peter Yes that would work, but for me I would much prefer that the lyrics are automatically displayed as well. The reason is that I sometimes add notes to the lyrics for info such as the Song key, song history, guitar Capo position, fx settings etc which I would like to see prior to actually starting the song, so that I’m organised before pressing play.
Stage Traxx beta version 3.0.0
What I’d like is to be able to select a playlist, swipe it and for both the queue and lyrics view to be automatically visible ready to press play.
rumbakid You are right. Typography is currently not good. Version 2 was much better. I will try to improve this in the next beta (quite possibly tomorrow).
DickyDutch We will try that out in the next beta version.
Hi Peter,
Thank you for the detailed answer and of course for your time 
I now get the logic of ST3. However, there are still quite a few very useful things that I’m missing and that are there in ST2:
- automatic loading of a playlist to the queue, when selecting (tapping) it
- since the lyrics now appear in a new window, automatically open that window when loading the playlist, so you basically only have to hit “Play” without needing a second tap
- session timer/clock
- songlist in portrait mode. Since you said a lot of people asked for a full screen lyrics view, there could be an option to show/hide the songlist in portrait mode
- being able to select the next song in the queue. This is very cool in ST2, that’s why the next song has a different backgound, since it can be changed. The logic behind this: say you have a playlist, but you are out of time or you just want to skip a song. then you just tap whichever song you want to be next in line and the queue will continue from there.
- big nice looking buttons and bigger/nicer fonts
- more attractive, colorful interface. I’m pretty sure that you don’t need fixed size images to achieve that. There are countless apps that look nice and work on all iPads/iPhones. I know that takes a lot of work, but that will definitely make the app look more “professional”.
Some other things:
-In a live situation, it’s highly unlikely that you need to edit a song/playlist on the fly, but you do want to add songs to the queue on the fly, so it’s more logical to add songs/playlists to queue with tapping and editing them with swiping and then tapping, rather than the other way around.
- you mentioned that the new “Songs” section is like the iTunes library. In ST2 however, you could add songs to the playlist from the iTunes library OR local files. This is missing in ST3, as you can only add songs from the library. Say you made some new songs or changed something in an existing song and you want to replace it. Now you have to first import it to your library and then import it from the library to your playlist. Would be a lot quicker/handier to be able to import external songs from within a playlist, which would automatically be added to the library (of course, you would be asked if you wanted to replace any existing songs with the same filename)
I hope these things can be done without too much extra work. I know you can’t make everyone happy, it’s the same thing as with making music
Thank you again and have a nice day!
oh.. one more thing. In ST2 I am having caching issues, not sure if this is there in ST3, will need to test it. So, when I make changes to a song (duration, tags aso.) and update the file, the playlist still shows the duration and tags of the old file. The player even plays for the duration of the old file, even when the new file is shorter A workaround is to first remove the song from the library (iTunes File Sharing), trying to play it in ST2 (it won’t find the file, so it will get a red background), remove the item from the playlist and then readd the new file
- Edited
musicadi - being able to select the next song in the queue. This is very cool in ST2, that’s why the next song has a different backgound, since it can be changed. The logic behind this: say you have a playlist, but you are out of time or you just want to skip a song. then you just tap whichever song you want to be next in line and the queue will continue from there.
I guess I need to explain the concept of a queue. A queue is always a list that shows songs in the order that they will be played from top to bottom. If you want to jump to another song in the queue. Just swipe it to the right and it will move to the top of the queue. If you want to remove a song from the queue, swipe it to the left. And if you want to change the order drag and drop a song. Because of this, there is no need for a "play next" indicator. And keep in mind, a playlist is a different thing. Anything you change on a playlist is stored in the database. Things you change on the queue are not persisted.
musicadi - you mentioned that the new “Songs” section is like the iTunes library. In ST2 however, you could add songs to the playlist from the iTunes library OR local files. This is missing in ST3, as you can only add songs from the library. Say you made some new songs or changed something in an existing song and you want to replace it. Now you have to first import it to your library and then import it from the library to your playlist. Would be a lot quicker/handier to be able to import external songs from within a playlist, which would automatically be added to the library (of course, you would be asked if you wanted to replace any existing songs with the same filename)
All songs are now stored as local files in Stage Traxx. If you want to modify them, you can just overwrite the song file with a new version. You can do this in the Files app or via iTunes Filesharing. This is in my opinion a big improvement, since you don't need to import them into iTunes, sync to the iPad and then reimport into the app.
