BackTrackR User Manual

Introduction

BackTrackR is a live backing track player and show manager built for iPad. It is designed for musicians who perform with multitrack stems — separate audio files per instrument — and technicians who need to manage MIDI and timecode for multiple devices.

Think of it as a performance console for your show and backing tracks: import your songs, write or import a chart (lyrics and chords), build a cue list, mix each song, mark loops on the Timeline, set and manage your timecode and MIDI, arrange your on-screen controls, and play through the set with clear NOW and NEXT indicators.

Everything in the app serves rehearsal, live performance, and show management — cue lists, charts, loops, MIDI, and timecode on one iPad.

System requirements

• Device: iPad only (not iPhone)
• OS: iPadOS 17+ / iOS 17+
• Orientation: Portrait and landscape — use whichever fits your rig and mount on stage
• Audio format: WAV, AIFF, MP3, M4A, AAC, CAF, and FLAC
• Storage: Songs and settings are stored locally on your iPad. Space needed depends on file format, number of tracks per song, and how many songs you keep.
• Audio interface: optional — the iPad’s built-in output is enough to start. A multichannel USB interface is recommended for live click / IEM / house routing. See Audio output.

No account is required. Cloud sign-in is only used if you choose to import or back up with your own Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive or Files / iCloud location.

First launch

When you open BackTrackR for the first time, your library is empty. There is no sign-up step — you can start importing songs immediately.

BackTrackR may offer Download demo song (~85 MB). That adds Demo Song 1 — stems, mix, chart, timeline markers and loops. Tap Download, or Not now and get it later from the library or Settings → Backup → Demo song.

When you tap Play, BackTrackR Pro offers a free trial for live playback (TestFlight uses Apple’s sandbox). See BackTrackR Pro.

1. Open BackTrackR on your iPad.
2. Go to the library and tap + Add + Add to add your first song bundle.
3. Open the song and tap Mix Mix to check levels on each stem.
4. Add the song to a cue list when you are ready to rehearse your set.

Understanding song bundles

A song bundle is a set of audio files that belong together — one file per stem (e.g. drums, bass, keys, click, backing vocals). BackTrackR imports and groups these files as a single song in your library.

Typical bundle structure

• One folder per song containing multiple .wav files
• Each file is a separate stem you can mix independently
• Optional chart (lyrics, chords, Bars, Tab, PDF) stored with the song — see Charts
• Special stems (click, cue, timecode) and custom profiles for global mute / routing — see Special track routing

If you already work with stem-based backing tracks from a DAW or similar multitrack exports, your existing files should work without conversion.

Import from Files

The simplest way to add songs is via the iOS Files app — from iCloud Drive, a connected USB drive, or files shared from a Mac.

+ Add is two steps. First pick what, then pick where.

1. Tap + Add + Add in the library.
2. Choose Audio folders (for song folders and stems).
3. Then choose Files, and browse to your song folder.
4. Select the bundle (folder or files) and confirm import.
5. BackTrackR copies the audio to local storage on your iPad.

Prefer a Control / SMPTE-only song with no stems? Use Library → + Add → New Song instead. Follow starts for New Song and imports are covered under Timecode.

Bringing a whole OnSong library? Use + Add → OnSong — see Import from OnSong.

Import from Dropbox, OneDrive & Google Drive

You can browse and import songs directly from your own Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive.

1. Tap + Add + Add in the library.
2. Choose Audio folders, then Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive.
3. Sign in with your cloud account (one-time per service).
4. Browse your folders and select a song bundle to import.
5. Audio is downloaded and stored locally on your iPad.

Authentication tokens are stored securely in your device's Keychain. Cloud access only happens when you actively browse, import, or back up — not in the background. The same providers are available under Settings → Backup for library backup and restore (see Backup & restore).

Import from OnSong

You can bring a whole OnSong library into BackTrackR — lyrics, PDFs, linked audio, MIDI maps, and setlists / books.

This is different from using OnSong live over MIDI. For that, see OnSong workflow.

What to pick

1. In the library, tap + Add + Add.
2. Choose OnSong.
3. Then choose Files, Dropbox, OneDrive, or Google Drive.
4. Pick a complete OnSong .backup file, a zip, or the OnSong Documents folder.

You get a review of what will come in — lyrics, PDFs, linked audio, MIDI, and setlists — before anything is written. Tick or untick items, then apply.

How songs match

BackTrackR matches on title + artist.

• If the song is already in your library, the chart lands on that song.
• If it is new, BackTrackR creates the song.
• Linked audio comes along. Loose WAV files that are not linked in OnSong do not.
• The sample song Welcome To OnSong is skipped.

Section names from the import are added to your Charts section list, so you can stamp them on other songs too.

Tempo, key & filenames

BackTrackR fills Title, Artist, Tempo (BPM) and Key from your file and folder names at import. If tempo or key is still missing, the app can detect them from the audio in the background — detect only fills empty fields; it does not overwrite values already set by the name or by you in Edit.

Where values come from

1. Filename / folder name — parsed at import (fastest, most reliable when you know the values)
2. Song manifest — values already stored with the song
3. Automatic detect — listens to the WAV stems when BPM or key is still empty
4. You typed it in Edit — your values are kept; background detect will not overwrite them

Name files for best results

Separate parts with space-hyphen-space ( - ). Underscores in names are treated like spaces. Tempo and key can appear in any order; the remaining text becomes Title, then Artist. On multi-stem songs, the part that differs per file is the instrument/track name.

• My Song - Band Name - 120bpm - Am - BAS.wav
• 120bpm - My Song - Am - Band Name - GUITAR.wav (same metadata — order of BPM/key does not matter)
• My Song - Band Name - 128bpm.wav (single file)
• Folder name fallback: My Song - Band Name - 120bpm
• Embedded in free text: drum_loop_120bpm, sang titel (Am, 103BPM)

Tempo forms: 120, 120bpm, 120 BPM, bpm120 (range 20–300). Key forms: Am, C#m, Bb, Fmaj, G minor, or a root in brackets like (C).

Automatic detect (when names are incomplete)

After import, if BPM and/or key are still unknown, BackTrackR queues background analysis — one song at a time while the app is idle. You can keep browsing the library.

In the library BPM and Key columns:

• Number / key (e.g. 120, Am) — value known
• Spinner — detect is running or queued
• ? — detect finished but could not decide confidently (or key was skipped — no suitable harmonic stem). Enter the value yourself, or run detect again.
• — — still unknown; detect not finished or not queued yet

Re-run detect

• Library: long-press the BPM or Key column, then release (status shows “Release to detect…”). Runs that field only.
• Edit Edit (pencil on the show screen): open the song → tap Detect tempo and/or Detect key.

Show, hide, or reorder the BPM and Key columns under Settings → General → Song list metadata — that only changes what you see, not whether detect runs. See Song list metadata.

Why you might see “?”

• Stems are very quiet, sparse, or not rhythmic
• No clear tonal centre (noise, speech, effects-only)
• Conflicting stems — the app refuses a low-confidence guess rather than inventing a wrong BPM
• Key skipped: only percussion / click / timecode stems — nothing tonal enough to analyse

What BPM is used for

• Timeline → Bars and musical Snap — need a stored song BPM (name, detect, or typed). An empty field that only looks like 120 does not count.
• Pitch & tempo — uses the song’s stored BPM when present

See also Navigate the arrangement and Pitch & tempo.

Setlists & organisation

As your library grows, use setlists to group songs by project, band, or service type.

• Create setlists for different gigs or worship sets
• Add and remove songs without deleting them from the library
• Reorder songs with the grip on the row (no up/down chevrons)
• Use a setlist as a starting point when building a cue list

Search & sort

Tap Search Search in the library to find songs by title, artist, song ID, or tag. This is especially useful with large libraries spanning multiple projects or years.

Search works across your full library regardless of which setlist you are viewing. The results card stays above the keyboard so you can keep typing.

Sort

In the Songs toolbar, open the Sort menu. Your choice is remembered:

• Title — A→Z only (direction is locked). The A–Z rail jumps to a letter.
• Artist
• Date added
• Last played / Most played — update when you play a song
• Favorites — marked songs first, then the rest by title
• ID

The A–Z rail stays in the toolbar for every sort, but it only works when you sort by Title — otherwise it is dimmed.

Favorites & tags

Mark songs you use often, and add short labels so they are easy to find later.

Favorites

A favorite gets a gold dog-ear on the song row — in the library, setlists, cues, and the Charts song list.

• Hold a song → Favorite to turn it on or off.
• You can also mark favorites in Edit, or with bulk Select.
• Sort → Favorites puts marked songs first, then the rest by title. See Search & sort.

A green dog-ear top-right shows staging: a spinner while the song loads, then a check when Ready. Library and Charts keep that state in sync when you browse.

Tags

Tags are free labels you type — for example worship, encore, or a band name.

