Suggestion for MTU, or advice for me.

[ginamon]

Hey there, I have just purchased and started using Hoster and I love it... One thing I would like to see (and if this is already there, please let me know, I read the manual, but learn by doing).

At my shows I have several singers that give me 10 or more songs (even if they don't get to sing them all) at the start of the night, currently I have two plastic containers (in and out boxes, basically)... I pile the sheets in order of rotation. I get about 14-20 singers in my rotation per show, which means that I have a ton of little slips to keep organized. I would love an area to enter all these songs AND Keep my rotation in order... I find it hard to stay organized if I enter them all into the rotation list as I get them, and it screws up my rotation when other singers don't pick their songs until their turn (have a few that do that too)... I would like something like the singers database, but that only lasts one show... that way I can enter slips as they come in and keep my rotation in order...

Also, any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated...

[Roy Dennis]

This is just an idea, may suit you may not. When someone gives you say 6 songs enter them all in the play list but after the first song click skip, then enter the next singers say 4 songs but after his 1st song click skip, do this for all the singers with multiple songs. Now it will jump to the next singer and not the next song. After all have had their 1st song either go back to the top of the list and un skip all their next songs and play again from the top or drag them down one at a time to below the last singer.

There is someone Else's idea in this forum if you search that uses a blackboard and chalk. As a singer signs up he enters his own name on the chalkboard for all to see and the next singer signs in after him, at the end of the list it starts again from the top. Doesn't show his song just rotation. Seems very fair way until someone wants to sing with someone else as well.
I myself prefer to just show the next 3 singers on my next singers list which gives me a chance to juggle them as I see fit.

Roy.

[stublack]

Hey there - This is my suggestion I hope I can make this simple.

1. First of all I don't use slips at all, I've even taken Book ID numbers out
of my song books.

2. I open up a blank Note Pad Or Word Pad and there I keep my rotation.

3. I've imported a song (It doesn't matter what song) and I titled it
PLEASE SELECT A SONG. IE: reinstall the song HELP by the Beatles only
give it the above title.

4. For every singer in the rotation who has not put in a song yet I add the
above track so it shows on the monitor that they need to select a
song.

5. I will take more than 2 requests at a time but always suggest to the
singer 1 or 2 is enough. Once the singers realize that your paperless
(no more little papers to blow around or keep organized) they
know they don't have to even look up the song if they know you
have it and will get the idea.

I hope this helps, I feel the whole idea of becoming computerized is to also to become paperless. I know there are many ways to do this but this works for me.

[ginamon]

Wow, that was quick, thanks for the great suggestions, I think I will combine the two, use the skip button with the "please choose a song" idea... if it gets too messy, I will use a word doc, as suggested...

How did you get rid of slips? I hate the things... Does everyone just come up to you? or do you go table to table? I was thinking of putting a pad of paper up at the front and letting people just write down what they want there, but was unsure how it would work...

Thanks so much for your quick and helpful suggestions.

[Roy Dennis]

What I do myself is ask the singers to only give me one song at a time, then when they come up to sing their song give me their next selection. This way the rotation almost looks after itself.

Roy.

[billyo]

i do same thing as Roy, i only take 1 song slip at a time, when i call their name, that is the time they give me the next song they wanted to sing, and i have 2 separate pile, one for the songs thats been sang and one for the next rotation, and i put them in order as they come.