Quick Question...If I install the BETA, will that affect my current V2 installation in any way?
Im installing beta on my GIG iPad so dont want the current version to get messed up if that makes sense!
Thanks
Bill P
Version 3 and also the beta version are separate apps and you can run them in parallel with version 2.
The release version 3 will also be a separate app and independent from version 2.
- Edited
New beta build 2509
This build is the biggest update in this beta cycle. The big new feature is backup / restore / migration of data.
Backups in version 3 contain everything. They contain song specific settings, the songs themselves and also your app settings. Therefore you now only need to copy a single file to your computer or another iPad and can restore everything with this single file. The downside is that this backup file is pretty large. You need the same amount of space to create the backup as your music collection in Stage Traxx needs.
Migrating your data from version 2 is done by the following steps:
- creating a backup in version 2 and uploading it to Dropbox. Make sure that all local files are also available on Dropbox
- Open the Files app and copy all songs that you were using as local songs in version 2 from Dropbox into the Stage Traxx 3 folder.
- Open Stage Traxx 3, go to settings and select "Restore backup".
- Select the backup file from version 2.
Now, Stage Traxx will import the database contents from version 2 and also import all necessary songs from the iTunes library.
Now I will focus on improving the usage of the app. First steps have been made by changing how you add songs to the queue and improving the fonts.
The next updates will continue with these usage improvements and once usage is fine will also improve on the visuals.
Changes
- Fixed possible crash when clearing the queue
- Fixed bug that prevented adding a song multiple times to a playlist or queue
- Fixed multiple concurrency issues
- Hopefully fixed core data error when adding songs to a playlist
- Fixed a crash when running out of free space during song import
- Added backup and restore functionality on settings page
- Added restore of version 2 backups to migrate data from old version
- Added option to automatically open lyrics view when pressing play
- Changed fonts in song related list views to same font as in version 2
- Changed default action when tapping on a song or playlist to add that entry to the queue instead of opening the detail views. Detail views now need to be opened by tapping the detail disclosure icon.
- Loading a playlist into the queue will automatically open the lyrics view
- Replaced the continous play button with a playlist and queuespecific continuous play option displayed on top of playlist / queue. Loading a playlist with active continous play into the queue will automatically enable continuous play until you disable it or load another playlist with continous play disabled.
Bugs in this version
crash when importing songs from iTunes library that are not downloaded to the deviceinaccurate popsitioning of 48kHz trackstapping in song view edit mode does add songs to queue instead of selecting themswiping lyrics in portrait view does not work after opening lyrics viewcrash when deleting last song from queue in lyrics viewrestoring backups does not check for iTunes access rightsimporting lyrics with other encoding than utf-8 failscrash when an audio file has been deleted and the song list is refreshed
Next changes planned
- improve user interface
- improve visuals
add session timer- network session functionality
- find a way to select next song via pedal commands
- add ability to view played songs
- show tutorial on first start of app
- add payment options
Perfect. Thanks ..look forward to seeing it !
Doh... sorry, I didn't try swiping within the queue. That’s actually very cool and a lot handier. Maybe it’s just me, but I would still prefer tapping over swiping for such actions It’s just a matter of getting used to it
About the “Songs” section, it is a huge improvement indeed, what I meant is the possibility to add songs to the database from within a playlist also. This way you could populate a playlist and import those songs to the database in one action.
Thank you
Im a little unclear on the procedure for getting the backup from V2 to V3 in the new beta
could you explain steps 1 + 2 little more?
1 creating a backup in version 2 and uploading it to Dropbox. Make sure that all local files are also available on Dropbox
2 Open the Files app and copy all songs that you were using as local songs in version 2 from Dropbox into the Stage Traxx 3 folder.
Im not sure what you mean by some of this ...I am linked to dropbox
I have uploaded a backup from v2 to a new folder in dropbox ...
How do I make local files available ? and how do I then copy these local files to V3 ..where does that appear as a destination ?
Sorry to be a little slow on this , but I really dont see how to achieve this
thanks !
Bill P
- Edited
Wow, that’s great! I love those fonts I also find tapping to add to queue is way way better than swiping! Thank you for that!
