OnSong for iPhone Archives

Importing songs and MIDI presets

Importing songs from a batch of documents

If you plan to attach documents to your songs, and you already have the document files, the easiest way to add songs is to add them from these files.

• On iOS, copy one or more documents into the app's data directory, as shown in step 1 of the Attaching Documents tutorial. On Android or macOS, make sure you've set Settings > General Settings > Defaults > Document Directory, then copy your documents into that directory.
• Navigate to the Songs list in your database and tap the Import button at the top of the list, then choose "Documents (batch)."
• Set List Maker will show you a preview of the songs it will add. This consists of a song for every document that is not already attached to a song.
• Tap Continue to add the new songs. For ChordPro and OnSong documents, the new song will contain the contents of the document (lyrics and metadata). For other documents, the new song will contain only the song title and a link to the document.

Importing song from a single ChordPro or OnSong file

If you have songs saved as ChordPro or OnSong files, you can create a new song using the name, lyrics and other data from those files. The file extension must be .chordpro, .chopro, .cho or .pro for ChordPro or .onsong for OnSong.

• On iOS, navigate to the Songs list, then tap the Import button, then tap ChordPro or OnSong, then select a file saved in a compatible app. Alternatively, you can use the Open In function in another app to send the file to Set List Maker.
• On Android or Mac, navigate to the Songs list, then tap the Import button, then tap ChordPro or OnSong, then select a file saved on your device.
• Rather than adding the file itself to your database, Set List Maker will create a new song using the data from that file. You can then edit the song directly in Set List Maker and add data not supported in the original file.

Importing songs from a playlist (iOS and Android only)

You can also enter songs by importing them from a playlist that you set up in iTunes (or an on-the-go playlist that you set up on your device). Read on for more details:

• Navigate to the Songs list in your database and tap the Import button at the top of the list, then choose "Playlist (batch)."
• On iOS, select the desired playlist, then tap Done (iPhone/iPod) or Select (iPad) to continue.
• On Android, if you have set up playlists in an app other than Play Music, Set List Maker will show those playlists. Otherwise, it will show any playlists that you have set up in the Play Music app. Tap the desired playlist.
• Set List Maker will show you a preview of the data it's importing. If a song title in the playlist matches an existing song in your database, Set List Maker will not import that song. Duplicate songs will appear in gray text in the import preview window.
• Set List Maker will import the Title and Artist for each song, and link the song to the recording, unless you are using the Android app and importing from a Play Music playlist.
• On iOS, Set List Maker will import additional iTunes fields as follows: iTunes Genre to Set List Maker Tags, if Genre matches an existing tag; iTunes Beats Per Minute to Set List Maker Tempo; iTunes Lyrics to Set List Maker Lyrics; and iTunes Comments to Set List Maker Notes.
• On Android, Set List Maker will import the tag (genre), tempo, duration, lyrics and comments, if they are defined in your music player and Set List Maker can identify them.
• After importing the songs, Set List Maker will create a new show using the playlist name, and will add all the playlist's songs to that show. (If a show with this name already exists, it will add any songs that aren't already in that show.) This allows you to review the songs you just imported and add more data manually if needed. If you don't need to keep this show, you can delete it without affecting the imported songs.

Importing songs from a data file

You can add songs with additional data by importing them from a song list that you set up on your computer. You can watch a tutorial video, or read on for more details:

• Your list must be saved in a tab-delimited text format. You can create this format directly using Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit (Mac), or set up a spreadsheet in Excel or Numbers and save your file in this format when you're done. You can use this sample file as a starting point (right-click and select the Download or Save File option).
• The file should contain the following columns:
  Column 1: Title
  Column 2: Artist
  Column 3: Tags
  Column 4: Key
  Column 5: Time signature
  Column 6: Tempo
  Column 7: Duration
  Column 8: Starting pitch
  Column 9: Document filenames
  Column 10: Recording filenames
  Column 11: Lyrics
  Column 12: Chords
  Column 13: Notes
  Column 14: MIDI song number
  Column 15: MIDI program changes (incoming)
  Columns 16+: Custom fields
• Here are some special notes about some of the fields:
  • Tags: You can enter a list of words or phrases here, separated by commas. If the tags are not already in your database, they will be added when you import the file.
  • Duration: You can enter durations as minutes and seconds separated by a colon (e.g., 3:15).
  • Document filenames: If you've copied documents to your device, you can specify their file names (including the file extensions) and Set List Maker will attach the documents to the songs upon import. To attach multiple documents to a song, you can include their names separated by pipe characters. For example, "Freebird lyrics.doc|Freebird chart.pdf".
  • Recording filenames: If you've copied recordings to your device, you can specify their file names (including the file extensions) and Set List Maker will attach the recordings to the songs upon import. To attach multiple recordings to a song, you can include their names separated by pipe characters. For example, "Freebird full.mp3|Freebird no drums.mp3". Attaching recordings while importing only works on Android or with local recordings on iOS, not recordings stored in iTunes.
  • Lyrics, chords and notes: To include line breaks in these fields, insert the character sequence \n where the line breaks should appear.
  • MIDI program change (incoming): This is a program change that you can assign to a song to select the song from another MIDI device. This field should include an MSB, LSB and patch number written as decimals and separated by pipe characters. For example, "10|11|12" would respond to MSB 10, LSB 11 and patch 12. If you want to send program changes for a song, you must create a MIDI preset with those program changes and attach the preset to the song.
  • Custom fields: If you'd like to populate your custom fields for your songs, you can include this text in any number of additional columns in your import file. Set List Maker will map the additional columns to your defined custom fields in the sort order you've defined for them, so you must enter your custom field names into Set List Maker before performing the import.
• When the file is ready, you can copy it to any local or cloud storage location that Set List Maker can access.
• In Set List Maker, navigate to the Songs list in your database and tap the Import button at the top of the list, choose "Text File (batch)" and use the file browser to select your file. Then Set List Maker will show you a preview of the data it's importing. You can review this to make sure your file is set up correctly before finishing the import.
  
