Advice please on the simplest, easy-to-use tablet or whatever for gig playback of WAV/MP3 files... current iPOD's screen is too small.

http://www.mike-warren.net/digitalfakebook/




Regards,

Bob

Laptop computer.

Detailed instructions and reasons on how I make and use backing tracks. The how I use them part pertains to your question.

http://www.nortonmusic.com/backing_tracks.html

Insights and incites by Notes

So 75 BIAB musicians have read my post, and only 2 have any thoughts?
Just wanted to know what all of you are using on gigs...

Thanks

I think they told you laptop.

That's what I get from this.

Maybe ask how best to do this.

wish I could help for I would.

Best

The simple fact of life. More spectators than participants. I'm sure they had thoughts but if they were thinking "laptop"... that had already been said.

Yep...laptop. But wait......I'll even go one better.....

TWO laptops. in case one crashes. 2nd one booted up and ready with the same exact play list.

Also, this isn't really a live gigging with software group here. I do tons of gigs but all with live players.

Bob

Here is how I do it:

http://www.nortonmusic.com/backing_tracks.html

Insights and incites by Notes

I convert to mp3.
Alphabetical playlist all in one folder.
Inactive Android phone velcroed to low music stand.
Rocket Player Free version.
Headphone to left/right 1/4 cable 6 ft long.
into generic stereo volume pedal $40
2 1/4" instrument cables to mixer or stereo passive DI box.

Been thinking of switching to some type of tablet for a bigger screen.

I do 75/100 live gigs a year and add another 50/75 or so live streaming. Unlike others I play BIAB from the program right from the Laptop to through the mixer. For many reasons, one of which is I always have my entire 1500-2000 song rep at my fingertips.

Live in person gigs:

#1. Lenovo Tablet to
#2. Bose LII
#3. Guitar Pedal Board to
#4. Bose LII

Live Streaming gigs:

#1. Lenovo Tablet to
#2. 10 Channel Mixer
#3. UBS from mixer to broadcast software (OBS currently)
#4. With Main Cable to two Mackie Thumps I use for monitors

Hope this helps. Please feel free to PM if I can provide more deatils.

Later,

Still a few of us left around here Bob, LOL

Later,

I've been doing this since 1985 in a duo.

Leilani and I were in a 5 piece band back then. First the bass player had to quit and we were out of work over a month. A few months later and the drummer moved away, and we were out of work again.

When we had our first gig with the new drummer, the dining room was packed, so they folded back the accordion doors in the country club and put us in the lounge.

The drummer said "God won't forgive me if I play in a bar." I replied, "God will have to forgive me for homicide if you don't play in the bar tonight."

The next day I bought a 4 track tape recorder and started making backing tracks (I play drums, bass, guitar, and some keys as well as sax and flute).

We were cassette based for a while, then digital arrived and we fed floppy disks into a sequencer, and finally laptop.

I put the link in earlier posts that describe it in detail.

But I also keep a spare laptop on stage, booted up and ready all the time.

Since 2002 when I bought my first ThinkPad I had to go to the spare twice, and it saved the gig (cheap insurance). I simply moved the USB cable from one computer to the other and continued. The audience never knew we were in trouble.

For me, my method (as described in the links I gave) is the easiest, the most reliable, and the most flexible to suit the needs of the audience that I can think of. Until something better comes along, that's how I do it.

Insights and incites by Notes

My first backing tracks were on a Yamaha 4 track cassette player. I had to have the higher level model because it had speed/pitch adjuster knob. I recorded guitar, bass, harmonica and some drum machine, probably a TR-707. Also had Akai, Tascam and a few others. I actually wore out several 4 track cassette players.

About 20 years ago I went to Band In A Box tracks recorded to Sony Minidisc Walkman style. Velcored to a music stand. I used the Walkman minidisc for about 3 years or so. It was not the kind you could transfer files via USB. I had to record each song to it manually and the discs only held about 1 hour of mono music. I still have stacks of mini discs all organized and labeled and a few blanks also. My son, age 30 still used the same Sony mini disc Walkman and the $300 Sony stereo mic option I purchased with it to sample sounds in the field.

Next came the Archos mp3 player. Velcroed to a music stand. That saved a lot of time and all my songs plus a bunch of other stuff fit nicely organized on it's 20 gig hard drive. Now I could transfer songs via USB, rename then, make play lists, etc... This was several years before iPODs and MP3s were popular. Many people were amazed that all that sound could come out of a little box half the size of a deck of cards. The Archos G-Mini died out after about 4 years. I would still be using the Archos G-Mini if it worked.
I went a several years with no backing tracks and now using a inactive $69 Android phone from Walmart. It requires no proprietary software. No iTunes, etc... I simply transfer the tracks via USB and play them with Rocket Player Ap. It really helps to have a stereo volume pedal between the Adroid and whatever sound system.

Danny, why 10 track mixer for streaming? Just wondering cos I was thinking I could do with 6 inputs instead of 4, but 10? What am I not taking into consideration?

It depends. Are these stereo backing tracks that you have prepared? If so, TwistedWave for iOS is what I use $9.99 through the App Store.

https://twistedwave.com/ios.html

Unlike similar apps including the free ones from Apple, it's ridiculously fast. Open the app, touch the file and it's ready to go immediately in less time than to took you to read that. It works on iPhone or iPad or even an iPod Touch if you still have one. I prefer the larger display of my iPad, of course. It goes back to iOS ancient and works great on my 1st gen iPad (very little still does) — perfect if you have an old iPad or iPhone doing nothing else.

Getting files into it is very easy. I prepare on my iMac and sync through iTunes. It is a fully functional editing tool, too, but I never edit in iOS. Anyway, since I became handicapped, this is how I perform live and I absolutely swear by it.

The only thing I don't like about it is that there's no way to record-lock your file to prevent messing with it by accidentally touching the wrong place on the screen. Since I create everything on my Mac, data loss isn't the issue but the wrong gesture during performance ... not good. I'm careful and never had it happen to me but the possibility is there.

There is also a Mac version of TwistedWave that is wicked good as a file converter and batch editor (200 .wav files totalling 4 hours to FLAC or Apple Lossless in 5 minutes). You do not need it to use the iOS version. It's pricy at $79.90 but resellers sometimes have sale pricing:
https://twistedwave.com/mac.html