Just tablets — no PC

One person hits play,
everyone's score follows.

“Once more from just before the chorus”—with each player’s own part.

Choose the song and playback position on one tablet; the other Viewers follow. Prepare each player’s score and page-turn timings first, then rehearse from the same place using different parts.

Try two devices first DAW-led shows: Conductor

What it takes

One tablet in the room becomes the clock, and the others follow it over BLE or your local network. Each device needs its own score, page-turn timings, and matching song numbers.

Looking for data across your own devices?

This page is about keeping bandmates' scores on the same song and playback position during a performance. To continue editing your library and setlists across devices you own, see Data Sharing & Devices and choose "Edit on Other Devices."

Check two devices before preparing the whole band

Each device needs PagePilot Viewer, a song mapped to the same song number, and its own score and automatic turns. The scores can differ. Connecting does not send score files or turn settings. Share a prepared song first if useful, then check it against each person’s part.

1. Open the setlist containing the corresponding song on both devices. To test a turn, prepare one automatic page turn on each.
2. On the device controlling playback, open Connect to Conductor, choose the connection method, and select Become Local Conductor. This is the parent Viewer, which sends the song number and playback position.
3. On the other device, open Connect to Conductor, use the same connection method, and select the parent. This is the child Viewer, which follows. Check that the song numbers point to the intended songs.
4. Play on the parent. With a child connected, both begin sounding together about one second later. Check that each score moves at its own prepared time.
5. Stop on the parent, move partway through the song, and play again. If the child follows that song position too, the partial-rehearsal trial is complete.

BLE works without a network. LAN requires the same network, direct communication between devices, and local-network access permission. Guest Wi-Fi that isolates clients does not work. See Conductor connection for controls and Conductor setlist mapping for song numbers.

From individual practice to band rehearsal

Taro prepares the setlist, scores, audio, tempos, and page turns, then shares a setlist archive. Hanako, Kazuya, and Ryo import it into their own Viewers and practise before rehearsal. Each can replace the score with their own part and adjust the turn points. Tablets are the main setup; a smartphone can also participate or become the Local Conductor.

At rehearsal, drummer Hanako becomes the parent Viewer because she will play to the click. The other members connect to her tablet. When she changes to a mapped song or starts partway through it, everyone’s prepared score follows that song position. The preparation they used for solo practice carries into the group rehearsal.

1

One person starts Local Conductor

In Connect to Conductor, choose Become Local Conductor. This tablet sends the song number and playback position when you control the song.

2

It broadcasts over BLE or LAN to the others

Connect each following Viewer to the parent using the same method. Only the song number and the elapsed time within the song are sent — not the page turns themselves — so different scores never get crossed.

3

Each score advances at the same position

Each receiving tablet decides which page to show using its own score and page settings. So even with different scores, everyone stays in step at the same point in the song.

The parent Viewer sends only the song number and elapsed time within the song — not the score files. Each tablet follows the same timeline using its own score and page settings.

Same position, different scores

The pianist can keep a piano part, the guitarist a chord chart, and the vocalist lyrics. The parent sends song number and elapsed time rather than page numbers. Each child uses its own score and turn settings to decide where to display that point in the performance. Prepared repeats and tempo changes still apply.

When you want backing audio at the show

An optional next step is a compatible four-output audio interface. Use Mixer A for backing audio to outputs 1-2 and the PA, muting click, keyboard, and voice there. Use Mixer B for the drummer’s click on outputs 3-4, adding the reference audio or voice at the level needed. This separates what the audience hears from what helps the drummer lead the band.

The article’s two-feed setup covers wiring and output checks. The Japanese band story includes the preparation, individual-practice, and rehearsal images. Some mixer screenshots predate the Voice column; current Mixer Settings has audio, metronome, keyboard, and voice.

If the band does not line up

What happened	Where to check
The parent is not found	Conductor connection: BLE distance and radio conditions, or LAN network and access permission
The wrong song opens	Conductor setlist mapping: duplicate numbers and song matches
The song matches, but pages do not move	Check that each song has its own automatic turns
Following has drifted	Resync from connection status
A child loses audio, or the parent pauses	Mixer Settings: separate output problems from an audio interruption

Sync pauses while Viewer is in the background and resyncs when you return. Keep the score visible while performing. Sync follows the parent’s playback position; it does not listen to the band and follow an unplanned tempo change.

For an existing DAW-led show

If music-production software on a computer already controls the show’s playback, PagePilot Conductor can send that position to Viewer instead. Local Conductor follows a Viewer’s preparation and does not connect to or control a DAW.