a big consideration. We use two Android apps: Songbook, and MobilSheets Pro. I use Songbook for lyrics and chords, in text or chordpro format -- mostly depending on whether I've gotten around to converting a given song to chordpro. Keys uses MobilSheets Pro for full scores and lead sheets. Latter could work for text and chordpro, too, but it helps us to keep the formats separate. My 7" tablet is a bit problematic for font size. The 10" tablet is OK for full scores, but 12" would be better. OTOH, both apps support scrolling., with footpedal control. Both developers have been very responsive to questions and suggestions. -D44 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members slodge Posted June 18, 2017 Author Members Share Posted June 18, 2017 I don't use my tablet, or my net book any more. I have gone back to the 'note book'/folder classic method...because batteries run out, power outlets are mis-wired, wi-fi not available...and I carry a small LED clip-on lamp...but I am still working with 14p font size I find it also adds a twist of unpredictability/serendipity; one may turn to the wrong sheet and find the right song, not the one you would have selected.... It also ups my internal need to multi-task...talking to the audience while paging through the book...a lost art... As the font gets bigger, the songbooks get thicker! I'm totally on board with the serendipity aspect - my format means there's several songs per page, and I'll often just flip at random and pick a song to play. Part of why I'd like to go digital is the organizational flexibility. Right now everything is just alphabetical, which works great if I'm looking for a particular song, but if a cheesy 70s number hits (for example) it would be nice to quickly access a list of similar songs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members slodge Posted June 18, 2017 Author Members Share Posted June 18, 2017 Me as well but even a second hand iPad is expensive and the op is on a strict budget. I've considered hanging tight with my notebooks until such time as an iPad is within reach - I'd also like to play with GarageBand more and it's rough on a phone - but I was hoping to find something that works in the interim. I know there are some reasonably priced tablets out there. Has anyone had enough experience with one to know if a Fire or something along those lines would be adequate with Songbook or OnSong? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steve mac Posted June 18, 2017 Members Share Posted June 18, 2017 Despite years of them promising, OnSong is only for IOS i.e. iPad and I suspect it will always be so. If the funds allow, I would get an iPad 2 offa eBay and go that route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members slodge Posted June 19, 2017 Author Members Share Posted June 19, 2017 Despite years of them promising, OnSong is only for IOS i.e. iPad and I suspect it will always be so. If the funds allow, I would get an iPad 2 offa eBay and go that route. Hmmm. That might be manageable! A 9.7" iPad under $200, and I can go from there and figure out what software fits my needs. Even if I don't go with OnSong, the pad will synchronize with what I already have on my phone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bob Dey Posted June 19, 2017 Members Share Posted June 19, 2017 I have an ipad mini and I should have bought a full size ipad. One problem I've encountered is the need for lyric sheets increases with more words. More words means decreasing the font size so the lyrics will fit on the screen. I haven't tried onsong but I tried other apps that were useless. I save lyrics as a jpg or png and put them in Dropbox - which is on my home computer as well as the ipad. And I spend too much time formatting the lyrics so they'll fit on the page. The only advantage to using a tablet is a smaller footprint compared to a music stand. It looks better from the view of the audience IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FloridaFrailer Posted June 19, 2017 Members Share Posted June 19, 2017 Budget? I play music for a living.... I understand budget. FWIW.... I run an iPad 1 which I bought off ebay for under $100. Doesn't run the latest OnSong, but the version I run is fine. Like I said, been gigging it for a couple of years. Does just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members slodge Posted June 19, 2017 Author Members Share Posted June 19, 2017 Budget? I play music for a living.... I understand budget. FWIW.... I run an iPad 1 which I bought off ebay for under $100. Doesn't run the latest OnSong, but the version I run is fine. Like I said, been gigging it for a couple of years. Does just fine. I'm currently shopping iPad 2's on eBay hoping to pull one in at $100 or less, which I think is doable if I'm patient. Then it's a matter of seeing what software best suits my needs. I've used the ultimate guitar app a lot, and I have songbook chordpro on my phone. I'll probably see if those are sufficient before shelling out the extra money for OnSong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FloridaFrailer Posted June 27, 2017 Members Share Posted June 27, 2017 I think you're iPad 2 may run a more recent version. Either way.... I think you'll be happy going that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members slodge Posted June 28, 2017 Author Members Share Posted June 28, 2017 I'm watching the iPad 1s, 2s, and 3s. Right now I have chordpro on my phone and I think it'll work fine on a larger screen. Thanks for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.