• Hold a song → Add Tags…
• Or add them in Edit, or with bulk Tag…
• Search matches tags as well as title and artist.

Cue and setlist rows show the gold corner, but you change the favorite on the library song.

Song list metadata

Under Settings → General → Song list metadata you control which labeled columns appear on library, setlist, and cue rows — and in which order.

Show or hide columns

Toggle each field on or off:

• Show BPM
• Show duration (Time) — off by default
• Show timecode (TC) — song Follow start; cue in-point when set — on by default
• Show key
• Show MIDI trigger
• Show song ID

Turn all of them off to see title and artist only.

Change column order

Drag by the grip on a row to set the left-to-right order of the metadata columns. The same order applies everywhere those columns appear — library, setlists, and the cue list.

Backup & restore

Export your library — songs, mixer presets, cue list, setlists and app settings — into a portable folder. A Full backup includes every song library on this iPad. Restore on a new iPad without re-importing songs or re-analysing waveforms.

Open Settings → Backup (in the settings sidebar footer, with About and Advanced). Do not use the Layout editor’s “Backup & restore” — that only saves widget layout JSON.

Demo song

Try BackTrackR before you import your own stems.

• First launch — accept Download demo song in the overlay (~85 MB).
• Empty library — tap Download demo song at the top of the song list.
• Settings → Backup → Demo song — download again anytime.

Demo Song 1 includes stems, mix preset, chart, timeline markers and loops. Your existing songs and settings stay as they are.

What’s included

• Included: song audio, manifests, waveform peaks, mixer/FX/routing per song, charts (lyrics, chords, PDF, tabs), cue list, setlists, and app settings (MIDI mappings, foot pedals, widget layouts, routing, audio prefs, …)
• Not included: Dropbox / OneDrive / Google Drive sign-in (Keychain — log in again after restore), and support/diagnostic logs

Estimated size is shown at the top of the Backup screen.

Create a backup

1. Choose Full backup or Update existing.
2. Tap Create backup… → Files (iCloud / On My iPad / USB), Dropbox, OneDrive, or Google Drive.
3. Wait for progress, then keep the folder named BackTrackR_Backup_YYYY-MM-DD_HHmm/.

Save the mixer first if you have unsaved mix changes — Create backup (and Delete library) will ask you to save or cancel.

Full vs Update

• Full backup — new dated folder with the entire library (clean snapshot).
• Update existing — refreshes an existing backup folder. The catalog always updates; song files only upload when missing or size differs.

Restore

1. Pick Merge with library or Replace entire library first.
2. Tap Restore from backup….
3. Choose Files / Dropbox / OneDrive / Google Drive and open the BackTrackR_Backup_… folder.
4. For Replace only: confirm once (“Replace entire library?”).

• Merge — adds/updates songs from the backup and keeps local-only songs. Existing songs keep their local Follow starts (incoming overlaps move to the timeline tail). Cue list is replaced from the backup; setlists update by id; app settings are fully applied when present.
• Replace — wipes the current library (songs, presets, cues, setlists), then restores from the backup.

iCloud Drive restore installs song-by-song as files land (you do not wait for the whole archive first). Peaks are reused — no waveform re-analysis. On a new device, install BackTrackR → Restore → sign in to Dropbox / OneDrive / Google Drive again if you use cloud import or backup later.

Danger zone

Delete entire library… removes songs, mix presets, cue list and setlists for the current library on this iPad. Other libraries and app settings stay. Cloud backup folders stay. Confirmation is two-step — create a backup first if you need the data.

Multiple libraries

Keep more than one song collection on the same iPad — for example a band library, a rehearsal set, or a guest show that arrived over Show Link.

My library is the default. Each extra library has its own songs, cue lists, and setlists. Song MIDI triggers and the last chart you opened stay with each library.

Create and switch

• Settings → General → Libraries — tap New library, rename, or delete an extra library (My library cannot be deleted).
• Long-press the shell Library button to switch libraries. A tap still opens the library tab.
• Hold a song → Copy to Library… when you have more than one library.

Switching libraries while Show Link is active ends the link on both sides so nobody is left following a show that moved away.

Own settings

By default, layout, appearance, playback, charts, audio, routing, MIDI, and pedals follow My library on this iPad. Turn on Own settings on an extra library when that collection should keep its own look or rig profile.

• When you enable Own settings, the library keeps the layout and appearance you see now. Turn it off again to follow My library.
• Tick only the groups that should differ: Layout, Appearance, Playback, Charts, Audio, Routing, MIDI, Pedal. Unticked rows stay shared with My library.
• Show libraries created from Show Link start with Own settings on for layout and appearance.

Other General settings

Under Settings → General → App:

• Appearance — Stage Dark (default), Classic Slate, Soft Slate (light), or Paper (white pages, dark bar). See also Layout presets & iPad sizes.
• Library power saving — after idle time on the Library tab, playback rests to save battery; Play and mix still start instantly.
• Numpad Enter — Add to cue or Play now when you confirm a song number from the numpad widget.

The mixer

Every imported song opens in a full mixer with independent control over each stem:

• Faders — adjust level per stem
• Mute — silence a stem without moving the fader
• Solo — hear one stem in isolation while rehearsing
• Pan — place stems in the stereo field
• EQ / COMP / Reverb — open the per-strip FX overlays (see EQ, compressor & reverb)

Set your mix during rehearsal so each song sounds right every time you play it live.

If you browse another song in the library while one is loaded, Mix stays on the loaded song until you play or stage the selection. Bus and reverb solo isolate the right stems; master mute also silences reverb return paths.

EQ, compressor & reverb

Each mixer strip can open a fullscreen EQ, COMP or Reverb overlay for that track (or bus / master). Dial in the sound during rehearsal; settings are stored with the song’s mix preset.

• EQ — multi-band equaliser with graph editing and optional RTA while the overlay is open
• COMP — dynamics with input / gain-reduction / output metering
• Reverb — per-strip reverb for space and depth without bouncing stems offline

Closing the mixer (or covering it with Edit / Settings) suspends strip level meters to save CPU; EQ RTA in the overlay is independent while you are shaping that strip.

On Soft Slate and other light appearances, EQ and compressor axis labels use higher-contrast ink so meters stay readable.

Mix presets

Once you have dialled in a mix, save it as a preset for that song. Your fader positions, mute states, pan, EQ, compressor and reverb settings are recalled automatically the next time you open the song.

Each song stores its own mix independently — changing one song does not affect others in your library or cue list.

For timed Kemper / Helix loads on the Timeline, use Control Track Recall lists — separate from per-song mix presets.

Edit song & tracks

Open Edit Edit (pencil on the show screen) to change song metadata, manage stems, open a chart, and create a New Copy. This is separate from the Timeline Timeline, which is for arrangement and loops.

In portrait, the song list opens from the menu button as an overlay so the editor uses the full width. Landscape keeps the fixed sidebar split. Settings uses the same portrait overlay pattern.

Metadata

Edit Title, Artist, Key, Tempo (BPM) and Song ID. Tap Save song when you are done. For tempo and key from filenames or auto-detect, see Tempo, key & filenames.

Also under Edit:

• MIDI Clock — Follow (default) or Off for this song when Sync → Send MIDI Clock is on. See MIDI Clock.
• Timecode — song 0:00 offset, frame rate, Follow/Off, optional Lock start, and Generate LTC (baked SMPTE stem). See Timecode.
• New / Open chart — lyrics and chords for this song. See Chart editor.

Track list

Each stem appears as a row with colour, icon, name, filename and options such as pitch follow. Reorder tracks with the grip on the row. A song can hold up to 64 tracks.

Add tracks

Add one or more stems to a song that is already in your library — you do not need to re-import the whole folder.

1. Open the song in Edit.
2. In the Tracks header, tap + Add (or Add+).
3. Choose a source — the same menu as Library import: Files, OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Drive.
4. Pick the audio file(s). They are copied into this song’s folder and appear in the draft track list.
5. Tap Save song to commit. Waveforms update and the mixer / Timeline pick up the new lanes when the song is loaded.

Replace a track’s audio

Swap the audio file behind an existing track without losing that track’s mix, EQ, or Timeline offset — the track identity stays the same; only the file changes.

1. Open the song in Edit.
2. On the track row, tap Replace next to the filename.
3. Choose where the replacement file is stored (Files or cloud, same as Add+).
4. Pick one audio file.
5. Tap Save song to commit the swap. Peaks and playback reload for that stem.

Delete a single track

You can remove one stem from a song without deleting the whole song:

1. Open the song in Edit.
2. Swipe the track row to reveal Delete.
3. Confirm Delete track? — the track is removed from the draft list.
4. Tap Save song to delete the audio file from the song bundle for good.

Pitch & tempo

Adjust pitch and tempo per song during rehearsal — useful when adapting a backing track to a singer's key or matching the tempo of your live band.

