HAVE QUESTIONS? CLICK HERE

Search

WorshipSong Band uses a single file to encapsulate an entire song. All files for a song (including the ‘Tracks.txt file described below), are placed in a zip archive along with all other tracks and an optional branding icon. Zip files are a standard way of collecting and distributing files on all computer platforms. We recoommend WinRAR or Winzip (available on Mac or PC) to compress zip files, or standard operating system utilities may be used. WorshipSong Band directly loads these zip files at runtime to populate your library and load songs, therefore no unpacking of the zip file is required when you install the song in your WorshipSong Band library. See the 'Help and Features' page for information on loading zip files into an installation of WorshipSong Band. In version 2.4.1 and above, a text editor is built in to allow editing the tracks.txt file (Windows/Mac only). This editor may be accessed by pressing the'E' key whan a song is loaded in WorshipSong Band. For a tutorial on creating tracks.txt files, see Adding Songs. A Tracks.txt template is here.

Tracks.txt File and Tags

To use WorshipSong Band, you must include a simple, human readable text file in the zip archive. This is used to describe features of a song to be presented and used in WorshipSong Band. This file must be called ‘Tracks.txt’ and consists of a number of tagged blocks. A header section is always at the top. For all blocks except the chords and header, there should be no blank lines within the block tags.

Header

[Header] (Required) This tag is followed by the main information for a song. The [End Header] tag terminates this section.. The lines are

  • Version number. The current version number is 0
  • Song title
  • Song provider
  • Song writer(s)
  • Song Genre (user defined)
  • Song Key
  • Song Beats per minute
  • Song length in Minutes:Seconds format. If you specify 0:00 OpenSetList will use the time of the longest track

- Song time signature. Used when WorshipSong generates metronome tracks on the fly. One of 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 6/8, or 8/8

Note: some header information can be edited from within the app in song edit mode.

Example Header block:

[Header] //#version | Name | Source | Songwriter | Genre | BPM | |PlayTime
0
Today is the Day
PraiseCharts
Lincoln Brewster
Praise/Worship
D
5.00:00
4/4
Additional information, such as copyright notations
[End Header]

Tracks

The simplest WorshipSong Band file is a single MP3 track, which can be a split track of an entire song, or it may consist of up to 14 multitracks.

[Tracks] (Required except for Pad Files) This tag is followed by the track list for the song (can be empty). Tracks can be in MP3, OGG, WAV, AIFF, or FLAC format. They should be stereo tracks, and should not be panned (unless the Split or Split Click tracktype is used). WorshpSong pans clicks and tracks automatically during playback if split playback mode is selected. MP3 compressed tracks give good performance and results on all platforms and are recommended for mobile platform use. If you are using an older platform such as a first generation IPad It is recommended to keep the total track size (before creating the zip file) to less than 100MB to conserve device memory. For an 12 track song, this will likely require a lower compression bitrate. WorshipSong Band plays back songs from in-memory compressed streams, so songs are not decompressed except as they are played. An end tag in the format [End Tracks] is required for the [Tracks] tag.

For each track:

  • Track display name. This should be 6 characters max. There are two special track names: "Click" and "Cues", that both cause the contents of the track to be routed to the click audio output.
  • Track file name, not case sensitive. The track file should be present in the zip archive.
  • Track Type Tag (Optional). One of [Percussion], [Melodic], [Vocal], [Split], or [Split Click]. Tracks following this tag are treated as tracks of the given type. Percussion tracks do not shift pitch. Vocal tracks are notated for future use. Split and Split Click tracks become separate mixer channels. If these tags aren’t used tracks are assumed to be Melodic.

Note, when using the drag and drop song importer wizard, the tracks block will be automatically created for you.

