ShowDeck Support

No. Band Sync uses Apple's Multipeer Connectivity, which works over local Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. No internet or account is needed; all devices just need to be in the same room.

About eight simultaneous connections in practice: one host and several members, each with their own screen. That's plenty for most bands.

No. Save your band as a named configuration with Band Memory. While that band is active, everyone who joins is remembered with their name and role and gets them back automatically. Save a separate band for each group you play with and switch in one tap.

iOS drops the connection when an app leaves the foreground; that's a platform limitation. ShowDeck reconnects automatically when they return, and Band Memory restores their name and permissions, usually within a couple of seconds.

Yes, if the host grants them Navigate permission. They can tap any song in the setlist, earlier or later, to jump to it. The host's device makes the change.

Live sets don't pause; they stop and restart. Restarting a song midway is almost never what you want on stage, so the transport is a Play/Stop toggle: blue when ready, red while playing. If you need a pause inside a song, program it into the track with a click count-in.

Yes, that's the default. Tapping a song in the Perform screen only loads it; press Play to start. Turn on Tapping a song starts playback in Settings > Performance if you prefer tap-to-play. In a Band Sync session, the host's settings govern everyone.

Yes. In Settings > Track Defaults, set a minimum output channel count. The channel picker will always show at least that many channels, and your assignments apply when you plug in.

Use the Output Channel Test in Settings > Diagnostics. Tap a channel number and a test tone plays on that output.

The track is set to a stereo pair, which centers a mono file across both channels. In the song editor, set the track to Mono and pick a single channel. Mono files now default to Mono routing at import.

Yes. The Mixer has a Master fader pinned to its right edge. It scales the overall output, applies live during playback, and is remembered between launches.

Yes. In Settings > MIDI Routing, use MIDI Learn to assign Play/Stop, Next, and Previous to any Note, CC, or Program Change. You can also give each song an incoming program-change trigger to jump straight to it.

ShowDeck remembers every MIDI destination it has seen. Offline ones appear with a grey dot, and your assignments reactivate when the device reconnects.

Yes. Add any number of audio tracks to a song and route each to a different output. A common setup is a stereo mix on outputs 1–2 and mono cues on 3 and 4. All tracks start sample-locked, and MIDI follows the same clock.

ShowDeck totals the longest track in each song plus any countdowns between songs. If the set has open-ended manual pauses, the total shows a "+" because the true length depends on you.

Yes. Each song can have one video, imported in the song editor. On iPad or iPhone, send it to a projector or TV with an HDMI adapter or AirPlay, and your controls stay on the device. Video audio is muted by default so your sound comes from the audio tracks.

In the Library, open the share menu at the top right and choose Back Up Everything…. Send the .showdeck file to the new device, then choose Restore From Backup… there (or AirDrop it and tap it in the Inbox). Songs, setlists, media, routing, saved bands, and settings all come across.

Swipe right on the setlist in the Library and tap Export. The .showdeck file includes the songs and their audio, MIDI, and video. Your bandmate opens it in ShowDeck to add it to their library.

AirDrop them to your iPad or iPhone and choose ShowDeck, or connect the device to a Mac, select it in Finder, and drag files onto ShowDeck under the Files tab. They wait in the Inbox until you add them to a song.

Yes. Use it purely for MIDI playback and program changes, or just as a shared setlist display for the band. Audio tracks are optional per song.

Yes, while audio is playing. ShowDeck runs as a background-audio app, so songs don't cut out if the screen locks mid-song. To stop the screen locking at all during a set, turn on Keep screen awake in Settings > Performance.

iPad, iPhone, and Mac, running iPadOS 17, iOS 17, or macOS 14 Sonoma or later. iPad or Mac is recommended for the performance screen. On iPhone you get the full setlist and a transport bar with large, widely spaced buttons. A Mac can host or join a Band Sync session like any other device.

No. ShowDeck is a one-time purchase with no cloud account, no subscription, and nothing locked behind a paywall. Everything runs on your device.