• Pitch — transpose the song (shows the new key when the song has a key set)
• Tempo — speed up or slow down playback

Live pitch and tempo apply during practice and performance. For a gig-ready song with lower CPU load, open Edit → New Copy to mixdown your multitrack stems with pitch and tempo applied. The copy plays at 1:1 afterwards. A pitched copy also transposes chord names on that song’s chart.

Under Settings → Audio & mixer → Live pitch/tempo quality choose how live stretch sounds vs CPU:

• System (low CPU) — default; cheapest; can sound “chipmunk” on big pitch moves
• Balanced / High — more natural timbre (formant compensation on monophonic material); higher CPU — watch the DSP & CPU strip

You can turn off live stretch under Settings → Audio → Live pitch & tempo if you only use New Copy songs and want to save CPU.

Building a cue list

A cue list is your running order for the gig — the sequence of songs you will play, in order.

1. Create a new cue list (or open an existing one).
2. Add songs from your library in performance order.
3. Reorder with the grip on the row if the set changes (no up/down chevrons).
4. During the show, BackTrackR shows which song is NOW and which is NEXT.

Auto-advance moves to the next cue when the current song ends. Auto-play next cue (under Settings → Playback → Cue list) decides whether that advance also starts playback — off means the next song loads and stages, and you press Play yourself. Next / Prev work the same way. Under Settings → Playback & cues you can also enable Follow playback so the list scrolls with the current song.

Selected and NEXT rows show a green dog-ear top-right while staging (spinner), then a check when Ready. Optional full-screen Loading / Ready cards live under Settings → Playback → Announcements (off by default) — they show the song title while loading, then Ready when it can play.

Cue list + timecode

For SMPTE shows, context-menu a cue row → Set timecode in-point. Chase prefers cue intervals over library Follow windows, and when a chased song is on the cue list it becomes NOW with NEXT preloaded. Typical flow: Auto-allocate Follow starts → arm the first cue → let chase promote songs as TC advances. See Timecode.

Charts overview

Charts is BackTrackR’s lyric and chord page. Write the words, put chords on them, add a short note if you need one, and open that page on stage — it can scroll with the song as you play.

The chart belongs to the song, same as the mix. Backup, cloud import and New Copy keep it. A pitched New Copy also moves the chord names to the new key. Songs without a chart are fine — Live just shows an empty page.

Open Charts

1. On the show screen, tap the Charts Charts widget (next to Mix Mix and Timeline Timeline).
2. Or open Edit → New chart / Open chart.
3. On the live page, the pencil Edit opens the editor. Turn off Performance lock first.

Every stock layout already has the Charts widget. Preset D · Chart uses a thin header and footer so the page is large.

Charts Live

This is the page you read on stage. Chords sit above the words they belong to.

Make the page bigger

Tap Focus Focus. Header and footer hide, and the lyric page fills the screen. Play / Stop / Next sit at the bottom right, off the lyric column. NOW and NEXT stay in the corner dock. Tap Focus again to get the shell back, then tap Charts to close.

On the live toolbar, Edit (pencil) sits before Focus. Reopening Charts or Focus brings back the last chart song you had open. Under Settings → Charts → Focus transport, pick a row, column, or triangle layout, drag to reorder buttons, and turn individual buttons off. Open in chart focus on launch opens Focus on the last chart when the app starts (skipped while demo-song or layout-update dialogs are up).

The song list

Tap the menu Menu button on the left of the toolbar (same icon style as Settings and Edit Song). The list slides over the page from the left so Bars and Tab keep the size you set. Tap the lyrics (or the menu again) to fold it away. Portrait uses the same full-screen overlay.

At the bottom of the list: Songs | Setlists | Cues. On the Songs tab, view and sort share one bar so titles stay easy to read. Sort uses the same orders as the library; tap the same sort again to reverse direction.

• Search Search — magnifying glass on the Songs tab (same overlay as Library).
• Favorite — gold dog-ear on the row, same as Library.
• Tap a row to show that song’s chart and stage it (green Ready dog-ear) — or arm NEXT on a cue row. This does not start playback unless you play, or double-tap when that setting is on.
• Double-tap plays, if Settings → Playback → Double-tap plays song is on (default). Otherwise use Play, or hold → Play.
• Hold a song for Play, Favorite, Add Tags… and Delete. Hold a cue row for Play.
• + Cue on the row adds it to the cue list. Setlists and cue detail reorder with the grip only.
• Tap the lyrics (or outside the list) to close it.

Fold song list on select (Settings → Charts → Live, on by default) closes the list after you pick a song so the chart fills the drawer. With double-tap play on, the list waits briefly so a second tap can still hit the row.

When NOW changes, the list follows. Opening the widget sidebar also overlays the page in landscape. An optional switch under Settings → Charts keeps the list folded after you close that sidebar.

If you staged a different song and then open Timeline, BackTrackR asks before switching the loaded song. The Timeline footer names the song that is loaded.

Follow the song

Outside Focus, Follow Follow sits in the bottom corner of the page. In Focus it stays on the toolbar, unless Scroll is already in the transport buttons.

• Off — you scroll. Tap Follow to turn it on.
• Page — jumps to the next section you placed on the Timeline.
• Continuous — the current heading eases to the top. This is what a tap turns on.

Tap Follow to pause it. Tap again to catch up. Hold Follow to pick Page or Continuous. Scroll by hand and Follow pauses. Until the first Chart-lane marker — and at song open — the page stays on the title and key. With no markers, you scroll yourself.

Following a Show Link host

On a guest iPad, cue and transport still follow the host. For lyrics, open the chart menu (eye / link icon): Leader shows the host chart; Own keeps a personal copy on this iPad. Duplicate to own copies the leader chart once so you can edit locally. Fetch own chart and Fetch own control pull your saved chart or Timeline control track from the matching song in your home library. See Show Link & sharing.

Transpose and Style

The tuningfork Transpose menu changes chord names on screen. Each row is one semitone with the destination key (for example -1 F#), plus Reset — same labels as the editor. The chart file is not rewritten, and audio never changes from the chart. Turn on Follow pitch under Settings → Charts if you want those names to follow the backing-track pitch control as well.

Style Style sits left of Key and Transpose. It opens the same popover as the chart editor: tabs Size | Style | Sections. Under Size, set per-song type sizes and Page zoom for this orientation (landscape and portrait remember their own zoom). Double-tap a size slider to reset it. Page zoom goes back to 100%. Title, Section, Lyric, and Chord go back to the normal size. Greyed on a PDF score.

Chart editor

Open from Edit → New / Open chart, or the pencil on the live page. Performance lock blocks the editor.

Two ways to write: Text (type lyrics and chords) and Chart (tap the page). Switch them in the header next to the title: Text | Chart. The ? ? is a picture legend of the toolbar icons — scroll it if the list is long.

Text

Type the words. Put a chord in square brackets right before the syllable — Amazing [C]grace. A line like Verse 1 becomes a heading. Other names use {start_of_intro: Indledning}. A section runs until the next heading.

Toolbar here is Key, Transpose and Import. Import a ChordPro file (.cho / .chopro) or lyrics from RTF, Word (.docx), HTML, or OpenDocument — from Files, iCloud, Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive, same places as songs.

Tap to place the caret. While the keyboard is up, chords already in this song sit in a bar above it, next to [ ], #, b, and /. Tap Chord to swap the keyboard for the chord wheel. It inserts when you stop on a column. Move the caret, then pick the next chord. A small arrow cluster also floats above the keyboard. Save, Discard and the toolbar close the keyboard first.

Chart

The laid-out page. One paint tool at a time:

• Chord Chord — tap a word. Whole word is the default; switch on Mid-word to land on a letter. Wheels cover root, accidentals, quality, extensions, alterations and bass. Apply, or None to clear.
• Highlight Highlight — pick a colour on the square in the top-right of the page, then tap a line. Same colour again clears it; a new colour overwrites. Highlights stay in the chart and are not written to ChordPro export.
• Bold B / Italic I — tap a word to toggle.

Key, Transpose, Style

• Key Key — the chart’s own key (separate from the song key in Edit). Used for spelling.
• Transpose Transpose — rewrites the chords in the file (and on Bars). Each row is one semitone with the destination key, for example -1 Ab. Slash chords move both root and bass. This does not change the audio. Live transpose (tuningfork) does not rewrite the file.
• Style Style — same popover as Live: tabs Size | Style | Sections. Size is Title / Section / Lyric / Chord point sizes for this song, plus Page zoom for this orientation. Style and Sections match Settings → Charts (fonts, chord colour, section names). Leave page zoom on the Page slider — do not bake it into the type sizes, or Bars and Tab drift off the lyric lines.

Sections, Bars, Tab, Notes & PDF

In Chart mode, tap Insert. The menu has Section Section, Bars Bars, Tab Tab, and Note Note. It closes when you pick one. Text mode hides Insert — type headings there instead.