Example Tracks block:

[Tracks]
[Percussion]
Click
Click.mp3
Drums
Drums.mp3
[Melodic]
Bass
Bass.mp3
EG
EG.mp3
AG
AG.mp3
Piano
Piano.mp3
Strings
Strings.mp3
[Vocal]
Vocal
Vocal.mp3
BGV
BGV.mp3
[End Tracks]

Example Split Click block (becomes 2 channels, a click and a synth track):

[Tracks]|
[Spilt Click]
Click
Cornerstone Split Click(C).mp3
[End Tracks]

Example Split Click block (becomes 3 channels):

[Tracks]
[Spilt Click]
Click
Cornerstone Split Click(C).mp3
[Melodic]
Track
Cornerstone Rhythm (C).mp3
[End Tracks]

Sections

[Sections] (Optional) This tag is followed by the sections of the song. This divides the song up into sections based on play time that can be used for looping or showing chords. Some songs will be well suited to looping, and others will not have been recorded with looping in mind. See the WorshipSong Band web site for information on how to derive correct times for sections from tracks. An end tag in the format [End Sections] is required for the [Sections] tag.
For each section:

  • Section display name. This should fit in the available time space when the program displays the song
  • Section time. Time can be in two formats, and should be consistent through the entire [Sections] block:
    • Minutes:seconds.decimal seconds format specifies the start of the section. Using this format he first section should begin at 0:00
    • A single integer beats format. Using this format, the time specifies the number of beats in the section, and the time for the section is computed based on the set tempo for the song.
  • The time can be followed by one or more optional tags:
    • Section cue tag (optional). Cue tag for section, allowing a direct jump to this section with a foot controller. Can be one of [Cue Point I], [Cue Point V], [Cue Point C], [Cue Point B], or [Cue Point O], for Intro, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Outro, respectively. Only one section should be designated for each type, if used, and not all tags must be specified.
    • Section Key (optional).  Key for section.  This is used to switch the pad key if pads are being played.  The key will be faded to the listed key, as modified by any transpose set. Followed by a Key name on a separate line
    • Section Hint (Optional).  Adds a string displayed in the chord chart beside the section headers for the section.  Followed by a hint on a separate line

Note: sections can be edited from within the app in song edit mode.

Example Sections block using beats format:

[Sections] // #sections | name | start < name | start >… (max 16)
Intro
8
V1
32
[Cue Point V]
[Section Hint]
Softly
Chorus
32
V2
32
Chorus
32
[Cue Point C]
Solo
24
[Section Hint]
Build
Bridge
40
[Section Key]
C
Chorus2
32
[End Sections]

 

Example Sections block using time format:

[Sections] // #sections | name | start < name | start >… (max 16)
Intro
0:00
V1
0:23.996
[Cue Point V]
Chorus
0:56.020
V2
1:27.988
Chorus
2:00.006
[Cue Point C]
Solo
2:31.980
Bridge
2:55.977
[Section Key]
D
Chorus2
3:27.973
[End Sections]

Presets

[Presets] (Optional) This tag is followed by volume presets for the tracks. This can be used to encode preset dynamics into song available by a single selection. An end tag in the format [End Presets] is required for the [Presets] tag.
For each preset:

  • Preset display name. 10 characters max
  • Comma delimited list of levels that matches the numerical order of the tracks, from 0 to 10. Can include decimal point for precise levels.

 Note: Presets can be edited from within the app in song edit mode

Example Presets block:

[Presets] //#Num presets | name | levels < name | levels >… (max 6)
All In
10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
Fade 1
10, 5.5, 10, 6, 9, 6, 9, 9
Drums
10, 0, 10, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
[End Presets]

Chords

[Chords] (Optional) This is the integrated chord chart for the song. The chord chart matches chord and lyric information with the sections of the song defined in the Sections section, and a sections block must be provided to add chord charts. An end tag in the format [End Chords] is required for the [Chords] tag. The chord chart tag is followed by a set of chord blocks in the following format

[Section Name]. Must match a section from the Sections block. The max spacing for a chord line on a ¾ aspect ratio device such as an IPad is about 70 characters, so break up the chord chart accordingly. The spacing you prescribe in the text file for where chords fall over the text will appear in the display, even though the display uses proportional font spacing for readibility. For each pair of lines in the chord chart for this section, put two lines:

