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Setlists

Setlists · Build setlists from your songs in one or more sets, link them to gigs, print them and play from them in stage mode.

What it's for

A setlist is the running order for a gig or rehearsal: songs split into sets, with breaks and notes in between. Pulse adds up the length of each set, shows the setlist on every event it is linked to, prints a big stage copy and has a full-screen stage mode with chords and charts.

When to use it

  • You plan the running order for a gig.
  • Several gigs use almost the same program – copy a setlist and adjust it.
  • You want a printed sheet for the floor, or the songs and chords on a tablet on stage.
  • Members ask which songs to prepare for the next rehearsal.

How to

Create a setlist

  1. Open Setlists and select New setlist.
  2. Enter the Setlist title, for example Summer tour 2026.
  3. Add songs from the Song library: search, then select + next to a song, or drag it into a set. A check mark shows songs already in the setlist.
  4. Or type song numbers into Quick add by song number, for example 1, 4, 7-9, and select Add.
  5. Select Save. The total number of songs and the length are shown next to the title.

Result: The setlist is saved and stays open for more changes. If you try to leave with unsaved changes, Pulse asks first.

Sets, breaks, notes and order

  1. Select Set next to the quick add to start a new set. The library adds songs to the set shown in Adds to set … – select a set to make it the target.
  2. Drag songs by their handle to change the order or move them to another set. On a phone, press and hold before dragging.
  3. In a set, select Break to add a break (15:00 by default – change the length and label) or Note for a reminder such as "announce the raffle".
  4. For each song you can choose the singer (No vocalist by default) and add short Notes.
  5. Use the trash icon on a set to remove it, or the × on a row to remove one item. Then select Save.

Result: Each set shows its number of songs and its length, breaks included. Empty sets are dropped when you save.

Print a setlist

  1. Open the setlist.
  2. Select Print and choose your printer or Save as PDF.

Result: A clean page without menus: large song titles with song numbers and keys, sets with their lengths, and breaks and notes – good for taping to the floor.

Copy (clone) a setlist

  1. Open Setlists.
  2. Select the copy icon (Clone) on the setlist you want to reuse.
  3. The copy, named "… (copy)", opens. Select Edit to rename it and change the songs.

Result: The copy has the same sets, songs, breaks, notes and singers. Changes to the copy don't affect the original.

Play from stage mode

You need: A setlist with at least one song or break. Chords or a chart for the songs make it most useful – see Songs.

  1. Open the setlist (or the event) and select Stage mode.
  2. The screen turns dark and shows one song at a time: its number in the set, title, key, tempo, singer and notes, then its chords – or, if it has no chords, its first PDF or image chart.
  3. Go to the next or previous song with Next / Previous, by swiping left or right, or with the arrow keys. A foot pedal that sends Page Down / Page Up first scrolls a long chart, then moves on.
  4. Use − / + to transpose the chords and the letter buttons to change the text size. The bottom bar shows what comes next.
  5. Select the full-screen button to hide the browser bars, and Exit to go back.

Result: The top bar shows the set, your position (for example 5 / 18) and the time. A sun icon means the screen will stay on. Charts are loaded in advance, so a weak signal on stage matters less.

Permissions and limits

  • Seeing setlists and using print and stage mode needs View setlists (all default roles: Band Admin, Band Manager, Band Member, Dep / Guest and Road Crew).
  • Creating and cloning needs Create setlists; changing and deleting needs Edit setlists. By default only Band Admin and Band Manager have them.
  • Linking a setlist to an event needs Edit events (Band Admin and Band Manager by default).
  • Songs and their chords in stage mode are shown only to people who can also see songs.
  • An admin can switch setlists off for the whole band in band settings (Enable setlists); the pages then say that setlists are turned off.

Examples

Wedding: two sets and dinner break

Create the setlist, quick add the first set's numbers, add a Break of 45:00 labelled Dinner, select Set and quick add the second set. The set lengths show at once whether you fill the agreed time.

Same program for a whole tour

Build one setlist and link it to every gig of the tour. For a festival with a shorter slot, Clone it, remove a few songs and link the copy to that gig.

Chords on a tablet

Before the gig, open the event and select Stage mode while you still have good signal, so the charts load. On stage, turn on full screen and step through the songs with a foot pedal or by swiping.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving the editor without selecting Save – the changes are lost if you choose Discard changes.
  • Adding songs to the wrong set. Check Adds to set … above the library, or drag the song where you want it.
  • Changing a setlist that several gigs share when only one gig should change. Clone it first and link the copy to that gig.
  • Expecting a song's chords in stage mode when only a recording was uploaded. Stage mode shows chords, or else a PDF or image chart.

Troubleshooting

I don't see Stage mode.
It appears only when the setlist contains at least one song or break. Edit the setlist and add songs.
Quick add says "Unknown song number".
No song in the library has that number. Check the number in Songs or add the song from the library instead.
A song is missing from the song library in the editor.
Archived songs are hidden there. Open the song and select Unarchive, then reload the editor.
The screen turns off during stage mode.
Some browsers can't keep the screen on – the sun icon in the top bar is missing then. Turn off auto-lock in your phone or tablet settings for the gig.
"Setlists are turned off" is shown.
An admin has switched setlists off for the band. They can turn on Enable setlists in band settings.