• If Set List Maker shows an error about characters that cannot be imported, your file contains high-ASCII or "special" characters. The most common special characters are "smart quotes" that software like Excel adds by default when you type quotation marks or apostrophes. You can open your file in a plain text editor like Notepad or TextEdit and re-type these characters to replace them with their low-ASCII equivalents. Alternatively, you can save your file as a UTF text file and then Set List Maker will be able to import it.

Importing MIDI presets from a data file

Importing MIDI presets from a file is similar to importing songs from a file, with these differences:

• Your tab-delimited text file should be named importMidi.txt instead of importSongs.txt.
• You can import your file from the Import button at the top of the MIDI Presets list instead of the Songs list.
• The file should contain the following columns:
  Column 1: MIDI preset name
  Column 2: MIDI program changes
  Column 3: MIDI control changes
  Column 4: MIDI raw data device
  Column 5: MIDI raw data hex code
  Column 6: Song title
• You can enter the program changes as a comma-separated list with one item per device. Each item should include a device name, MSB, LSB and program number separated by pipe characters. For example, "My Keyboard|10|11|12,Guitar Processor|13|14|15" would send MSB 10, LSB 11 and program 12 to the port and channel set for the My Keyboard device, and MSB 13, LSB 14 and program 15 to the port and channel set for the Guitar Processor device. The device name must exactly match a MIDI device that is already in your database. The MSB, LSB and program values should be written as decimals (not hex code) and counted up from 0 or 1, depending on the Numbering setting in each MIDI device.
• You can enter the control changes as a comma-separated list with one item per device. Each item should include a device name, controller number and value separated by pipe characters. For example, "My Keyboard|20|25,Guitar Processor|30|35" would send controller 20 with a value of 25 to the port and channel set for the My Keyboard device, and controller 30 with a value of 35 to the port and channel set for the Guitar Processor device. The device name must exactly match a MIDI device that is already in your database. The controller and value should be written as decimals (not hex code) and counted up from 0 or 1, depending on the Numbering setting in each MIDI device.
• If you specify a device in column 4, any raw data you enter will only be sent to the specified device. Otherwise, it will be sent to all devices.
• If you specify a song title, the MIDI preset will be attached to that song after importing. The title must exactly match a song that is already in your database. If the title does not match any existing songs, or you don't specify any song title, the MIDI preset will still be imported, but will not be attached to any songs.
• You can specify the same song title for multiple presets. They will be attached to the song in the order in which they appear in the file.

You can use this sample file as a starting point (right-click and select the Download or Save File option).

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  Family Sharing

  Up to six family members will be able to use this app with Family Sharing enabled.

One great advantage with OnSong is that your OnSong library is stored directly on your device. This means you never need to worry if you have an Internet connection to access your music. Whether you are playing in a pub on the outskirts of town, a busy concert hall with lots of wireless interference, or as a missionary in the jungles of the Philippines, OnSong will continue to work non-stop.

Why Backup?

While having everything stored on the device itself a great feature, it does have some downsides. We hear all too often of users who have had their iPads stolen or lost. Sometimes they just forgot their device on the roof of the tour van and picked up the pieces on the highway. Yet others find their app missing when deleted by children or when wiping their iPad for a new operating system. The crucial step you need to take is to make a backup!

How To Backup

Creating a backup in OnSong is really easy. First, we recommend backing up your library to Dropbox to make sure your content is stored safely off your device. In addition, if anything happens to your device, you can easily restore your library from your Dropbox with an Internet connection and your Dropbox credentials. Go to the Dropbox section to learn how to sign up for Dropbox and use it in OnSong.

To start a backup, go into the Utilities Menu and tap Backup to open the Backup screen. On this screen you can choose the backup location, name the backup file and also set up OnSong for automatic backups so you'll never forget!

What's In a Backup?

A backup file is a ZIP archive that contains the entire contents of your active OnSong library. It's then given a file extension so it's recognized by OnSong.

In addition to containing the OnSong database called and imported files, this also contains your imported media files (music and images), help files, and a special preferences file that contains all the settings you had made in the app.

How To Restore

Now that you have the file in a safe place, let's learn how we can restore the backup file. It's as easy as importing a file into OnSong.

Go into the Songs Menu and select the All Songs tab. Tap on the + button on the bottom right to view the Add Songs screen. Tap on the Dropbox option. From here you can browse for your backup file and import it.

When you select the backup file to restore, you will be prompted that importing it will completely overwrite any other songs or settings you have in the current library. If you agree, the file will be downloaded and restored, returning your OnSong library to it's original state.

Note: Backup files are the ZIP-compressed contents of the OnSong library directory. OnSong can create backup files of approximately 4 GB in size.