Section

Section opens a name list on the side. It stays open until you pick another tool, or tap the rail’s X. That works in landscape and portrait.

The list starts empty. Tap Create to add a name and a colour — Verse, Chorus, or anything you use. Names you create work on every song in this library. Drag a name onto the page, or tap a name then tap to place. Headings pick up that colour.

With the rail open you can hold-then-drag an existing heading. Rail closed: headings stay put; tap one to rename it or delete it. Delete removes the heading only — the lyrics and chords stay.

The same list lives under Settings → Charts → Sections. Removing a name there does not change charts you already saved, unless you choose Merge.

Bars

Drops a chord grid on the lyric page — no card box, just a hairline at top and bottom. Time signature sets how many slots sit in a bar. 4/line / 8/line wrap the editor grid. Tap a beat and roll the wheels; × on the selected chord clears it (empty, not N.C.). Repeats like [: :] are notation on the grid — they do not loop playback. Use Timeline loops for that.

On the page: drag the side grips to set width (the header says Adjust width). A− / A+ zooms chords and barlines without changing that width. If names would overlap, fewer bars go on each line and extra rows grow.

Tab

Import Guitar Pro (.gp3 .gp4 .gp5 .gpx .gp), ASCII (.txt / .tab), or ChordPro tab from Files or cloud. Multi-track files open a Track menu (drums skipped by default). The crop sheet shows the whole track; the blue block is what you keep (starts at bars 1–8). Drag sideways to set the range; swipe up/down to scroll, or hold + / −. Place it on the page. There is no tab editor — Edit reopens the crop sheet. If a Guitar Pro 6 .gpx fails, export as .gp5 or .gp.

Wrap, Overlay, Scroll, Pin

Tap a Bars or Tab grid: Wrap | Overlay, Scroll | Pin, Edit and Delete sit on the grid. Wrap pushes the lyric lines below that band — not beside it. Wrap is Scroll only. Pin stays on screen while you scroll (Overlay only). Tap Wrap on a Pin grid and it hops to Scroll. Landscape and portrait remember their own place, width and zoom.

Notes

A note is a small reminder on the lyric page — a count-in, a cue, or a hint for the MD. This is new, so expect a few rough edges.

• Tap Note to drop a text box on the page you can see.
• First tap moves it. Second tap (or double-tap) lets you type.
• Tap the pin, then tap a word or a spot to draw an arrow to it.
• Font, colour and size sit on the note. Lock freezes it. You can hide the arrow without losing the pin.
• Empty notes stay out of Live. Notes with text stay on the page after you Save.

PDF

Import a .pdf to show the score on stage. Your lyrics stay. When a song has both words and a score, Lyrics | Score appears so you can switch. On the score, Text | Chart hides. Insert still offers Section, so you can stamp flags on the page. Flags scroll and zoom with the PDF. Follow uses the same clock as lyrics. Key, Style and Transpose are greyed — pixels do not transpose. Pinch to zoom.

Timeline Chart lane

Mark where each heading sits in the song so Charts Live can scroll for you — separate from the cue list and from Control Track MIDI.

1. Make headings in the chart editor (or flags on a PDF).
2. Open Timeline → toolbar Chart Chart.
3. Tap Add at the playhead, or short-drag on an empty spot on the Chart lane.

A tap on the lane or the waves only parks the playhead. It does not create a marker. The same heading can be placed more than once (a repeating chorus). Markers are coloured chips that match the heading. On a selected marker, Lead Lead is ± seconds — scroll a little before or after the hit. Tap SAVE with your loops. Unsaved markers still drive Live while that Timeline session is open.

Between markers, Live eases (Continuous) or jumps (Page). Until the first marker the page stays on the title and key. No markers → you scroll.

Chart settings

Settings → Charts (own sidebar tab, after Playback):

• Open song list when Charts opens — on by default. Off starts with the list hidden, so you land on the lyrics.
• Follow pitch — live chord names follow the backing-track pitch control (off by default). The chart file is not rewritten.
• Fold song list on select — when on (default), tapping a song in the Charts list closes the list so the chart fills the drawer.
• Keep song list folded after sidebar — after you open the widget sidebar, the Charts song list stays hidden when you close it.
• Open in chart focus on launch — start in Charts Live + Focus when a song exists (cue first, else first library song).
• Sections — the same name + colour list as the editor, for this library. Empty until you Create a name, add one here, or import a chart. Removing a name here does not change charts you already saved, unless you choose Merge.
• Chart style — fonts and colours for every song. Point sizes stay per song in the Style popover Size tab.

Timeline overview

The Timeline is a multi-track arrangement view on the performance shell. You see waveforms for every stem, a playhead (locator), a loop lane, zoom and pan tools — plus optional Control Track lanes for timed MIDI cues and a Chart lane for lyric section markers.

Use Timeline for arrangement — waves, loops, Control cues, Chart-lane markers, and stem alignment. Song title, BPM, track list, and New Copy live under Edit.

Opening Timeline shows the playing song, or the selected song when stopped — no extra picker.

Timeline vs Edit

• Timeline Timeline — multi-track drawer: waves, loops, Control Track, Chart lane, stem offset
• Edit Edit — song metadata, track list (+ Add, Replace, delete a stem), Timecode / Clock, New / Open chart, and New Copy. See Edit song & tracks.

Navigate the arrangement

• Pinch — zoom time around your fingers
• Two-finger pan — scroll left/right (and up/down when there are many tracks)
• Fit Fit — show the whole song and pack all track rows into view
• Zoom bar (bottom-right) — time zoom, plus Height and Wave buttons. Each opens its own slider above the button: Height is row size, Wave is how tall the waveform looks.
• Layers Layers (next to Time / Bars) — show or hide lanes. Each control track is listed by name, so you can hide one and leave the others. Chart and Loops are in the same menu. Hidden lanes still work (MIDI still fires, loops still arm, Charts still follow). Opening that tool turns its lane back on.

The footer names the song that is loaded. If you previewed another song in Charts or Library, Timeline asks before it switches.

Locator (playhead)

Drag the white playhead line to preview; release to seek.

• Single tap (or scrub release) — parks at that position without starting playback
• Double tap — plays from there
• While playing, a single tap seeks and keeps playing

Follow playhead

• Off — the view stays where you left it
• Page turn (default) — jumps when the playhead leaves the visible page; lighter on older iPads
• Continuous center / Continuous left — keeps the playhead near the centre or left edge

Tap Follow Follow to toggle Page turn on/off. Long-press opens the full mode menu.

Focus, ruler & Snap

• Focus Focus — turn on, then tap a track header to enlarge that row. Off by default so Fit and Follow are not blocked.
• Time / Bars Time | Bars — ruler in minutes:seconds or bar.beat. Bars need a known song BPM (from the filename, auto-detect, or typed in Edit). See Tempo, key & filenames.
• Snap Snap — Off, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, or Trans (snap to waveform attacks — great for free-tempo songs).

Loops A–L

Each song has up to 12 fixed loop slots labelled A–L. The letter stays the same for MIDI, foot pedals and shell widgets across songs — so “pedal Loop A” always means slot A on the loaded song. An optional name (e.g. “Solo”) is only for display.

Create & edit

• Drag on the empty Loops lane, or tap a gray A–L chip
• Drag the bar to move; drag the edges to resize
• Tap the loop bar to select it for rename or delete — this does not arm or seek
• Use toolbar Name Name and Del Del when a loop is selected
• Long-press a filled chip → Move to another letter (empty = move; occupied = swap). Pedals and MIDI still target the letter.

Arm & disarm (playback)

• Tap a filled A–L chip to arm the loop. Dimmed = inactive; full colour = armed. A progress ring fills as you play through the loop. Timeline chips still arm under Performance lock while the drawer is open (shell widgets / MIDI / pedals stay locked).
• If the playhead is already inside the loop, playback stays put and wraps at the end. If it is outside, BackTrackR seeks to the loop start (and starts playback if stopped).
• Tap the same chip again to disarm (Leave) — playback continues forward in the song; it does not jump back to the loop start.
• Arm a loop, Stop, then Play from earlier in the song: the time display stays with the song until you reach the loop end. It does not jump ahead to the loop while audio starts from the beginning.
• Timecode chase: when Sync → Chase is on and the song’s Timecode is Follow, loop arm is unavailable (chips dimmed; MIDI/pedals ignored). Set the song to Off, or turn Chase off, to use loops. Editing loop regions is still OK. As TC master, loops are allowed but wrap jumps absolute TC — see Timecode.

At end, Now & bar quant

When you move from one loop to another, choose how the switch happens:

• At end (default) — queue the next loop; switch when the current loop wraps. Queued chip shows an accent outline; tap again to cancel.
• Now — switch immediately (clears any At-end queue).

