Hello,
Is it possible to use different background images when i’m using the same song multiple times?
Here’s what i would like to do:
Many Top-40 Songs don’t need special sounds. i create a template song with the most used sounds (Strings, Sy Strings, Pad, Brass etc) on different midi channels. By changing the output midi-channel on my PCR-800 controller i have access to all of these sounds.
Now i can use this song multiple times in a setlist. By adding a different background image in each of the songs i don’t need a tablet for the sheets.
I think in this form it is not able because a song is unique and can not have different notes at the same place…
but you can realize it if you open a second instance of cantabile…
there you can have 1000 songs each with different states and notes but all pointet to one song in your ‘normal’
cantabile…
maybe a template for ‘modern talking’ songs where every song is the same but with different text
…if you then make a change in this template automaticaly all pointing songs are updated…
not a normal use but thinkable
but you also can put all the instruments you need in a song-specific Rack so only to have this special Rack in specific songs…
many way’s you can do things in cantabile…test it out
Do you use song states? If not, how about having different song states configured with the different background images (or indeed different text) for each variant of the song, and then set up a binding from Set List / Selected Song Index to song state? That way, as you select different instances of this song, different song states will be selected, thus changing the background (and text if you wish).
I use Song States for pages of the same song (although I try to keep everything to one page). Sometimes I have a keyboard part and a sax part which require different keys. Song States works really well for that. I take the PDFs and convert them to .PNG files and show them as backgrounds.
What the OP wants to do I think might be best served by starting from a template song then creating a new song with a new background for the song. The advantage here would be if you do need to change something, it would leave other songs untouched. The disadvantage is that if you need to make a global changes, you would have to change a lot of different places. For the church gig I used to do, I did pretty much what is described. It worked because I could start with the same basic setup and tweak for different songs. Like a cover band, once the song was setup and could grab it, be reminded of what I was supposed to do, and be ready instantly.
The third option is to use an iPad for @Torsten’s LivePrompter, UnRealBook, or (I prefer) forScore. You can also send MIDI setup info to Cantabile as needed with most these tools.
I hadn’t thought about setting up a general purpose rack you would add to all songs like @Juergen suggested . That would work for what the OP is suggesting (thinking like Forte). However, I think after using Cantabile for a while, he will want to have individual Song files. As a former Forte user, I started out trying to make Cantabile work like Forte, too. It takes a while to make the paradigm shift. About the time you get all your songs moved over from Forte, you figure out, “Oh, this would have been much easier if …”
Little correction here: LivePrompter doesn’t run on an iPad - it’s Windows only. But you could actually use it on the same machine as Cantabile to achieve the @Steffen’s goal: different information displayed for different songs while using the same Cantabile song:
Install LivePrompter on the same machine that runs Cantabile
connect LivePrompter to Cantabile with a virtual midi cable like loopMIDI so that LivePrompter can send program change messages to Cantabile.
create a set list (preloaded preferably) in Cantabile that assigns unique program changes to each of your cantabile songs / song templates
create a Cantabile binding that on receiving a program change from the virtual MIDI port loads the corresponding song from the set list
now in LivePrompter create a song file (simple text file) for each of your different songs. Create a MidiSend file in your LivePrompter MIDI subdirectory (see LivePrompter manual about “LivePrompter and MIDI”) that maps your song files to your Cantabile templates via program changes.
Once you get the LivePrompter MIDI configuration set up correctly, any time you load a song file in LivePrompter, Cantabile will automatically load the corresponding song/template.
Now LivePrompter is the “leading system”, you’ll have to create set lists in LivePrompter to then drive Cantabile in the background.
You’ll want to run LivePrompter in windowed mode (“FullScreen=no”). Now you can size the LivePrompter window to just overlay the ShowNotes part of the Cantabile Window - it will stay on top.
Give it a try - LivePrompter is free!
Cheers,
Torsten
Addition: note that there is a separate manual with LivePrompter called “LivePrompter and Cantabile” - it explains in detail how to connect both in different scenarios.
Using Song States seems like the best option.
By using only linked racks the sounds should stay consistent throughout all the states.
If i want to change something in one song and leave the rest untouched i can switch a linked rack to an embedded rack.
My goal is to use the template song as often as possible. This way i don’t need to remember where is what sound and by using some generell sounds over and over again i get a very good feeling on how they sit in the mix.
LivePrompter looks nice. Can i display .png files?
@brad, what do you think about the way forte handles this? i read one of your posts where you seemed to collect ideas for working with show notes in live mode. do you think that would be an option?
Nope - LivePrompter uses text files in the ChordPro format. It is mainly aimed at displaying lyrics and chords, but I have seen multiple interesting use cases…
@Torsten, in that case LivePrompter won’t help. i need to have leadsheets.
What is the benefit of using a 2nd instance of forte? i feel like connecting two instances might be an interesting challenge, from a technical point of view, but will i have less work in the long run?
, dann aber lieber direkt und nicht im Forum…