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OnSong or Songbook Pro?


sventvkg

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I used to really really like guitartapp on my phone until something changed that caused me to stop using it. What that was I can't remember. I only now remember that it existed.

 

I'm a Songbook guy, but I pull a lot of sheets in from the internet and tweak from there. OnSong didn't compare in that regard at last check. But on most other things that I use, it's just a matter of preference. I found songbook to be more intuitive. I'm considering giving OnSong another try just for kicks.

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I guess it depends on what you want to do with them.

I've used both Songbook and Onsong and I prrefer Onsong.  I'm using them for Lyrics only.  Onsong has a MIDI component to it.  I've got it communication with my sequencer on my laptop via Wi-Fi and it automatically loads up whatever file I load in the computer by responding to a MIDI program change.

 

I've also seen a new one called Setlists  http://www.setlistsapp.com  It looks better that either for lyrics but alas it does not do MIDI.

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Songbook, cause it ties in iTunes songs and has a few more features, altho I haven't compared it to OnSong in quite a while.  I have it in Windows and  it works great with the 'new song from clipboard' function when u copy a song from Chordie.

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I repeat, Unrealbook tops them all! Check it out. I have bought all the others, so trust me I know them...and I always come back to UB.

 

The dev is about to release an update for the iRig BlueBoard (already has support for both Airturn and the iRig Blue Board) that will allow you to assign the BlueBoards pedals to D.C's and jumps to coda pages!

You can have incredible MIDI control as well, with a MIDI command page that sends the commands when the song is loaded, and then Transmogrify buttons (with yet more MIDI instructions - among many options for them)  which can be placed anywhere (and in any number) on the score, that activate when touched. 

 

And it changes pages left to right, just like real charts :) Anyhoo final decision is the OP's but I serioulsy recommend you at least check out Unrealbook. The couple of things I write here are the tip of the iceberg :)

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pax-eterna wrote:

I repeat, Unrealbook tops them all! Check it out. I have bought all the others, so trust me I know them...and I always come back to UB.

 

The dev is about to release an update for the iRig BlueBoard (already has support for both Airturn and the iRig Blue Board) that will allow you to assign the BlueBoards pedals to D.C's and jumps to coda pages!

You can have incredible MIDI control as well, with a MIDI command page that sends the commands when the song is loaded, and then Transmogrify buttons (with yet more MIDI instructions - among many options for them)  which can be placed anywhere (and in any number) on the score, that activate when touched. 

 

And it changes pages left to right, just like real charts
:)
Anyhoo final decision is the OP's but I serioulsy recommend you at least check out Unrealbook. The couple of things I write here are the tip of the iceberg
:)


 

 

It's more geared torward charts isn't it?

 

As far as Onsong goes I'm with the previous poster and I've said it for years-  it seems like a superior product because of all the bells and whistles when in fact it just makes it unstable and quirky. I'll go back to hiding now.

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Look, I am not getting into a "this is better than that" thing here. I actually own and have used pretty much ALL the iOS chart readers (even an app called GoodReader which technically is NOT a music app as such) , but have always gone back to UB...just stating my experiences is all.

 

 

 

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This really looks like something a Jazz player would use..Am I wrong?


pax-eterna wrote:

I repeat, Unrealbook tops them all! Check it out. I have bought all the others, so trust me I know them...and I always come back to UB.

 

The dev is about to release an update for the iRig BlueBoard (already has support for both Airturn and the iRig Blue Board) that will allow you to assign the BlueBoards pedals to D.C's and jumps to coda pages!

You can have incredible MIDI control as well, with a MIDI command page that sends the commands when the song is loaded, and then Transmogrify buttons (with yet more MIDI instructions - among many options for them)  which can be placed anywhere (and in any number) on the score, that activate when touched. 

 

And it changes pages left to right, just like real charts
:)
Anyhoo final decision is the OP's but I serioulsy recommend you at least check out Unrealbook. The couple of things I write here are the tip of the iceberg
:)


 

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pax-eterna wrote:

 

 

I repeat, Unrealbook tops them all! Check it out. I have bought all the others, so trust me I know them...and I always come back to UB.