Under Now, pick launch timing:

• Inst — hard seek now (your finger timing)
• 1 Bar / 2 Bars / 4 Bars — finish the current bar, count N full bars, then land on the downbeat — always in time

Bar quant needs a known song BPM. Inst always works. While armed, the countdown shows current → remaining → next.

Control Track (MIDI cues)

Timed MIDI cues on the song Timeline — patch changes, stomps, faders — synced to the playhead. Use it to automate a Kemper, Helix, or your own dashboard while the backing track plays. A plain MIDI track can send messages without pads.

This is separate from Songs → MIDI → Output on play (one-shot at song start) and from MIDI Clock / timecode.

Control songs (no WAV import)

Library → + Add → New Song creates a silent mono bed so you can author Control / Recall / SMPTE without importing stems. Set duration in Edit, add real tracks later with + Add / Replace, and note that New Song places the Follow start at the timeline tail.

Basic flow

1. Open Timeline → Control Control. There are no tracks until you add one.
2. Tap Add track. Choose what the track sends:
   • MIDI — program changes, notes, transport, or sysex. No pads.
   • Dashboard — Kemper Profiler, Helix, New dashboard, or one you already saved under My dashboards.
3. On a MIDI track, choose the message, then tap Place at playhead. On a dashboard, tap a pad, stomp, or fader, then Place at playhead. The drawer has its own ruler, so you can see where the cue lands.
4. Hold a cue to rename or delete it. Hold a step to rename or delete that step. Swipe a cue left to delete it. The clock on the row sets the cue time.
5. Tap Timeline SAVE. Control cues stay with loops and stem offsets.

If you leave with a cue that is not on the song yet, BackTrackR asks Place this cue?

With Control open, the height slider is labelled Control. Mute is per track. Up to 8 tracks per song. Hide one track from the Layers menu and leave the others showing.

Dashboards

• Kemper Profiler — Main / Amp · Pedals; Performance + Slot pads; factory Perf 1…125
• Helix — Main / Stomp for Floor / LT / Rack; factory presets 01A…32D
• New dashboard — build your own (named pages, colours, drag controls). Saved ones show under My dashboards.

Recall lists

A Recall control is a named list of loads (e.g. Performances or Helix presets). Pick an addressing preset — Kemper Performance, Helix Presets, Program change, CC scenes, or Custom — then Load → pick a name → Place at playhead. Shared lists can be reused across dashboards. Separate from per-song mix presets.

Stem offset

Shift individual stems left or right without changing song time or the locator at 0. Useful when one track has a count-in or starts late compared to the others.

1. Turn Focus Focus off. Tap a track header (or the Offset Offset tool) to open the Offset panel.
2. Nudge ±1 ms / ±1/16 / ±beat, or drag the selected wave horizontally.
3. Align snaps the onset toward the beat grid. Reset clears this track’s offset.
4. Apply to all tracks… — optionally Move loops too so A–L regions shift with the change.
5. Tap SAVE with your loops.

Positive offset = delay (count-in silence). Negative = skip into the file.

Loops on stage

You do not have to stay in the Timeline drawer to use loops:

• Loop slot (A–L) widgets on the performance shell — arm/disarm with the same progress ring (Large size can show the loop name)
• Loop switch countdown widget — read-only display of the current → next switch timing
• Song overview — turn on Show loops to see colour bands and letters on the overview waveform
• Settings → MIDI → Loops — map Note / Prog / CC to Loop A–L (same arm path; respects At end / Now and bar quant)
• Foot pedals — learn each pad under Settings → Pedals, then assign Loop A–L (foreground only)

Empty slots do nothing. Shell loop widgets, loop MIDI, pedals and Next/Previous are blocked under Performance lock — Timeline A–L chips still work while the drawer is open.

Performance dashboard

The dashboard is your on-stage control surface. Arrange widgets exactly where you want them:

• Transport — play, pause, stop, skip
• Timeline Timeline / Charts Charts / Edit Edit — open the arrangement drawer, the lyric page, or song Edit overlay
• Loop slot (A–L) and Loop switch countdown — arm loops and watch switch timing
• Song overview — progress or waveform; optional Show loops
• Timecode — absolute TC readout (LOCK / WAIT / FREE when chasing)
• MIDI in / out activity lamps, timers, cue cards, numpad and other shell controls

At the very top of the screen (system status bar), you can also show a light DSP & CPU load strip — separate from widgets.

Enter layout edit mode to drag widgets into position. Your layout is saved automatically.

DSP & CPU status bar

A compact system load strip sits in the center of the iPad status bar — between the clock/date and Wi‑Fi / battery. It is built into the status bar (no dashboard widget slot).

What you see (updates about once per second):

• DSP — how full the audio render callback is (bar + %), relative to the current IO buffer
• CPU — process CPU %
• Memory — resident memory in MB
• Thermal — small colour dot for device thermal state

Colours move toward amber/red when DSP or CPU climbs (roughly from ~60% / ~85%). Use it while rehearsing dense multitrack songs, live pitch/tempo, or many FX — not as something you stare at mid-show.

Show or hide

Settings → Audio & mixer → Show system load in status bar (on by default). Turn it off for zero sampling cost — independent of Advanced → Performance logging.

Layout presets & iPad sizes

BackTrackR ships six dashboard presets. You can rename any slot and customise the layout.

Layouts are saved separately per iPad size and rotation — landscape and portrait are independent. Rehearsing on 11" and performing on 13" (or rotating the iPad) keeps each configuration.

• A · Simple — compact show: chrome + overview
• B · Loops — loop pads A–L
• C · Numpad — numpad and related chrome
• D · Chart — thin header/footer so Charts Live has a large page
• E · User 1 / F · User 2 — starters to customise

Every stock layout includes the Charts widget. Open Settings → Layout → Open layout editor to arrange controls; tap Save when you are done. Layout Share / Copy exports widget JSON only — for songs and settings use Backup & restore.

Appearance

Under Settings → General → App → Appearance pick Stage Dark (default), Classic Slate, Soft Slate (light gray-blue), or Paper (white pages with a dark bar). The shell, lists, and mixer faders update right away — no restart.

Split View & small windows

If you shrink BackTrackR in Split View or Stage Manager until the window is too small for the show screen, a full-screen message asks you to make the window larger. The controls stay hidden until there is room.

Show Link & sharing

Run one iPad as the host and let other iPads on the same local network follow the same cue, chart focus, song number, and transport clock. Each library has its own show name and code.

Test with two iPads on a stable Wi‑Fi network before you rely on it on stage.

Host this iPad

1. Open Settings → Sharing.
2. Set Show name — others see this in the join list. Note the Code under the name.
3. Tap Share show. Connected iPads appear with a count.
4. When someone joins, approve or deny the prompt (you see their iPad name).
5. Tap Stop sharing when the link should end.

Follow a host

1. Set Your name under Settings → Sharing so the host knows who is joining.
2. Tap Find show, pick the host from Shows nearby, and confirm join.
3. While following: change cue on the host and the guest stays aligned; play state and clock follow too.
4. Fetch show (guest) pulls missing charts from the host. Leave ends follow mode.

Charts Live also exposes Find show / Fetch show / Leave from the link menu when you are on stage.

Your chart vs the leader chart

Guests still follow host cues. For lyrics, use the chart menu in Charts Live: Leader, Own, Duplicate to own, Fetch own chart, and Fetch own control for a personal Timeline control track while the show clock stays shared.

Send a library to another iPad

Under Settings → Sharing → Send library, AirDrop or Send to connected exports a full backup zip of the library you are in. Stop playback first — send is disabled while a song is playing. This is a library archive, not a live Show Link session.

Switching libraries or leaving Show Link ends the connection cleanly on both sides.

Performing live

When showtime arrives, open your cue list and switch to performance mode.

1. Select the cue list for tonight's gig.
2. Enable Performance lock Lock to prevent accidental changes.
3. Hit play on the first song.
4. Open Charts Live if you are reading lyrics on this iPad.
5. Use transport controls or auto-advance to move through the set.
6. Watch NOW and NEXT indicators to stay oriented.

Fast song changes mean you can recover quickly from unexpected moments on stage — skipped songs, encores, or reordered sets.

Performance lock

Performance lock Lock prevents accidental edits during a live show — no bumped faders, no dragged widgets, no cue list changes mid-song. It also blocks shell Loop slot widgets, loop MIDI, foot-pedal Loop A–L, Next/Previous, and the chart editor (Live viewing still works). A blocked tap shows a card: Performance lock is on.

Exception: Timeline A–L chips still arm while the Timeline drawer is open, so you can edit loops without unlocking the show.

Enable lock before the first song and disable it only when you are off stage or between sets. All other playback controls remain available while locked.

Background audio

Playback continues when BackTrackR is in the background — useful if you need to briefly switch apps during a performance (e.g. to a lighting app). For lyrics and chords on the same iPad, use Charts Live instead of leaving the app.