[Chords] (Optional) This is the integrated chord chart for the song. The chord chart matches chord and lyric information with the sections of the song defined in the Sections section, and a sections block must be provided to add chord charts. An end tag in the format [End Chords] is required for the [Chords] tag. The chord chart tag is followed by a set of chord blocks in the following format

[Section Name]. Must match a section from the Sections block. The max spacing for a chord line on a ¾ aspect ratio device such as an IPad is about 70 characters, so break up the chord chart accordingly. The spacing you prescribe in the text file for where chords fall over the text will appear in the display, even though the display uses proportional font spacing for readibility. For each pair of lines in the chord chart for this section, put two lines:

  • Chord line
  • Lyric line (can be blank, must be present to preserve the spacing)
  • [Lyric Break]. Cues a break in the lyric when displayed externally. A lyric break as the first element in a section specifies the beatts before the section start the lyric will change.  Otherwise, it is the time after
  • Lyric Break is followed by a time, in Minutes:seconds.decimal seconds or beats since the start of the section or last lyric break
  • When a new section name is encountered the last one ends. An extra blank line can precede this for readability.
  • Only one chart section is needed for each uniquely named section
  • Use [End Chords] tag to close off the chord chart
  • Lyrics may use UTF-8 characters in extended character sets, as supported by the Pan-unicode Noto Sans font included with Worshipsong Band.  Section names and chords should not use these characters.
  • Lyrics with multiple spaces in between words will retain these spaces in the chord display, but multiple spaces between words will be removed in the lyric display
  • Words in lyrics with multiple dashes within the word (example, glo-----ria) will retain these dashes in the chord chart but have these dashes removed in the lyric display. All multiple dashes (two or more) will be removed.

Example Chords block:

[Chords] // section name | chord line | text line…………….Limit|
[Intro]
A   E  F#m7  D
   
[V1]
      D                A      F#m7  E     D               A F#m  E
I’m casting my cares aside.     Im leaving my pa--st behind.
      D                A            F#m7      E       D    Bm7  D
I'm setting my heart and mind on You,     Jesus.
[Lyric Break]
32
     D                 A    F#m7   E      D                   A F#m E
I’m reaching my hands to Yours,   believing there’s so much more,
     D                     A          F#m7        E          D       Bm7 D
Knowing that all You have in store for me is good, its good.
   
[Chorus]
     A                    E              F#m7      D
Today is the day You have made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.
     A                    E             F#m7      D

Today is the day You have made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.
[Lyric Break]
32
     Bm              A/C#                  D                E
And I won’t worry about tomorrow; Im trusting in what You say.
     A  F#m7  E           D       A  F#m7  E
Today is the day.           Today is the day.
     
[V2]
     D                A   F#m7   E        D             A    F#m  E
Im putting my fears aside.    Im leaving my doubts behind.
     D                A              F#m7    E   D   Bm7  D
Im giving my hopes and dreams to You,  Jesus.
[Lyric Break]
32
     D                 A    F#m7  E             D          A F#m  E
Im reaching my hands to Yours,   believing theres so much more,
     D                     A          F#m7      E          D       Bm7  D

Knowing that all You have in store for me is good, its good.
   
[Solo]
    E    A/C#    F#m    D    A  

[Bridge]
    A
I will stand upon Your truth. (I will stand upon Your truth.)
And all my days, Ill live for You. (All my days, I’ll live for You.)
[Lyric Break]
32
    A
And I will stand upon Your truth. (I will stand upon Your truth.)
    Bm          D
And all my days, Ill live for You. (All my days, I’ll live.)
     
[Chorus2]
    A                    E             F#m7       D
Today is the day You have made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.  
    A                    E             F#m7       D
Today is the day You have made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.
[Lyric Break]
32
    Bm               A/C#              D              E
And I won’t worry about tomorrow. Im giving You my fears and sorrows.
    Bm                           A/C#                    D         E
Where You lead me, I will follow; Im trusting in what You say.
[Lyric Break]
32
    A  F#m7  E           D         A  F#m7 E
Today is the day.             Today is the day.
    A  F#m7  E           D         A  F#m7 E
Today is the day.             Today is the day.
     