 

You are misleading people, if you make them trust in assertion, which is just your opinion. Unrealbook is NOT the best music score reader, as i'll show you in a moment. To be a fan of an app or anything else is ok. But to claim things like 'i am the best' or 'i know everything' or - like you did - 'i know them all' is kind of  .... (you know).

You don't know all music score readers, as you have proven to not knowing my favourite app. You cannot ignore a feature rich app like Calypso Score with some unique capabilities.

As you supposed Calypso cannot handle MIDI. Because i only play an E-Piano when there is no acoustic piano available, i don't miss this feature. If you cannot go without MIDI, then Calypso would probably not be your best choice.

 

UB (and maybe some of the other apps) cannot have preset orders of multi-page charts, but it (UB - and the others) do have tools that allow a similar action to be achieved. 

 

If you think of those 'superlinks' most apps provide, you simply don't know Calypso. These superlinks (or call them as you like) help you to jump over several pages within your sheet. These page changes happen instantly when you demand for it. But that is not the way i grew up with music scores. I'd always like to have a glance on the upcoming notes. These notes are most often on the next page but sometimes some pages away. With paper sheets you probably have to manually turn the pages.

Calypso overcomes this problem in a unique way, which is only achievable with computer screens. It softly reveals the notes of any page coming next. For example, it displays PART of the first page you currently need with PART of the last page which may be the Coda you have to jump next. All this is done very smoothly and without scrolling! (BTW: Scrolling notes is a horrible experience)

This automatic page layout is achieved totally hands free and without page turn devices like an AirTurn (Calypso also supports them if you'd like). I don't know of any other app which does overcome this well known problem in such an amazing way. And it is not at all comparable with other apps' superlinks.

And in any case this is easily solved by simply re-creating pages in the file to "flow" in the arranement of the song...sort of like cutting and pasting repeats of pages at various locations,

 


 

Yes, that was the way i usually did with forScore (i mentioned forScore as my very first music score reader). Compared to Calypso's solution it was a horrible experience. Think of a Count Basie arrangement consisting of 6 original pages which explode to 10 or even more pages just because of repeatings and jumps. Glad to leave this solution behind me.

 

 

it can also create different "bandbooks" as you call them, they really are just sub-folders. All apps can do this.

 


 

I know. These are called binders or subfolders or ... But i wrote: ' to organize all my songs in several 'bandbooks', each with it's own setlists.' Calypso provides you with setlists for each of your bands. That is the way i work. But, admittedly, this is just a minor advantage.

 

 

(BTW: the term 'bandbook' is widely used in the jazz scene, mainly to honor the tunes originally written by the bandleader or his band members.)

 In your last section you wrote:

I am happy SJoplin has an app he is happy with, but it doesn't mean it is the ONLY app that does these things.

 


 

I hopefully already showed you, that the page layout of Calypso is an outstanding and unique feature. But you also ignored the extremely useful capability of Calypso to sync the scores with audio. Did i mention that you can record yourself (your practicing or your band or your students) and get a synchronized recording. Did i mention, that you can change the pitch and/or the tempo of the audio? These are features most other apps have NOT, wright? Probably you don't need these features, but for others they may be valueable options.

To conclude:

A forum like this one is a great resource for many people to become informed about this and that. To read various opinions of several users, even of fanboys, is desireable. But to claim this or that is the best means, you are ignoring the simple fact, that we all have different preferences. Therefore, Calypso Score is not for you. Unrealbook is not mine.

I'm glad, we all have so many choices. That may at first not be very helpful for a novice, but on the long run it is advantageously for all of us.

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The Chart app I am waiting for is one that will allow the playing of midi files either with an inbuilt sequencer, or internally accessing a MIDI file playing app - much the same way as the chart readers allow one to link to an audio file using the iPad music player (which btw does not recognise MIDI files)

I have a couple of sequencing (mdid) apps but the chart readers cannot allow some sort of "virtual" bridging so that when a chart is selected it selects the midi file in the other app as well...

Midi is so meuhc quicker and easier to makes changes to, or drop parts in and out. Audio (MP3 - Wav) reuwire you to re-open the aduio version make the teaks and then re-record it...all time consuming.

At the moment I stick with my chart app of choice, but if one comes along that does the above I reckon I could jump ship pretty quickly...

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