Song List Generator

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Desmond Hutchins

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Aug 3, 2024, 4:24:29 PM8/3/24

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A common way to recognize intervals is to associate them with reference songs that you know well. For example, the song Amazing Grace begins with a perfect fourth. So when you hear an interval that sounds like the 2 first notes of Amazing Grace, you know instantly that it's a Perfect 4th.

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So I'm trying to create code that allows me to play a random song by clicking a button, and need some help. My idea is some sort of list that is created, then when the button is pressed it chooses a random item (song) on this list and plays it. I tried looking at random number generators, yet that uses number blocks and it honestly is all very confusing... can anybody help?

I realize there is an ipad-related thread going but it's mostly AUM and audio.

I'm looking to have something with a couple main requirements:
- easy to modify/copy set lists - our sets change quite a bit from gig to gig for a few reasons. One of these being we try to bring in songs that might be getting rusty.
- the lists should be made up of songs that have bank/program changes that can be attached to them. Meaning, if I make "Superstition", no matter what list it ends up on from week to week it will have the two program changes I need--one for each keyboard.

Extra nice-to-have is lyrics. Not a huge deal there as I have that with another free app and there's only two songs I sing where I'm shaky on lyrics.

Set list maker on the surface looks perfect, so talk me out of it! Either that it's buggy, or something else is better.

I believe something like Camelot Pro would do this, but it would be overkill. I also have Midiflow, which certainly can do the program changes, but I don't think it has managed set lists.

If our set lists didn't change so much I'd just use the Live Sets in my Modx, but those are not really designed to be changed easily, at least from the keyboard they aren't. Maybe with the Melas tools I could do it. I'm certainly not going to do it manually slot by slot, it would be a nightmare.

Edit: I just realized that Set List Maker needs an in-app purchase to do Midi. So I'd need to factor that into the price, it's 5 bucks on top of the purchase price.

Edit2: yeah this seems *exactly* what I need...so if there is nothing better, I'll be picking this up fairly soon

I've used SLM for close to 15 years, with probably 8-10 major projects. I use if for chord charts, lyrics, patch changes and performance notes for live performance, on an iPad3, which has been running it the whole time. I import PDF's of songs for most of the work I do rather than using the chord/lyrics windows; it's just how I started, and continue to work with the program. I probably have 500-750 songs between all of my databases. Each project gets it's own database as they usually have their own songs. It could have better database functionality to allow merging/archiving/de-duping and the like, but after awhile, you develop workarounds for these things. Since "Band Helper" came out, which is a subscription model of SLM with added functionality/sharing capabilities, development of SLM has somewhat ceased but the functionality you're looking for is in there. Super easy to modify/copy set lists and set up songs to trigger patch changes. I use an iRig too...works great.

Thanks, that's what I like to hear Not like I'm out more than a lunch or two's worth if it doesn't pan out.

I'll need to connect up my two keyboards, currently I don't have them midi'ed up but I have gigged with an ipad via cck right into the Modx. I've tested Midiflow with the ipad connected to unpowered hub and both keyboards feeding the hub via usb, that should work. (Though not with my SK Pro, my top keyboard). The SK Pro isn't nearly as much of a concern as the Modx, since so far I have so few Combi patches for the SK Pro. That said, if I start using this at all I want it to do everything

SLM is a solid choice. I find the creation of set list a *little* cumbersome (it's almost drag-and-drop: check-boxes to select the songs, which get added to the end of the current set - and then drag them around to get the sequence correct).

I use a combination of pdf files, mp3s (that I trigger for song sample intros), jpgs, midi patch changes, and text files with lyrics, chords, etc and it all works with one button press while playing and scrolling through songs is a breeze as well as setting up setlists. Highly recommended.

I just checked my old emails, and I downloaded Set List Maker for the first time in January 2013. That's ten years ago. I've used it (or BandHelper once I switched over) for almost every gig of every project in that time. There's a learning curve but once I climbed it, it's done everything I've ever wanted since. Arlo has been great with bug fixes and improvements over the years. He even raises the standard limit he had in place on how many active projects an account can have in BandHelper because of me. ("How can one person be in so many bands???" "Well... I'm a keyboard player." "Oh right." LOL)

I used setlist maker years ago and it was very good especially setting up program changes. I then switched to OnSong (I think because other people in the band were using it). I found the MIDI setup in that to be more trouble than it was worth, so I just use it for charts. Fast forward to last week, when I finally replaced my 12 year old iPad. Apparently to do even basic sets in Onsong, you have to pay a monthly subscription (with different tiers based on what you want). What a pain. I'm find with a one time purchase, but to be locked into a subscription to create setlists....cmon. Not where I want to spend my money. Is Setlist Maker using a similar model, with subsriptions, or is is just a one time pay to unlock features? I really just need something simple for charts that I can add some markup to and group into setlists.

I'm glad you posted that, because I had a bit of confusion about it. I saw something named "midi patches" or something similar, and it didn't seem to be referring to songs.

That's actually fine, and maybe preferred, as I tend to reuse patches from song to song (and then sometimes change my mind). So "Hall strings" can be attached to several songs, and if I decide one of them needs piano instead I'd de-link the strings from that Song and attach piano. That's if I'm understanding correctly.

I floated the idea of all of us getting this (and pointed out bandmatehelper!) but my bandmates are 1) cheap in some ways and 2) a couple are tech-averse. The singer still prints out set lists for everyone for every show, even though I could easily just view a pdf on my ipad. So because we'll still have the printed and pdf versions, I may not need to build set lists--an alpha lists of songs would probably work quickly enough. I tend to look ahead a song or two as it is to know what I need to do for the next couple tunes.

re: subscriptions - I don't think SLM is subscription. Band mate helper (expanded app from the same company) I think is.
Subscription is the main reason I didn't even consider Onsong, despite my best friend using it and being able to get me started with it. Plus I don't really need much of what it offers.

Yeah, I switched from SLM to BandHelper pretty much for the cloud storage of charts, and the sync capabilities (write the setlist on the phone or in a web browser, it shows up on the iPad). I've never had any bandmates show an interest in joining my BandHelper account or using an iPad on stage. Frankly, except in casuals gigs, I think keyboard players and drummers are the only ones that can get away with iPads on stage, because we have more places to hide them.

I have had several artists I work with hit me up for old setlists, or for info like "what haven't we played in a while?", since they know BandHelper makes it easy. It also is very handy for planning precise set lengths (e.g. for a support slot), if you take the time to get accurate length data on each song. I usually do this from a scratch live recording with a field recorder near the beginning of a tour.

He even raises the standard limit he had in place on how many active projects an account can have in BandHelper because of me. ("How can one person be in so many bands???" "Well... I'm a keyboard player." "Oh right." LOL)