[End Chords]

[Chord Key] (Optional).  Specifies that the following chord chart is written in a key that may be different than the song key listed in the [Header] section.  The chart will be transposed accordingly.

[ChordPro Format] (Optional).  Specifies that the following chord chart uses ChordPro format.  In this format, the chords are specified within the lines instead of above them.  Chords are enclosed in brackets.  This format is recommended for precise spacing and for UTF-8 chord charts in non-western languages.  The chords will be printed above the word or character that they occur after.  

[V1]
I’m ca[D]sting my cares a[A]side.[F#m7] [E]  I'm [D]leaving my [A]pa--[F#m]st behind. [E]

In some cases, there is not enough space above the word for the chords.  In this case, the chords will be shifted right but may not be over the word they go with.  To space out the lyrics in the chord display, you can do the following:

  • If you want more space between words, add blank spaces before the chord brackets that precede the next word
  • If you want more space for crowded chords above a single word, add multiple dashes within the word and place the chord brackets after the dashes before the syllable where the chord goes

I’m ca[D]sting my cares a[A]side.[F#m7] [E]  I'm       [D]leaving my [A]pa--[F#m]st behind. [E]

In both cases, the lyric display will remove the extra spaces/dashes.

A handy tool for converting chord charts to ChordPro format is here: ChordSmith

[Languages] (Optional).  Specifies the languages used by the chord chart.  Followed by a list of language names.  Content providers using languages are planned to use the following standard names: English, Spanish, Chinese, Porteguese, Dutch, Italian, German, Korean, Russian, Polish, etc.  Must be followed by an [End Languages] tag.  This block must precede the chord chart block(s), and the chord charts must be in the file in order of the languages listed.

Example Languages block:

[Languages]
English
Chinese
Spanish  
[End Languages]

 

 

Info

[Info] (Optional) This is text you can provide to describe the song when it is selected in the library page. An end tag is required.

  • A line of text. About 50 characters maximum

Example Info block:

[Info] // <line>………………………….Limit|
Lincoln Brewster has written a modern version of the
old Kid’s classic ‘This is the day’ for the modern
church.  This multi-track by PraiseCharts features a
driving beat, a smoking guitar riff, and  will
definitely get your congregation going!
[End Info]

Guide Track

[Guide Track] (Optional) The guide track section provides optional information to tailor the guide track (click and cues) that can be automatically played with tracks or a chord chart. An end tag in the format [End Guide Track] is required for the [Guide Track] tag. Its format is:

  • Name of the click. Can be any click name as shown in the app settings page 'Default' chooses the setting chosen in the app.
  • Cues On or Cues Off. Controls whether audio cues are played for this guide track. Default is Cues On
  • Sync On or Sync Off. Controls whether playback time is synced to song sections. Default is Sync On
  • Start Delay, in Minutes:seconds.decimal seconds format. This is used to delay the click. Only values less that one beat length (in seconds) are supported
  • End Short Time, in beats or Minutes:seconds.decimal seconds format. The time before song end that this guide track will fade out.

Example Guide Track block:

[Guide Track] Click to Use | Cue State | Sync State | Start Delay | End Delay
Default
Cues On    
Sync On
0:0.44
24
[End Guide Track]

Background List

[Background List] (Optional, v 6.2 and above) The background list is a list of image files saved in the song's zip file that can be used to overlay images on the lyric display.  The backgrounds can include transparency (ie, PNG images), enabling the projection of content such as music score images atop the lyric display background. Note, if using backgrounds that are intended to replace the automatic lyrics, select the lyric scale 'off'. The [End Background List] tag is required for the [Background List] tag. Its format is a list of:

  • Image FIle Name. This should match an image file stores in the tracks.txt file.  The file should include the correct extension
  • Beats to display the image, in beats or Minutes:seconds.decimal seconds format.  After this time the next image in the list will display.  Background images will automatically follow loop and jump cues correctly.

