About BacksideBeat

BacksideBeat is a songbook and performance companion. Write chord charts, organize setlists and ideas, and play along with a synced count-in that speaks section names, counts beats, and plucks chords.

For gigs and rehearsals, host a live session from a setlist so bandmates can join on their own devices. Everyone stays on the same song, count, and transport—the host leads, and joined players follow in real time. See Sets and live sync below.

All your data stays on your device—your data is never sent or stored on BacksideBeat servers. When your catalog is empty, use Create Example Song below to load a demo chart (“Gone”).

Getting started

• Catalog (C) — left sidebar with Songs, Sets, and Ideas tabs. Open from the top-left edge.
• Song Menu (S) — top toolbar when a song, set, or idea is loaded. Open from the top-right edge.
• Global (G) — bottom toolbar for count-chord mode, lyrics, pedals, keyboard synth, and the audio mixer. Open from the bottom edge.
• On your first visit to Help, an overlay highlights the Catalog, Song Menu, and Global edges—click Got it or check Don’t show this again to dismiss.
• View (Ctrl+Alt+K) — formatted chart for performance.
• Edit (E) — plain-text chart editor.
• Help (H) — this screen.
• Fullscreen (F) — Full Screen button in the top bar when a song is loaded.

Catalog (C)

Open from the top-left edge or press C:

• Songs tab — your song library; + Song creates a new song
• Sets tab — ordered setlists for gigs. Select a set to see its songs. Toolbar on the active set: Host, Join, Edit, Del. + Set creates a new setlist
• Ideas tab — drafts with optional recordings; + Idea creates a new idea
• While editing a set: rename it at the top, reorder or remove songs in the list, and add songs from your catalog in the panel below. Sets store references to songs—not separate copies
• Import / Export All (Songs tab footer) — full backup including audio
• Import / Export Set (Sets tab footer) — selected set and its songs
• Import / Export Ideas (Ideas tab footer) — all ideas and recordings

Song Menu (S)

Available when a song, set, or idea is loaded. Open from the top-right edge or press S. Sections appear top to bottom in this order:

• Top bar — app logo, version, and Full Screen (F)
• Metadata — Title, Author, Key, BPM, Time, Bars, Count, estimated duration, Pre-Roll, Transpose, Backing Track (K). Undo / Redo reverse Song Menu settings for this session only (not chart text). Plays count and Reset
• Display — Columns (+ / −), Zoom (View mode only; buttons, pinch on touch devices, or Ctrl+scroll on desktop)
• Playback — Play (Space or double-tap chart), Pause (P while playing), Repeat (R), Skip − (Pg Up), Skip + (Pg Dn), Replay (Home)
• Modes — View (Ctrl+Alt+K), Edit (E), Help (H), then Copy and Share
• Song list — Previous / Next / Delete (labels change to Idea on the Ideas tab)
• Recordings — Ideas tab only, last section: + Recording adds a row; use Record or Add more on each row to capture audio (activates Mic (7)), plus play, download, and delete

Global menu (G)

Open from the bottom edge or press G. Controls appear top to bottom in this order:

• Beat 1 / Beat 1&3 / All Beats (B) — cycle when to play chords during count
• Play Chord / Play Root (N) — toggle count plucks between the full fretted voicing and the lowest root from that voicing (see Chords below)
• Lyrics (L) — lyrics only, hide chords
• Pedals (P when stopped) — assign keyboard or MIDI triggers; see Pedals below
• Keyboard (D) — opens a floating GM synth / sample panel; see Keyboard below
• Advanced (A) — ping delay (1–30 seconds), pedal hold (1–10 seconds), autoscroll on/off (1-column View), row/chord highlight on/off, show count on/off, root note sustain on/off, chord notes sustain on/off (Play Root / Play Chord during count), light/dark theme, and Reset app (Songs catalog only; clears all local data; cannot be undone)
• Mixer (1–8) — Cue, Count, Chords, Ping, Keyboard, Backing, Mic, and Master faders with mute buttons and per-channel routing; see Audio below
• Mixer Profile — dropdown below the channels with Save, New, and Delete; see Profiles under Audio

Writing charts

Charts use plain text:

• Section headers — lines ending with :, e.g. Verse 1: or Chorus:. Optional numbers work on any name (e.g. Bridge 2:). Recognized names: Intro, Verse, Chorus, Refrain, Bridge, Pre-Chorus (Pre Chorus), