Happy New Year and a Look Ahead for Stage Traxx

Tim_pbjp

Thanks, Peter — it looks really good, and I’m looking forward to giving it a test flight.
I’m especially happy to see the “Loop Once” feature. I remember when I first suggested it, Damir thought it was better handled in the DAW, but I always felt it could be really useful. For example, if the crowd is particularly enjoying a song and I want to extend the moment or if I step away from the iPad and into the audience ... having the option to loop once or for a fixed number of repeats looks right.
I had also hoped the new version might include automatic BPM detection, but I see there’s a BPM “Tap” button, which is a good alternative.
Another thing I’m looking forward to testing: the merge button. Ideally, it will let me go smoothly from a song with a backing track to one with only lyrics... fading out the backing track of the current song and then jumping straight into the next, and......I’m curious to see what happens when a lyrics-only track is playing and I double-click another song. In Stage Traxx 3, this action jumps to the new song immediately... which has often caused the musicians to panic, while all I was trying to do was efficiently line up the next song. 🙂

Damir

Tim_pbjp Damir thought it was better handled in the DAW, but I always felt it could be really useful.

Sorry Tim I was never against an instant repeat function of a loop as it is very useful for instant manipulation of the song, what I am against is permanent things that complicate the interface that could be done in pre production.
Example
I like the permanent loop function because you can instantly place it on an intro on some songs where you can stay on it as long as you need while interacting with the crowd then release the loop and away you go with the song , this gives you live band type of control.
Another example of useless function is a permanent SKIP , if you need a permanent skip on a song you might as well leave it out in pre production, otherwise leave the section in and just skip it whenever you need to by selecting an appropriate next loop.
Why give us something we don’t really need to complicate the software.
ST is a player not a DAW to arrange your song on , yes you can break the song up on it but it’s not meant to edit the song like a DAW does , otherwise we will start to want all the functions of a DAW in it which would bloat the software.
Yes I wish I could do everything in ST , but then it wouldn’t be the same ST we love on stage now.

peter

Tim_pbjp You can cross fade in and out of songs without audio tracks. Basically the will fade in or out the other song.

Regarding smart glasses. There is no standard to feed real-time text into these glasses and Stage Traxx already has a teleprompter mode for external displays. So beyond that I have nothing planned in the regard. Why not mount a large monitor into a monitor box enclosure. Even big names use this approach for teleprompter.

Tim_pbjp

peter Hey Peter,
Your program already is the most versatile out there, but have you considered adding a Teleprompter mode that works via Bluetooth and is compatible with smart glasses? I think it could be a real game-changer for performers who have a large repertoire and can’t always memorise every line. For example, integration with something like the Halliday Glasses, where only the song text is streamed, would be perfect. Personally as a vocalist, I’d love to get a couple of metres away from the stage and feel free to connect more confidently with the audience. If the text came with me?? It would be heaven. These glasses are being used successfully by speakers in conferences and seminars and are surprisingly stable.

Tim_pbjp

peter I want to give the audience the feeling that I have not lost eye contact with them when I sneak a look at the lyrics. Especially if I donˋt know the lyrics and constantly need the text.

Damir

Tim_pbjp I want to give the audience the feeling that I have not lost eye contact with them when I sneak a look at the lyrics. Especially if I donˋt know the lyrics and constantly need the text.

I know exactly how you feel , a while back I was researching the glasses idea and almost purchased a pair , I am still keen to see if can be done to send video wirelessly to them from my iPad, keep us informed if you find a way, it would be a game changer if it can be done as the lyrics would always be right there in front you no matter which way you look .
A tip for new musicians , DONT USE CHEAT SHEETS OF ANY KIND FORCE YOURSELF TO REMEMBER LYRICS , you become dumber relying on technology a few years ago I knew all my friends phone numbers by heart now I can barely remember my own 😂 THAKS IPHONE! 🤣