Audio does not stop when the screen locks, as long as playback was active before switching away.

Foot pedals

Control transport and loops with Bluetooth page-turn or MIDI foot pedals. Under Settings → Pedals, pick a Model diagram and learn what each physical button sends — keyboard key or MIDI note/CC — then assign an action.

Pair & enable

1. Pair the pedal in iOS Settings → Bluetooth, or connect a MIDI footswitch.
2. Open BackTrackR → Settings → Pedals.
3. Turn Foot pedals on (footer toggle).
4. Pick your Model (diagram). Pads start empty until you learn them.

Models in the picker

• AirTurn DUO / PED
• AirTurn BT500S-2 / BT500S-4 / BT500S-6
• AirTurn QUAD 500
• AirTurn 4-switch (QUAD)
• PageFlip Butterfly
• IK iRig BlueBoard
• Other pedal — generic diagram; set Buttons (1–8) in the top bar

Learn each button

1. Tap a pad on the diagram (or press the physical button while Settings is open — BackTrackR highlights the matching pad).
2. Press that pedal once so BackTrackR captures the key or MIDI message.
3. Choose an action from the list. Repeat for every pad you use.

Each pad shows what it learned. Tap a pad again to change the action or Clear that learn. Clear all wipes every learned signal (actions stay until you change them).

Learned MIDI shares the same identity as Maps and song triggers — if a message is already used, BackTrackR asks before replacing it. Latched footswitches that send note-off or CC 0 still count as one press.

Quick setup

After learning, Quick setup → Apply drops in suggested actions only — for example Cue prev / next, Play / Pause + Stop, or Play · Pause · Stop · Next. It does not guess keys for you; learn each pad first (or learn, then Apply, then tweak individual pads).

Available actions: Play, Pause, Stop, Play/Pause, Next, Previous, Loop A–L, or None. Next/Previous work on the cue list only. Loop A–L arms/disarms that slot (same as Timeline / MIDI Loops) and respects At end / Now. Next/Previous and Loop A–L are blocked under Performance lock.

Known limits

• Foreground only: Bluetooth keyboard pedals work only while BackTrackR is in the foreground (iOS limitation).
• Pedal input is ignored while a text field overlay is open.
• While Settings is open, pedals highlight diagram pads for learn — they do not run transport/loop actions. Close Settings to use them live.
• Foot pedal settings are included when you Create backup.

Troubleshooting

• No response: paired in iOS Bluetooth? Foot pedals enabled? Every pad learned? App in foreground? Text field closed?
• Double triggers: forget the device in iOS Bluetooth, factory-reset the pedal, re-pair, then re-learn.
• Keys ignored: turn off Accessibility → Keyboard → Full Keyboard Access.
• Wrong button fires: tap the pad → Clear → learn again. Check the warning if two pads share the same signal.

MIDI overview

BackTrackR uses Core MIDI to trigger songs, control transport, arm loops, send optional messages when playback starts, and optionally send MIDI Clock or MTC. Timed patch/stomp cues live on the Timeline Control Track. Absolute show sync uses SMPTE / MTC / LTC.

All of this lives under Settings → MIDI & Timecode, with four tabs:

• Songs — chip MIDI (triggers / output / learn) or Timecode (starts, Follow/Off, auto-allocate, CueSync)
• Maps — Transport (Play / Pause / Stop / Next / Previous) and Loops A–L
• Sync — Send MIDI Clock, Send MTC, Chase, LTC input, fps, auto-regen
• Setup — destinations, Network/USB/virtual ports, Monitor log, note names

Compact In / Out lamps sit under the MIDI & Timecode title. You can also add MIDI in, MIDI out, and Timecode widgets via Settings → Layout.

Song triggers & output

Each song can have an Input mapping (incoming trigger) and an Output mapping (sent once when playback starts).

Input (incoming trigger)

• Power — turn the trigger on or off per song
• Ch / Type / Value — Note, Program Change, or CC (+ optional value; omit value to match any CC > 0)
• Learn — tap Learn, tap the Input row, then send MIDI from your controller or another app. Learn stays on if you switch apps to send the message. Leave the note empty until you choose one.
• Clear — remove the input mapping

Trigger action

Choose what happens when the input message is received:

• Select — select the song and preload/stage it in the engine without starting playback (useful when another app picks the song first)
• Play now — load and play immediately (global default)
• Add to cue — append the song to the active cue list

Set a global default at the top of the Songs tab, or override per song.

Output (on play)

When a song starts, BackTrackR can send a configured Note, Program Change or CC to external gear. Use the Test (↑) button on each song card to send the output without starting playback. Output requires power on and a valid mapping.

Enable Settings → General → Song list metadata → Show MIDI trigger to see each song's mapped trigger in the library, setlist and cue list. You can also drag that column’s position under the same settings — see Song list metadata.

Transport control

On the Maps tab, map Play, Pause, Stop, Next and Previous independently to Note, Program Change, CC, or MIDI transport messages (Start 0xFA, Stop 0xFC, Continue 0xFB).

Play behaviour

1. If a song is selected but not yet loaded, BackTrackR waits for staging then starts playback.
2. If the selected song is already loaded, playback resumes from the staged position.
3. Song triggers and transport run on separate tasks so a rapid Select + Play (e.g. from OnSong) does not cancel preload.

Pause only acts when already playing. Stop stops transport and re-stages the current library or cue selection.

OnSong Sync preset

Tap OnSong Sync preset on Maps → Transport to quickly map Play → Start (0xFA) and Stop → Stop (0xFC). This matches OnSong's Sync → Start workflow.

MIDI Loops

On Maps → Loops, map Note, Program Change or CC messages to Loop A–L. Incoming messages use the same arm/disarm path as Timeline chips and shell Loop slot widgets — including At end / Now and bar quant.

• Empty slots do nothing
• Blocked under Performance lock
• Slot letters are global: MIDI “Loop A” always targets slot A on the loaded song

See also Loops A–L and Loops on stage.

Timecode (SMPTE / MTC / LTC)

Absolute show sync for lighting, Resolume and similar — separate from MIDI Clock (tempo pulses). Globals live under Settings → MIDI & Timecode → Sync; per-song starts under Songs → Timecode (or Edit → Timecode).

Concepts

• LTC — analog SMPTE as a baked WAV stem (routed like other special tracks)
• MTC — MIDI Time Code sent live from the playhead
• Chase — incoming MTC and/or LTC selects a Follow song and seeks/plays
• Freewheel — default when chase lock is lost: keep playing (optional hard pause)

New Song, import & Follow starts

• Library → + Add → New Song creates a silent control bed (no WAV import) and places Follow start at the timeline tail (+60 s after the latest window) — ideal for Control / SMPTE-only songs.
• Imports without a readable SMPTE stem also get a tail start (same as New Song).
• Imports with SMPTE keep the decoded start when the slot is free; if another Follow song overlaps, choose New code (imported song → tail) or Move existing.
• Edit → New Copy always uses the tail (never the source song’s start).
• If a song grows past its Follow window, only that song relocates to the tail (Was/Now notice). Locked Song 0:00 blocks relocate.

Master (band → lights / video)

1. Edit → Timecode: set song 0:00 offset, frame rate, Follow/Off, optional Lock start.
2. Generate LTC → baked SMPTE stem → Save song.
3. Settings → Special track routing: route SMPTE to the hardware out that feeds the desk.
4. Optional: Sync → Send MTC.
5. Play — LTC audio and MTC follow the locator.

If tempo or start offset changes, Edit shows SMPTE stem out of date → Regenerate. Optional idle auto-regen under Sync (skips locked / imported stems). Never auto-bakes while playing.

Chase (slave)

1. Enable Sync → Chase incoming timecode.
2. For analog LTC: pick Audio input device and LTC input channel (listen/tap only — not recording). Use the inline level meter to confirm lock.
3. Songs with Timecode Follow match when absolute TC is inside their start→end window (or a cue TC in-point). Songs set to Off are skipped — chase ignores them and loops stay available on that song.
4. Chase loads/seeks that song (works from stop). On the cue list it becomes NOW and preloads NEXT.

Use Auto-allocate on Songs → Timecode so Follow windows do not overlap. Unlocked songs move onto whole minutes. Locked songs stay, and the others go around them. A spinner shows while they move. New imports can also land at the timeline tail. Widget suffixes: LOCK / WAIT / NRDY / FREE.

Song manager & CueSync

On Songs → Timecode: song list with start/end/fps/Follow/LTC status, Lock / Unlock all, scan imported stems, and Export CueSync… (metadata setlist JSON — no WAV).

Loops ↔ timecode

• Chase off — loops allowed on every song (even if still marked Follow)
• Chase on + song Follow — loop arm unavailable (edit regions still OK)
• Chase on + song Off — loops allowed; that song is not selected by chase
• Master (Send MTC / baked LTC) — loops allowed; wrap jumps absolute TC (lighting may rewind)

Prefer a linear song when other systems chase your absolute TC. See also Cue list and Loops A–L.