A few bugs:
Seeking through a song:
- play a song then hit Pause
- swipe over the waveform and seek a position
- hit Play. Playback starts later than it should (with about 9%)
Tapping action conflict
- in the Songs window, tap Edit
- try to select a song. The song is being added to the queue instead of being selected
Swipe through lyrics in portrait mode
- initial swiping through lyrics in portrait mode is not possible, unless you change the font size or you turn the device in landscape mode and then back to portrait mode
Empty queue crash is still there in build 2509
- the crash occurs when manually removing the last available song from the queue in the lyrics/songlist window (portrait mode). It does not occur when removing the last item from within the Queue window.
A few suggestions:
- instead of having to manually add lyrics to songs, it would be cool if the app would automatically add the lyrics when importing the song, if a .txt/.lrc file with the same name exists in the same folder.
- closing the lyrics window is done with double-tapping. At first I assumed you have to swipe down for that, that might be handier (of course, that should only be active on the “waveform” part, to avoid opening iOS notification center )
- queue duration. Might be better to add it to the top instead, so you don’t have to swipe to the bottom of the queue to see that info
- number of songs in Songs window could also be added to the top instead
- Window titles. Using all caps might have a better visual impact. Also, maybe some other background
- Lyrics scrolling visual coolness . Would be super cool if the highlighting of the current line would “slide down” instead of just appearing at the given timecode. Maybe a semitransparent rounded background or border could also be used to emphasize the current line. Alternatively, some sort of scrolling effect could be used like the one in the iOS Clock app (when selecting the alarm time)
Thanks again! Will continue the testing all is a lot better now with this build
- Edited
Sorry, guys, I have a gig scheduled for today and need to leave in a minute. I will answer your questions tomorrow. So far as I can see, there are some really good feedback points
Oh, one thing I forgot in the release notes:
Due to structure changes in the database, all playlists will be emptied when you update to this version
So much better Peter! Tap to add to queue is perfect. Love the new fonts. This is definitely a step in the right direction!
peter Regarding your requests:
I thought a lot about the primary use case for continuous play. Personally I only use it for break music. If I want to play 2 songs seamlessly I usually combine them in an editor. That way I have more control about the transition. For break music, a global switch to enable continuous play is the best option I guess. So do you use it really for specific songs?
Let me clarify. I sing in Christian venues with two others (trio). Sometime there are time restraints, and in those times we usually sing two songs before pausing to interacting with the people. Throughout the year our lineup may change a bit, especially in our local area because of those that follow us. So the songs we use “continuous play” on maybe different, because of this, combining the two songs will not be an option.
Let me stress that this would not be a deal breaker for me, though it would be nice to have.
Thanks again for your hard work
Hi again,
Some more feedback:
- when replacing a file, the duration is not updated in the database. This could cause playback issues (ie. if the new file is longer, playback stops where the old file ended)
- tapping the “i” button enters edit mode, but tapping the arrow right of it adds the song/playlist to queue. So, if you “miss” the “i”, you add things to queue instead of editing them
- importing from Google Drive: after tapping a file or “Open”, apparently nothing happens for 10-15 seconds (while the song is being downloaded). The “Importing” pop-up window could appear right after tapping
- in Songs window, when you slowly pull down, the “refreshing” circle icon on top is acting weird and the actual updating starts only when you pulled until about the middle of the screen
- importing the same song with a different filename causes duplicates (obviously). Not sure if this is possible, but might be a good idea to have the app check for existing tags and ask which file you want to keep (both, new one, old one).
- would be cool to be able to sort the Songs library also by artist, track number and filename
Thank you and have a nice Sunday!
Hi,
I just found a text encoding issue:
- text files encoded in ISO-8859-1 are not being opened (possible neither ISO-8859-2)
Some more suggestions
- the alphabet letters in Songs window could be using the tint color, this would help differentiate them better
- option to automatically fit the text size of lyrics to the window size
- option to place the Play button either left or right
- within a Playlist, the "Edit" button is basically obsolete, as you can swipe to delete songs and can also use drag and drop to reorder the tracks
I'm starting to dig the app BTW, the visual overhaul will make it awesome!
Found another bug:
- after the song player shows up at the bottom of the screen, swipe to or towards the end of the song and hit Play
The song player crashes and you need to restart the app to make it work again.