Example Background List block:

[Background List]
Image1.png
24
Image2.png
24
[End Background List]

Overlay

[Overlay] (Optional, v 8.5 and above) The overlay is used to add content to the lyric display such as CCLI numbers, countdown timer, song titles, or bible verses.  Overlays can include test, images, and rectangular boxes, and can be placed at fixed locations on the lyric screen.  Overlay content can be presented at certain times, or dynamically controlled via section actions.  Multiple overlays can be used in a song.  The overlay ends with an [End Overlay] tag, and has the following file format

  • All sizes are a percentage of the screen size, where 0.0 is zero and 1.0 is the height of the lyric display. 
  • The overlay's size is always dynamically determined by the text or image in it.
  • All colors are hex format, including transparency.  00000000 is all black, all transparent, and FFFFFFFF it all white, fully opaque.  FF0000FF is full red, fully opaque

  • If used, text is enclosed in a [Text] ... [End Text] block.  Within this block are one or more text lines
    • Each text line begins with the text of the line, followed by any text options separated by a '|' delimiter.  Line text can be any unicode characters, similar to lyrics
    • Text options always apply to the line they appear on and any following lines in that text block
    • Text options are as follows, with the option after a ":"
      • Scale - the size if the text  Default is 0.1
      • Font - The name of the font for this text line, can be any font that appears on the lyric  settings font popup menu.  Defaults to "Noto"
      • Color - default is FFFFFFFF (white)
      • Just - the justification of the text within the text box area.  Can be "Left", "Center", or "Right"
    • One special text option is defined, [Countdown Timer], which will use the time remaining in the song in MM:SS format for the text for this line

  • Outside the [Text] .. [End Text] block are options that apply to the entire overlay. 
    • Location, followed by a '|' and one of:
      • TopCenter - The overlay is centered at the top of the lyric display
      • BottomCenter  - The overlay is centered at the bottomof the lyric display
      • TopLeft - The overlay is anchored at the top left corner of the lyric display
      • TopRight - The overlay is anchored at the top right corner of the lyric display
      • BottomLeft - The overlay is anchored at the bottom left corner of the lyric display
      • BottomRight - The overlay is anchored at the bottom right corner of the lyric display
      • Center - The overlay is centered on the lyric display

    • Start - followed by a '|' and a  time in the song in beats or time to start displaying the overlay.  If start is omitted and an end is given the overlay will start at the beginning of the song (and be visible when the song is loaded)
    • End - followed by a '|' and a time in the song in beats or time to stop displaying the overlay .If end is omitted start is given the overlay will start at the start time and run to the end

    • Name - followed by a '|' and the name of the overlay, if control via section actions is needed, this name will be used to select the overlay to control

    • Box Color, followed by a '|' and a color for a box enclosing the overlay.  This box is also used to place text or images, even if not displayed

    • Image, followed by these options, delimited by '|'
      • File - the name of an image file in png, jpg, bmp, or tga format, that must be in the zip file of the song.  Images should be under 1024X1024 pixels and should be aspect correct for their intended appeearance, and can include transparent pixels
      • Scale - the scale of the image, if the image is used without text.  Otherwise, images with text box adjust to size to the text box based on their location within it
      • Location, followed by a '|' and one of
        • Top - The image will be as wide as the text box (or image scale) and will be aspect correct, and will adjust the text box size to allow it's display at the top of the box.
        • Left - The image will be as tall as the text box (or image scale) and will be aspect correct, and will adjust the text box size to allow it's display at the left of the box.
        • Right - The image will be as tall as the text box (or image scale) and will be aspect correct, and will adjust the text box size to allow it's display at the right of the box.

Example Overlay blocks:

[Overlay]
Image | File : ACBC_Logo_New_cross.png | Scale: 0.1
Location : BottomRight
Start : 0
End: 16
[End Overlay]

[Overlay]
[Text]
For God so loved the world| Scale:0.09 | Just: Left | Font:Roboto
that He gave His only begotten
son, that whosoever believed in
Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life
John 3:16 | Scale 0.07 | Just: Right | Color : FFAA22FF | Font:Roboto Italic
[End Text]
Location | Center
Start | 0
End | 24
Box Color | 00000066
[End Overlay]

[Overlay]
[Text]
[Countdown Timer]
[End Text]
Location : TopCenter
Start : 0
Box Color : 00000066
[End Overlay]

[Overlay]
[Text]
I Choose to Praise You| Scale:0.06 | Just: Left
CCLI# 6153946
[End Text]
Location : BottomRight
Box Color : 000000FF
Name:CCLI
[End Overlay]

 

Presentation

[Presentation] (Optional, V 2.9 and above) Support for the presentation block has been removed.  Section automation capabilities in the app have replaced these features

Special File Types

Pads

One or more files in your library may be a collection of ambient pads. These are used for the ambient pads feature. This file should provde at least 12 ambient pads, one for each key. Minor keys can also be specified. The tag format is as follows.

[Pads] (Special File Type, Optional) This tag is followed by a list of pads,one for each key. Pads can be in MP3, OGG, WAV, AIFF, or FLAC format. An end tag in the format [End Pads] is required for the [Pads] tag.

For each pad file:

- The key for the pad file, upper case

- Pad file name, not case sensitive. The pad file should be present in the zip archive

Example Pads block:

     [Pads]
    D
    Karl Verkade - Water- Music for Meditation (Ambient Pads II) - 02 Depth (Water in D).ogg
    G
    Karl Verkade - Water- Music for Meditation (Ambient Pads II) - 03 Glass (Water in G).ogg
    C
    Karl Verkade - Water- Music for Meditation (Ambient Pads II) - 04 Crystalline (Water in C).ogg
    F
    Karl Verkade - Water- Music for Meditation (Ambient Pads II) - 05 Flood (Water in F).ogg
    Bb
    Karl Verkade - Water- Music for Meditation (Ambient Pads II) - 06 Brookstones (Water in Bb).ogg
    Eb
    Karl Verkade - Water- Music for Meditation (Ambient Pads II) - 07 Elemental (Water in Eb).ogg
    Ab
    Karl Verkade - Water- Music for Meditation (Ambient Pads II) - 08 Angelfish (Water in Ab).ogg
    Db
    Karl Verkade - Water- Music for Meditation (Ambient Pads II) - 09 Downpour (Water in Db).ogg
    Gb
    Karl Verkade - Water- Music for Meditation (Ambient Pads II) - 10 Gulfstream (Water in Gb).ogg
    B
    Karl Verkade - Water- Music for Meditation (Ambient Pads II) - 11 Blue (Water in B).ogg
    E
    Karl Verkade - Water- Music for Meditation (Ambient Pads II) - 12 Estuary (Water in E).ogg
    A
    Karl Verkade - Water- Music for Meditation (Ambient Pads II) - 13 Atlantic (Water in A).ogg
    [End Pads]

Typically your WorshipSong installation will come with a set of default pads and an example file. This format is provided if you wish to customize this feature.

SMPTE LTC

A file named SMPTE_Track.zip is used to hold one or more SMPTE LTC audio files for Worshipsong Band SMPTE output.  This file should also contain a text file named "SMPTE.txt".  This must contain the following elements:

[SMPTE Interface] (Special File Type) This tag is followed by a string that must match the name of an audio interface in the system that is different from the main audio interface used by WSB.  Audio interface names can be read from the audio settings tab in WSB  For instance this can be a virtual audio cable interface. An end tag in the format [End SMPTE Interface] is required for the [SMPTE Interface] tag.

[SMPTE Track File] (Special File Type) This tag is followed by an audio file name (assumed to be in the zip file) that will be loaded as the SMPTE audio file to send.  This file will define the frame rate and base offset of the SMPTE signal.  Offsets set by section actions are offsets within the SMPTE signal from the base offset.  [End SMPTE Track File] is required for the [SMPTE Track File] tag.

Example SMPTE block:

 [SMPTE Interface]
   CABLE Input (VB-Audio Virtual Cable)
[End SMPTE Interface]
[SMPTE Track File]
   LTC_30HZ_1_00_00.ogg
[End SMPTE Track File]

A sample SMPTE_Track.zip is provided as part of the WorshipSong Free Samples team sharing.  This file is recorded with a base offset of 3600 seconds, a frame rate of 30, and covers one hour of time.  To get SMPTE output to work, you must change the audio interface name to an installed audio interface.

Cues

One or more files in your library may be a collection of cues. These are used for the built-in cues feature. This file should provide cues for each section header used in your library that you want an audio cue for. Tag format is as follows.

[Cues] (Special File Type, Optional) This tag is followed by a list of case insensitive strings that will match a given cue, folowed by the audio file for each cue. Cues can be in MP3, OGG, WAV, AIFF, or FLAC format. An end tag in the format [End Cues] is required for the [Cues] tag.

Example Cues block:

[Cues]
Ch
Cho
Chorus
Chorus.ogg
V
Verse
V1
V2
Verse.ogg
[End Cues]

Typically your WorshipSong installation will come with a set of default cues and an example file. This format is provided if you wish to customize this feature.

Custom Cues block:

Custom cues are able to be selected from the section actions menu in version 8 and later.  Your WorshipSong Installation comes with a set of these (courtesy of Multitracks.com).  The file format is:

[Custom Cues] (Special File Type, Optional) This tag is followed by a list of case insensitive strings that if folowed by the audio file for each cue. Cues can be in MP3, OGG, WAV, AIFF, or FLAC format. An end tag in the format [End Custom Cues] is required for the [Custom Cues] tag.

[Custom Cues]
ACapella
Capella.ogg
Build
Build.ogg
[End Custom Cues]

Song Cues block:

Song cues are custom cues included within a song file able to be selected from the section actions menu in version 8 and later.   The song cues block is placed in the tracks.txt for the song using them.  These can also be used to trigger a song cue upon song load, and so your library can contain song cues that will announce each song as it it loaded or played.  The file format is:

[Song Cues] (Optional) This tag is followed by a list of case insensitive strings that is folowed by the audio file for each cue. Cues can be in MP3, OGG, WAV, AIFF, or FLAC format. An end tag in the format [End Song Cues] is required for the [Song Cues] tag.

[Song Cues]
Announce Song
LetHisName.ogg
Quietly
Quietly.ogg
[End Song Cues]

 

 

 

Stem Assignments

Stem assignments are used to allow additional audio output channels (above the standard 2/4 channel output scheme) to be used on Windows and MacOS platforms. They may also be specified in a file called "MasterTracks.txt", which will contain a seto f stem assignments inherited by all songs in your library. This will enable you to use a track naming convention to set up extended audio busses. In version 6 or above, this file is edited from within the app using the grid widget on the audio settings page.  

[Stem Assignments] (Optional) This tag is followed by a list of track display names followed by hardware channel numbers [End Stem Assignment] is required for the [Stem Assignments] tag.

For each stem assignment:

  • Track display name. These match the track display names used in the [Tracks] section
  • Track channel number. Any number from 1 to 16, or "Off" for certain built-in mixes. Channels can be reused, allowing groups of tracks to be sent to a single channel. If you are retaining the standard 4 channel output channels, this should be a number from 5 to 16.