Tim_pbjp

Damir I have a pair of smart glasses and it does send Video from the IPad, so it is Like a second display for the IPad, but the entire display of Stage Trax is visible, which restricts the view to the audience and it requires the USB-C cable connected. My smart glasses also have a transparent mode, but it is still restrictive. Something Like the Halliday Glases would be better because it displays in the top left corner of the screen and would only show the lyrics. But even better, it uses Bluetooth. Your tip about memorizing lyrics is good until you play with multiple bands with multiple arrangements and genres for the same song :-)

Damir

Tim_pbjp thanks Tim for the info on the glasses, and yes I am also forced to use ST as I’m heading towards 500 song repertoire , I have given up on my brains memory 30 years ago 😩 😂

peter

Tim_pbjp I have a pair of smart glasses and it does send Video from the IPad, so it is Like a second display for the IPad, but the entire display of Stage Trax is visible, which restricts the view to the audience and it requires the USB-C cable connected.

Enable Settings > Lyrics & PDF > Lyrics on External Screen: https://stagetraxx.com/user-guide/settings/#lyrics-on-external-screen-ios-only

Tim_pbjp

peter Ok, thx Peter I will check out this option.

jaytrax

Hey @peter

I’ve got a feature request for Stage Traxx 4.
It’s somewhat selfish, but maybe useful for others.

What I’m looking for is the ability to have a user-customizable button at the bottom of the screen.
In other words, I want an optional button we can configure ourselves,
My specific use for this is a Midi PC change which for me acts as a bypass/panic for all gear connected via midi
I’ve never needed it yet, but if it’s easy to implement, I would really appreciate it.

I’m sure other users may have their own specific uses

• Dmx cue - like a blackout
• A 0db reset for a song volume or queue volume
• External Device Control – mute/unmute channels on a digital mixer, engage talkback, change monitor mixes.
• Automation Overrides – like disabling all FX automation for one song part, then re-enabling later.
• Fallback/Rescue Actions – emergency “kill FX,” “reset harmonies to chromatic,” or “panic stop all MIDI.”
• Transport Functions – e.g. “jump back 4 bars,” “skip to chorus marker,” or “pause/resume.”

That’s the request in a nutshell.

Damir

jaytrax What I’m looking for is the ability to have a user-customizable button at the bottom of the screen.
In other words, I want an optional button we can configure ourselves,

I agree , I found having the ability to customise fully the two buttons on ST3 very useful , I see you have the xfade, I hope permanent loop will also be in an easy to hit spot.

peter

You can see in the first screenshot 3 buttons at the bottom of the pdf. These are assignable buttons. Every command that you can trigger by a remote action can be put on screen as a dedicated button. You can also set a custom title and color for each button.

Damir

peter You can see in the first screenshot 3 buttons at the bottom of the pdf. These are assignable buttons. Every command that you can trigger by a remote action can be put on screen as a dedicated button. You can also set a custom title and color for each button.

Oh yes, I missed that , these buttons seem smaller and dangerously close to the stop/start button , is there a chance we can get more of and bigger buttons that are a bit further away from the stop/start , at the moment we have four buttons in ST3 if you include the two side buttons and two programmable buttons?

jaytrax

peter
Amazing - thank you so much, you preempted my thoughts
👌

Damir

peter Hi Peter, with ST4 having so much more straight forward control of multitracks I am thinking of going that way , I know you have mute buttons on the mixer , which would help to create a desired mix of instruments but what I was hoping fore was a quick way to solo just a track or perhaps two tracks on the run , in other words just like audio segments letting us jump around a song, having a nifty way to thin down a song in one push of a button and restore as needed.
Have you thought about this capability.
My Xair 18 and CQ18T mixers have 4 master mute buttons which can have combinations of mutes you can have programmed to do this , it would be great if the extra programable buttons could be used to also give us this capability so we can either by finger or foot mute a combination of tracks per song , let’s say I button to have drums only and another button to have piano and strings only or whatever combination you need for that song so you could simply hit the button strip down the song completely use the drums only choose the next loop and release the mute as the new loop begins introducing the other band members just like a live band.
This should be simple to setup and restore to normal setup at start of a new song , a permanent setup to be remembered when the song is in stop mode and a temporary setup if you change the settings as the song is playing.
I am still smiling every time I use the loops having the instant power to also manipulate the music instrument combination would be fantastic.
Cheers Damir

peter

I did indeed think about solo functionality and it is implemented in the song editing view. But I decided against adding a solo button to the mixer to keep the view as small as possible. But if the majority is in favour of adding a solo button at the cost of less space for lyrics, I am open to making that change.

Mute groups as assignable buttons are an interesting idea. I might add this sometimes at a later point.

peter

Disregard my last post regarding solo in the mixer. It is already there and you can see the solo button in the screenshot. I guess I am getting older and forgetting what I did a couple of months ago.

Damir

peter that’s fantastic! We are making comments before seeing the software , it’s going to be great I’m sure , you are probably exhausted by now.
Keep up the good work!

peter

Yeah, I am indeed a bit exhausted after working basically 7 days a week since going full time. But at least I can see an end on the horizon. The Beta phase will be a bit stressful though until everything is running smoothly.

Another topic: I’ve been thinking a lot about fair pricing for the app.

I want to avoid a subscription model, keep the price affordable, and still make sure ongoing development is sustainable. Here’s the idea I’d love your feedback on:

Price for new users: stays the same as version 3.
Existing users: upgrade at a reduced price (likely 30–50% off).

What you get when you buy:

A lifetime license for all current features at the time of purchase.
Plus all new features released in the following 12 months.
Bug fixes and compatibility updates for the lifetime of the app.

After 12 months:

You still keep everything you already have, forever.
If you want access to new features released after that point, you can buy an Update Pass (again at a reduced price).
This Update Pass gives you all current features plus anything released in the next 12 months.

The key point: there’s no subscription and no obligation. You can update every year, skip a few years, or never update again if you’re happy with what you have. You only pay when new features are worth it to you.

I think this strikes a good balance: fair to users, while also making it possible for me to keep adding meaningful updates in the long run.

What do you think of this approach? Would this feel fair to you as a user?

jaytrax

peter

Personally speaking I think that given the amount of work you have put in,
The amount of user requests you implement and the fact that you have gone full time,
I think full price for the upgrade to anyone that wants it is extremely fair

I don’t think you need to offer a discount as users wanting the new features will want to support your efforts.

If then you want to move to yearly updates I don’t see an issue either

Lishy

peter I’m not a massive fan of subscription models but I agree with everything Jaytrax has said. It provides an option to those that are happy with the features without having to commit a subscription model whilst constantly developing the app for those that do wish for more.
Given your constant interaction with the user base, commitment to the improving the app and huge effort over the past few months, I think most, if not all, users won’t mind paying full price at all. I certainly don’t.

What would you recommend the minimum iOS be for ST4?

TeabagTim

peter
Sounds fair.

But I can imagine that implementing this pricing/feature model makes the code quite complex. Especially when some features depend on each other. This increases the risk of bugs and it will get even worse over the years. #FeatureFlagHell

Damir

peter I love the NO SUBSCRIPTION and what you have proposed , it’s very fair to users that need this type of software, considering there are not many other options to choose from if you want ease of use on stage ., I could get away with ST2 for my needs at the moment, having easier and flexible way to operate definitely is worth the one time payment.
I use Logic Pro in a reasonably simple way , a free program like Audacity could do the job but I still payed the full price one time payment because it’s worth it, yet I would also love to have it on my IPad as it has a nice version but I refuse to have it because it’s subscription .
I don’t rent anything, if I can’t afford it then I save till I can, most people that subscribe to things don’t own a home or need to lease a car will never own a house and have no bank loan for life time, this is just my opinion and an observation here in Australia, please don’t be offended by my views it’s just something that is very common and obvious.
Great work Peter looking forward to the new app.

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