Sync your setlist across every iPad, live

How live setlist sync works

One iPad in the band acts as master. Usually that is the bandleader, but it does not have to be.

1. The leader taps a song. Anywhere in the setlist, in any order, or straight from the band's full song library. The printed running order is a suggestion, not a cage.
2. The song broadcasts. That is the entire message: this song is now the song. Nothing else is sent.
3. Every iPad follows. Each one opens that song and shows the version assigned to that player’s role. The guitarist gets the guitar chart, the singer gets the lead sheet, the horns get their part.
4. Each player keeps their own place. From that point on, the chart is yours. You turn your own pages and sit where you want to sit.
5. Follow without being locked to the leader. Following does not mean being locked to the current song. Any musician can browse the full band library, look ahead to another chart or add an annotation while the show continues. If the master calls a new song while you're working elsewhere, syncMNFST lets you know. One tap takes you straight back to the live song. So every musician is free to move around their own music, while the band still has one shared answer to the question that matters: what are we playing now?

Change the setlist during the gig

A synced setlist does not have to be a fixed setlist.

If the room changes, a request comes in or the bandleader simply wants to go somewhere else, they can call another song immediately. There is no need to reorder the set first or tell every musician where to go. The leader picks the song and every connected iPad follows, showing each player the right chart.

That is what live setlist sync means in syncMNFST: change the song once, and the whole band is ready for the count-in.

No single point of failure

Master is a role, not a piece of hardware. Any player in the band can take over as master.

That matters more than it sounds. If the leader’s iPad runs out of battery, gets knocked off a stand, or overheats in the sun or simply stops cooperating, the show does not stop. Someone else takes over as master and keeps calling songs. The rest of the band never leaves the stage.

It also covers the ordinary cases. The singer runs the ballad section, the drummer counts the medley, the leader hands over while they change an instrument. Whoever is steering the set can hold the master role for as long as it makes sense, and pass it on when it stops making sense.

Works with the iPads you already have

There is no dedicated hardware to buy and nothing to rack. syncMNFST runs on any iPad with iPadOS 17 or newer: iPad, iPad Air, iPad Pro and iPad mini.

• Mixed lineups are fine. An old iPad Air next to a new iPad Pro is a normal band. They sync the same way.
• Backups count. Your iPhone can be your backup. Pair it as a follower and it will follow the master's song changes, showing your song information, chart or lyrics. If your iPad becomes unavailable during a gig, your phone is already in your pocket.
• Preparation happens elsewhere. You build the repertoire and the sets in the web app on a laptop, then the iPads pull it in before you leave the house.

Setup is straightforward. The web app setup guide covers the band, the roles and the charts; the iPad pairing guide covers everything from there to your first synced set.

Where this fits

Live sync is one part of a bigger picture. Bands that gig regularly also need charts that differ per player and a system that keeps working when the venue’s network does not.

Start here: the setlist app for working bands. From there you can read about the offline setlist app and role-based sheet music.