These names can also be used for built-in tracks: 

  • "Built In Pads": This will route the built in pad track to the desired channel
  • "Built In Cues": This will route the built in cues to the desired channel
  • "Stereo Mix Left": This will re-route the left stereo full mix from channel 1 to another channel. You can also specify "Off" to turn off this mix on channel 1 (enabling channel 1 to be used as an additional bus)
  • "Stereo Mix Right": This will re-route the right stereo full mix from channel 2 to another channel. You can also specify "Off" to turn off this mix on channel 2 (enabling channel 2 to be used as an additional bus)
  • "Band Mix Left": This will re-route the left band mix from channel 3 to another channel. You can also specify "Off" to turn off this mix on channel 3 (enabling channel 3 to be used as an additional bus)
  • "Band Mix Right": This will re-route the right band mix from channel 4 to another channel. You can also specify "Off" to turn off this mix on channel 4 (enabling channel 4 to be used as an additional bus)

The example below would be a use of an 8 channel audio output. It turns off the standard band mixes but retains the house stereo mix on channels 1 and 2, and routes clicks/metronome/cues to channel 3, Drums and Bass to 4, Electric Guitars to 5, Acoustic Guitar to 6, Piano/Keys to 7,and vocals to channel 8. You could then route these busses to band members individually as needed.

Example Stem Assignments block:

[Stem Assignments]
Band Mix Left
Off
Band Mix Right
Off
Metr
3
Click
3
Built In Cues
3
Drums
4
Bass
4
EG1
5
EG2
5
RG
5
AG
6
Piano
7
Keys
7
Vocal
8
BGV
8
[End Stem Assignments]

Click Sample

The file "clicksamples.zip" contains add-on click samples.  A click sample is an ogg file with a sample of the up beat and the down beat, separated by a 20 BPM time interval.  Use the provided example as a guide.  For example, if the click is named "hat.ogg" a metronome choice of "Hat" will be added to the menu and can be selected.

Branding Icon

The WorshipSong Band ZIP file can contain a file to be used for branding. This file should be an image file in Targa (TGA) or bitmap (BMP) format, 64×64 pixels or less for efficiency, named either "icon.tga" or "icon.bmp". TGA format will allow for a transparent background for slightly better presentation, and many free online tools can convert to this format.

The best practice will be to establish a brand/genre combination for resources you provide for WorshipSong Band that will result in the user community gaining confidence in the quality of resources you provide and trust in your brand. WorshipSong Band is obviously a very flexible tool, and you can certainly release low quality content for it, or very high quality content created with with attention to detail. Like any musical endeavor, attention to quality will result in a much better reception.

Background Image

The WorshipSong Band ZIP file can contain a file to be used as the background for a song. This file should be an image file in Targa (TGA) or bitmap (BMP) format, 1024x576 pixels, named either "background.tga" or "background.bmp". The image should be designed so that it still works well when centered on a 4/3 aspect ratio screen with equal amounds cropped from the left or right sides to fit the image to the aspect ratio without warping. The use of these images in the lyric display is selectable by the end user.

Window Sizes

For Windows only, a text file named "windowsizes.txt" may be placed in the Library folder and used to control window sizes. It can contain the following tags:

[Lyric Window Rect] (Special File Type, Optional) This tag is followed by 4 lines, specifying the lyric window's X, Y, Width, and Height in pixels on the extended Window desktop. X of 0 is at the left, a Y of 0 is at the top. The window will have no border

[Main Window Rect] (Special File Type, Optional) This tag is followed by 4 lines, specifying the main window's X, Y, Width, and Height in pixels on the extended Window desktop. X of 0 is at the left, a Y of 0 is at the top. The window will have no border. This means you will need to close the program using the taskbar since there will be no toolbar available to exit.

Example Window Sizes block:

[Lyric Window Rect]
1366
0
860
540
[Main Window Rect]
0
0
1366
768

Notes

The easiest method to create the tracks.txt file is to use the drag and drop importer. If you create the tracks.txt file by hand, the best practice is to use a sample song and modify it. The most common mistakes will be:

  • Mispelling track names or adding extra spaces or lines. The program tries to compensate for extra spaces before and after names but its a good idea to be precise.Use copy and paste for file names.
  • Not adding blank lines in the chord chart so the chord and lyric lines get confused
  • Mispelling section names in the chord chart, so the program cannot match the section with the chord.
  • Not matching the levels with the tracks, or specifying too few levels in presets
  • Section times or beat counts not matching the recording

Follow Us

Search