Software for stage managers/iPad

[chausman]

What a difference four years makes - refurbished wifi-only iPads can be routinely had on Apple's web site for $350 - and with 10 hours of battery life, it would be a marathon production to outlast one

There is one stage manager app with mediocre reviews: ShowTool SM for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes App Store

Also, I have seen the Bento database application mentioned in a few other threads - they also have an excellent iOS app and it's pretty easy to move databases between iOS devices and Bento - you can create pretty powerful stuff fairly easily. A cue list manager would be fairly simple - in fact I think I may just finally get Bento and work on one myself...

Or...more fun iPad 2's can be had for $499.00 + applicable tax!

I don't think iPads are robust enough for theater yet. Even though I do have one (typing from one right now) an have use it for taking notes

 

[shiben]

Or...more fun iPad 2's can be had for $499.00 + applicable tax!

I don't think iPads are robust enough for theater yet. Even though I do have one (typing from one right now) an have use it for taking notes

Because all of us have 500 smacks plus 50 a month for 3G just kicking it... Now if I could find a highly paid job...

 

[MarshallPope]

Or...more fun iPad 2's can be had for $499.00 + applicable tax!

I don't think iPads are robust enough for theater yet. Even though I do have one (typing from one right now) an have use it for taking notes

I would disagree. I think they are entirely capable of being used, assuming it isn't in such a critical situation that an app crash will cause disaster in the 15 seconds that it takes to restart it. I have only had reason to use mine for a couple of shows thus far, primarily for sound notes, but it has worked well for me. I like to make sure to back up whatever notes I have on my iPad to my iPhone just in case something goes wrong so I won't be completely stranded, but there have been no problems yet.

 

[chausman]

Because all of us have 500 smacks plus 50 a month for 3G just kicking it... Now if I could find a highly paid job...

Who needs 3G?

I would disagree. I think they are entirely capable of being used, assuming it isn't in such a critical situation that an app crash will cause disaster in the 15 seconds that it takes to restart it. I have only had reason to use mine for a couple of shows thus far, primarily for sound notes, but it has worked well for me. I like to make sure to back up whatever notes I have on my iPad to my iPhone just in case something goes wrong so I won't be completely stranded, but there have been no problems yet.

I think they are stable enough, but after spending a couple hundred dollars (see above), I'd hate to drop it or get it too scratched.

 

[MarshallPope]

I think they are stable enough, but after spending a couple hundred dollars (see above), I'd hate to drop it or get it too scratched.

Good point. It depends on environment. If I were in a middle school or even a high school, no way. However, I work (primarily) in a university PAC, where both me and my TD have iPads, and there is a bit more care and respect for equipment than in some venues. Mine also lives in its sleeve wnenever it isn't being used, and i use the sleeve as a padded base on top of a console or a music stand. Though, I have found that they can take some abuse. I was leaving class one day and forgot to zip up the sleeve. I noticed as it started to slide out, but only had time to crouch down some to mitigate damage. It fell a couple of feet and slid across a tile floor on its backside and only received a couple of microscopic scratches in the aluminum.

(And now that this is significantly off topic...)

 

[EricE]

I think they are stable enough, but after spending a couple hundred dollars (see above), I'd hate to drop it or get it too scratched.

Well, I've dropped mine a couple of times with no ill effects. You can't play frisbee with it, but it's not a delicate piece of china either!

As for scratches - I never understood the fascination and obsession over scratches on portable electronics. Neither my iPhone or iPad are in a case - since it takes away, for me, one of their greatest advantages - their size (mainly the thinness). When I quizz my friends about the reason they obsess over scratches they cite resell value - forget that! If I decide to sell my device, they can take it in the condition its in. If someone buying a used device scratch free they can track down one of the overly obsessive or go get a new one. I bought my portable devices to use and I don't mind if they get scratched in the least.

Indeed, I love my ZaggMate case because it protects the front and doesn't increase the thickness of the iPad that much, while providing a nice real physical keyboard for more intense editing sessions (with two shift keys!). The back of my iPad has gotten scratched up more - if I really was concerned about it I could have put a clear protector on - discount and dollar stores have lots to choose from that are cheap, and of course vendors like Zagg sell them too.

On a related note, I am impressed with the iPhone 4 - in a year of hard use all I have to show for it are two minor scratches on the back, one on the front and a small (small head of pin size) chunk from the bottom near the band where I dropped it out of my car onto a rock. It lives in my jeans pocket and I try to remember to keep metal and other hard objects out of my pocket but I occasionally forget - it handles it all well. My iPad and iPhone 3GS are covered in far more scratches on the back and the iPad has a few dimples in the back (!!) where the soft aluminum deformed. I don't expect them to make the back of a future iPad out of gorilla glass due to weight issues, but I wouldn't mind it from a durability standpoint. The iPhone 4 is a tank!

 

[chausman]

Now go post that on MacRumors and get attacked!

I don't see the overly cautions point of view, but I do like being able to say mine is unscratched.

As far as software (the original topic ) I have used the notes app that comes with the iOS devices extensively, and if you are lucky enough (like I was) almost the entire production team has iPhone 4's, so we could email and share calendar events easily. And, there are several attendance apps for keeping track of rehearsals that seem to have good ratings. Their is the iRFR app for Eos+Congo consoles that can be used to take notes in that cue and see the current cue. And, iBooks is nice for reading scripts. Even if you can't add notes to it. But, you could take notes throughout rehearsal and then scan the "noted" script to use for shows.

Ps, multitasking is very nice!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[EricE]

Now go post that on MacRumors and get attacked!

As far as software ...

All good uses. Here's another one for replacing sheet music. It has some cool features - especially the ability to change key on the fly. You can use a bluetooth pedal to change pages and you can sync multiple iPads with the app so that when the leader changes the page, they all change together - fun stuff:

OnSong for iOS for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes App Store

 

[MarshallPope]

While we're talking about useful iPad apps, I'm a big fan of Slingnote. My TD found it and showed it to my design professor and me, and we have all found it very useful. It has a built-in web browser in which you can circle any web content you want to save and drag it over to a notepad-type thing, where you can add notes and return to the site from where you got the snippet. It is terrific for the research phase of design.

 

[thomp01d]

I recently purchased a NOOK Color for this exact reason. It supports read-only documents, transferable via USB. There is also the QuickOffuce suite via the B&N online store. Also includes web, flash, and email. I work at a large and VERY busy roadhouse during the school year and having all of my production papetwork readily available in one place is invaluable. You can also hack it and run all Android apps. Worried about damage? Get insurance or an extended warranty. Best part? $250.

We have also installed rackmounted computers in the boothes and on deck for this very purpose. Event and personnel management suites such as EMS and EBMS can also reduce a significant amount of SM paperwork.

Still, if you're in a theatre sitiation that is very cue-heavy, for the love of Pete, have a backup.

With a little adjustment to your work practice, you can find a solution. The only thing I print anymore is setup diagrams for crewbs.

 

[JVV]

I installed Good Reader for my Ipad. I think there is a free version and then a more pro paid version. You can use it to notate PDF scripts. So far I have used it to take Design Notes and I worked with a Sound Op that wrote his cues in it. Im not sure I would instruct my students to use it for an SM call script. Then again, I still prefer to draft by hand...

 

[trpullen]

I use the iPad all the time for sheet music. Very nice on a dark stage.

The single greatest thing I have found so far is Office2HD and either a Box.net/Dropbox/GoogleDocs account. It syncs all your docs to the cloud allowing you to access them from the iPad or any desktop. Very handy when working stuff out.