Song Follower is the main follower module of the Song Manager suite intended to be used by the band members. It is very similar in design to Song Leader making it very easy for band members to change from leader to follower and vice versa. It automatically keeps in step with the Song Leader using smart networking technology but allows some control over the song display.
As you will see from the screenshot the screen is divided into three basic sections:
- Control
- Song List
- Song Display
The software uses a custom menu system using simple buttons for functions which makes it very easy to use this module with a touchscreen or mouse. In addition there are some easy shortcut keys which allow quick control from a keyboard.
Song List
The left hand panel shows the list of songs for the current song set. There is one large button for each song showing the song title and the key. When the leader selects a song or makes a change (such as tempo or key) the Song Follower will automatically update.
The leader selected song can be overridden simply by touching or clicking a song button or using the arrow keys.
Song Display
The song display shows the currently selected song or will be blank. When a song is selected it will be displayed so that it fits entirely within the screen size if possible. This is acheived using a combination of font size reduction and the use of multiple display columns.
If the leader selected a section of a song it will be highlighted on the screen. This can be useful if the leader wants to perform an unscheduled repeat of a section. The highlight fades away after a short delay, which is configurable in the Display Profile Editor.
Control Section
At the top of the screen is a row of control buttons, these are in place of the normal windows menu that you might expect. The control buttons are split into sections for:
| Section | Description |
| Transpose and Capo | This section allows keys to be changed
up or down (local transpose). When displaying chords the capo
position can be moved up or down. Note: These settings are not saved on the leader machine. |
| General Controls | This section allows easy access to other
functions. Select Profile Selecting this shows a list of profiles which can be applied to the song display area. The actual profile list will vary according to the loaded profiles. A number of profiles are supplied by default. Updates This section consists of a single button which controls whether or not updates are sent to the followers. When green updates from the leader are automatically displayed. Press this button to toggle the auto-updates status to manual. In manual mode you must press a key to sync with the leader.Clear Text Clicking on this button clears the text from the screen. Pressing Esc from the keyboard performs this function. Pressing Esc a second time causes a blackout (see below). Blackout Clicking on this button blacks out the screen. Pressing Esc twice or pressing F12 from the keyboard performs this function |