MIDI Clock

Optional tempo sync out to hardware FX / sequencers — not MTC and not Control Track cues.

1. Settings → MIDI & Timecode → Sync → Send MIDI Clock (off by default).
2. While playing, BackTrackR sends Start + 24 PPQN Clock at the song’s BPM, then Stop on pause/stop.
3. Per song in Edit → MIDI Clock: Follow (default) or Off.

Requires a known song BPM. Destination is the same MIDI output path as other song output.

OnSong workflow

Want the lyrics and songs inside BackTrackR instead? Use Import from OnSong. This page is only about using both apps live over MIDI.

If another app on the same iPad sends song-change and Start/Stop over MIDI, map those messages so BackTrackR selects and plays the backing track.

Recommended mapping

1. Per song — Input: map OnSong's song-change message (often a Program Change or Note per chart).
2. Per song — Trigger action: Select (or set global default to Select).
3. Transport — Play: map OnSong Sync → Start (system realtime Start 0xFA). Use the OnSong Sync preset.
4. Transport — Stop: map Stop 0xFC for full stop from OnSong.

Typical sequence

OnSong: change song  →  MIDI In  →  BackTrackR Select  →  preload/stage
OnSong: Sync/Start   →  MIDI In  →  BackTrackR Play    →  load if needed, then play

Open OnSong before BackTrackR so its virtual MIDI ports appear under Setup → Connected app outputs. BackTrackR already listens to all MIDI sources except its own Out, so you usually do not need to select BackTrackR In manually.

When any song has an Input trigger or any Transport mapping exists, BackTrackR keeps the audio engine warm on the library tab to avoid cold-start errors when OnSong sends Play immediately after Select.

MIDI connections

Ports and destinations live under Settings → MIDI & Timecode → Setup. Tempo sync and absolute TC globals are on Sync — see MIDI Clock and Timecode.

Network (RTP)

• Toggle Enable Network MIDI for LAN connections (e.g. Mac on the same network).
• Send song output to: automatic (all network hosts) or one specific destination.
• First use may prompt for iOS Local Network permission.

USB

Class-compliant USB MIDI interfaces and controllers appear here. App virtual ports are not listed under USB — use Connected app outputs for those. Optionally pick a single USB destination for song output.

This iPad

• BackTrackR In — virtual destination (optional; app listens to all sources except BackTrackR Out)
• BackTrackR Out — virtual source other apps can receive from
• Connected app outputs — ports published by other apps (e.g. OnSong 2020, Session 1)

Note names & receiver alignment

Note names controls labels in the UI and monitor (stored note numbers never change):

• DAW / OnSong (C3 = middle C) — default; matches OnSong pickers
• Scientific (C4 = middle C)

Receiver monitor shifts sent note numbers only when your destination labels middle C as C3 (+12 semitones). Incoming labels and stored mappings are unaffected.

Background notifications

Under Settings → General, three optional toggles post iOS notifications while BackTrackR is in the background:

• Song selected and ready — after a MIDI Select trigger finishes staging
• Playing — when transport Play is received
• Stopped — when transport Stop is received

Monitor & troubleshooting

Under Setup, the Monitor log shows the last 120 MIDI messages with direction, endpoint, wire format and matched song or transport command. Enable Settings → Advanced → MIDI debug logging for detailed [MIDI] lines in Xcode when diagnosing timing issues.

Special track routing

Open Settings → Special track routing to match stem names across your whole library — once — instead of muting or re-routing the same tracks song by song in the mixer.

Turn on Automatic routing. Under Special tracks, edit Click / Cue stem / SMPTE and your customs. BackTrackR compares each track’s name (from Edit / the filename) to your match lists. Matched tracks get pan, optional mute, optional hardware output, and — if you want — a shared strip look.

Routing sits on top of each song’s mix. Turn a profile off and that song’s saved mix comes back — the mix file is not overwritten.

Closing Settings re-scans the library only when routing rules changed (progress overlay on large libraries). Re-scan library for conflicts always walks songs and names the song and tracks.

Built-in profiles

• Click — metronome for the drummer’s in-ears (default matches include klik, click, metronome, …)
• Cue stem — spoken count-ins or section cues
• SMPTE — timecode for lighting or video

Route click to IEMs while the audience hears only the backing through the house PA — no splitter workarounds. Built-ins default to Apply strip look on, so the mixer shows a clear KLIK / CUE / SMPTE channel.

Custom profiles

In the Special tracks list, tap Add custom (up to 32). Use these for regular music stems you want to control globally — not only click/cue/timecode.

Typical solo / duo / trio / band workflow:

1. Name stems consistently across songs (e.g. Kick, Snare, Bass, Keys, Gtr).
2. Add a custom profile per group (e.g. “Trio drums”) with those Match names in filenames (comma-separated aliases are fine).
3. Leave Apply strip look off on mute groups so each track keeps its own name in the mixer (kick stays Kick, snare stays Snare).
4. For tonight’s gig, turn Mute on for groups you are not using (e.g. mute drums + bass for a duo with keys only).
5. Save — BackTrackR applies mute (or unmute) to matching tracks on every song. Flip Mute again when the lineup changes.

Per-profile options

• Match names — comma-separated; exact name or a token inside a longer filename (e.g. smpte 2-4 → SMPTE)
• Apply strip look — when on, strip name / icon / colour override matched tracks (Click / Cue / SMPTE default on; customs default off for mute groups)
• Profile name — always available; becomes Name on track strip when Apply strip look is on
• Mute — library-wide mute on save; turn off to unmute those matches everywhere
• Pan — Left / Center / Right chips on matched tracks
• Output — Master (main mix) or a dedicated interface pair/channel when multichannel is available

Built-ins are checked first; then customs in list order — first match wins. At most two enabled customs may use hardware outs; extra customs stay on Master (mute-only customs need no reserved bus).

If something already uses an output you reserved for special tracks, use Re-scan library for conflicts and pick a new destination.

Audio interfaces

BackTrackR works with the iPad's built-in headphone output for rehearsal and small setups. For live rigs, a multichannel USB audio interface is recommended.

When to use an interface

• Separate outputs for click/IEM and house mix
• Balanced XLR outputs to a front-of-house mixer
• Lower latency for live performance
• Multiple monitor mixes for band members
• Analog LTC chase input (dedicated In channel)

Connect your interface via USB. Under Settings → Audio & mixer you can see the active device, set preferred sample rate (44.1 / 48 kHz), IO buffer (2048 or 4096 samples), Meter refresh (Auto / 30–120 Hz), and Show system load in status bar. Stem routing options appear when a multichannel device is detected. Use 4096 when playback feels tight.

BackTrackR Pro

BackTrackR Pro unlocks playback and live shows — Play, cue lists, transport, and everything that moves audio on stage. Import, Edit, Settings, and Help stay available without a plan.

New subscribers get a free trial, then a monthly or yearly plan (prices appear in the App Store sheet and under Settings → Subscription).

Settings → Subscription

• Status — Free trial, Active, or Playback locked.
• Restore purchases — after reinstall or a new iPad.
• Manage subscription — opens Apple’s subscription management.

When playback is locked, tapping Play opens the subscription sheet. TestFlight uses Apple’s sandbox — you are not charged real money when you start a trial there.

Support tickets

Need help from us? Open Settings → Support (lifebuoy icon). You can create a ticket, follow the conversation under My tickets, and optionally attach a diagnostic debug log. The same inbox is available on the web at backtrackr.app/support.html.

Help & guides (book icon) is separate — that opens this manual and the video library. Support is for contacting BackTrackR with a case you can reply to.

Create a ticket

1. Go to Settings → Support → Contact support (or the New ticket tab).
2. Enter your name, email, optional subject, and a message describing the issue.
3. Optionally add up to 3 files — photos (5 MB each) and one short video up to 50 MB (MP4, MOV or WebM). This works in the app and on the website.
4. If you already recorded a debug log, turn on Include recorded log so it goes with this ticket.
5. Tap Send ticket. You get a reference ID — follow the case under My tickets.

My tickets

Sign in with the same email you used on the ticket. We email a one-time 6-digit code (on the website you can also use a sign-in link).

• Open a case to read replies from BackTrackR Support and send your own reply (± photos or a short video).
• Status badges show where the case is: open, pending, resolved, or closed.

Debug log for support

When we ask for technical detail, record a short diagnostic log and attach it to the same case — it does not create a second ticket.

1. Settings → Support → turn on Record debug log for support (off by default).
2. Reproduce the problem in the app (or note that the log survives a relaunch after a crash).
3. Open My tickets → select the case → tap Attach log (or Attach updated log if one is already on the case).

Troubleshooting

Still stuck after the tips below? Open a case under Support tickets or on backtrackr.app/support.html.

Song won't import

• Check that files are WAV format with one stem per file
• Ensure the bundle folder contains all stems for the song
• Verify you have enough free storage on your iPad
• Try importing from Files first to rule out cloud connectivity issues
• OnSong backup — use + Add → OnSong, not Audio folders. You get a review before anything is written. See Import from OnSong.

No audio output

• Check iPad volume and mute switch
• Verify no stems are muted in the mixer
• If using an interface, confirm it is connected and selected in audio settings
• Disconnect and reconnect USB if the interface is not detected

High DSP or CPU in the status bar

• Watch the DSP & CPU strip while playing — amber/red means the audio thread or process is busy
• Raise IO buffer or lower Meter refresh under Settings → Audio & mixer
• For live pitch/tempo on many stems, bake a New Copy for the gig
• Turn off Show system load in status bar if you do not need the readout (zero sampling cost)

Cloud import fails

• Sign out and sign back in to Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive
• Check your internet connection
• Ensure the file is fully synced in your cloud account before importing

Edit & tracks

• Added or replaced track not heard yet — Add+ and Replace stage files in a draft until you tap Save song. See Edit song & tracks.
• Deleted track still plays — swipe-delete only removes it from the draft until you tap Save song.
• Cannot delete a track — you cannot remove the last remaining stem in a song.
• Add+ is greyed out — the song is at the 64-track limit.
• Replace kept my mix — that is expected: Replace swaps the audio file but keeps the same track (faders, EQ, Timeline offset).

Timeline & loops

• Bars ruler / bar quant greyed — song needs a known BPM (filename, auto-detect, or typed in Edit). An empty field that only shows 120 does not count. See Tempo, key & filenames.
• Loop chip does nothing — empty slot; shell/MIDI/pedals under Performance lock; or Chase + Follow (Timeline A–L chips still arm while the drawer is open)
• Edits disappeared — drafts are cleared when you load another song; tap SAVE before switching songs
• Older iPad feels heavy — use Follow Page turn instead of Continuous modes
• See also Timeline overview and Loops A–L.

Charts

• Empty page in Live — this song has no chart yet. Open Edit → New chart, or import ChordPro / PDF in the editor. Mixed cue lists are normal.
• Follow does not move — place section markers on the Timeline Chart lane (Add or short-drag — a tap only parks the playhead) and SAVE. Manual scroll pauses follow — tap Follow again. Before the first marker the page stays on title and key.
• Cannot open the editor — turn off Performance lock.
• Chords look stretched or warped — rotate back and reopen Charts; Live relayouts on width change. Opening the song list should not change chart width.
• Tab / Guitar Pro failed — try .gp5 or .gp instead of a GP6 .gpx. There is no tab editor; Edit reopens the crop sheet.
• Capo / diagrams missing after import — type the capo note in the lyrics if you need it on the page.
• Note missing in Live — empty notes stay hidden. Type something, then Save.
• No Lyrics | Score chip — that chip only appears when the song has both lyrics and a PDF.
• Live chords do not match the singer — use the Live tuningfork menu, or Settings → Charts → Follow pitch. Transpose in the editor rewrites the file (no audio).
• Double-tap does nothing — turn on Settings → Playback → Double-tap plays song, or hold the row → Play.
• See Charts overview.

MIDI issues

• No MIDI in Monitor — test on a physical iPad (Simulator disables MIDI input). Is the source app open? Check Setup for listed ports.
• Wrong song plays — check for duplicate Input mappings (amber warning on song cards). Monitor log shows which song matched.
• Select then Play loads wrong song — enable MIDI debug logging; confirm Select finishes staging before Play arrives.
• Play fails on first trigger — ensure at least one Input or Transport mapping exists so the audio engine stays warm.
• Output not received — Output power on? Check Setup routing and Receiver monitor octave alignment.
• OnSong not listed — open OnSong first, then refresh BackTrackR Setup.
• MIDI Clock silent — Send MIDI Clock on? Song BPM known? Edit → MIDI Clock not Off?
• See also MIDI connections and OnSong workflow.

Timecode & Control Track

• Loops greyed / unavailable — Chase is on and the song Timecode is Follow. See Timecode.
• Chase picks the wrong song — overlapping Follow windows; run Auto-allocate or set cue TC in-points.
• LTC meter silent — correct Audio input device / In channel? Mic permission? Engine running?
• Control cues missing after reopen — Timeline SAVE before switching songs.
• See Control Track.

Show Link

• No shows in the list — same Wi‑Fi, host tapped Share show, guest set Your name, and iOS Local Network allowed for BackTrackR.
• Guest out of sync — host should approve the join; both iPads stay in the app foreground during the test.
• Link dropped after a library switch — expected; start Show Link again from the library you perform from.
• AirDrop / Send to connected greyed out — stop playback first. See Show Link & sharing.

Playback & subscription

• Play opens a subscription sheet — start the free trial or restore purchases under Settings → Subscription. Library and Edit stay open without a plan.
• See BackTrackR Pro.

Special track routing

• Custom mute did nothing — match names must appear in the track name (Edit / filename). Customs apply after Click / Cue / SMPTE; first matching custom wins.
• Still muting every song after the gig — turn off Mute on that custom (or disable the profile) and save so the library unmutes.
• All matched tracks renamed to one label — turn off Apply strip look on that custom so mute groups keep individual track names.
• See Special track routing.

FAQ

Is BackTrackR available on iPhone?

BackTrackR is built for iPad — portrait or landscape — with a show screen sized for live performance.

What audio format do I need?

Songs are imported as multitrack bundles with separate WAV files per stem.

Do I need an audio interface?

To get the most out of BackTrackR, use a USB audio interface with an adapter so you can charge the iPad at the same time — you don’t want to run out of power mid-show. You can also run without an interface, using the iPad’s stereo out: pan click one side and tracks the other; each side will be mono. Global mute for duo/trio lineups works without extra outputs via custom profiles.

Where is my music stored?

On your iPad. See our Privacy Policy for full details on data handling.

When will it be on the App Store?

BackTrackR is coming soon. The app page will be updated with a download link as soon as it is available. Until then you can join the TestFlight beta.

Can I change the look of the app?

Yes. Settings → General → App → Appearance: Stage Dark (default), Classic Slate, Soft Slate, or Paper. It updates right away. See Layout presets & iPad sizes.

Can I keep more than one song library?

Yes. Settings → General → Libraries — create libraries, turn on Own settings when needed, and long-press the shell Library button to switch. See Multiple libraries.

Can multiple iPads follow one show?

Yes — Show Link under Settings → Sharing. One iPad hosts; others join on the local network. See Show Link & sharing.

Do I need a subscription?

Playback and live performance need BackTrackR Pro (free trial, then monthly or yearly). Library, Edit, and Settings work without it. See BackTrackR Pro.

What is the Timeline?

A multi-track arrangement view for waveforms, Loops A–L, Control Track MIDI cues, Chart-lane section markers and stem alignment. See Timeline overview. It is separate from Edit (metadata, track list, Timecode/Clock, New Copy, charts). See Edit song & tracks.

Is there a looper?

Yes — up to 12 fixed loop slots A–L per song, with arm/disarm, At end / Now switching, and control from widgets, MIDI or foot pedals. Unavailable while chasing timecode with Follow. See Loops A–L.

Can BackTrackR send or chase SMPTE?

Yes — bake LTC, send MTC, and chase incoming MTC/LTC. See Timecode. Optional MIDI Clock is separate tempo sync.

What is Control Track?

Timed MIDI on the Timeline. A track can send plain MIDI, or use a dashboard for Kemper, Helix, or your own buttons. See Control Track.

What is Charts?

Lyrics and chords that live in the song — a live page that can follow playback, plus an editor for text, Bars, Tab, notes and optional PDF. See Charts overview.

Is there a demo song?

Yes. Tap Download demo song on first launch, when the library is empty, or under Settings → Backup → Demo song. Demo Song 1 (~85 MB) is a full tutorial song with stems, mix, chart and timeline. See Demo song.

Can I import my OnSong library?

Yes. Library → + Add → OnSong, then pick a .backup, zip, or the OnSong Documents folder. You review lyrics, PDFs, linked audio, MIDI and setlists before anything is applied. See Import from OnSong. To keep using OnSong next to BackTrackR over MIDI, see OnSong workflow.

How do I mark a favorite song?

Hold the row → Favorite. A gold dog-ear appears. Sort → Favorites puts those songs first. See Favorites & tags.

How do I mute drums on every song for a duo gig?

Use Settings → Special track routing → Special tracks → Add custom: match the drum stem names, turn on Mute, leave Apply strip look off if you want each drum track to keep its own name, then save. That applies library-wide. See Special track routing.

How do I contact support?

Settings → Support → Contact support, or use backtrackr.app/support.html. Follow replies under My tickets. See Support tickets.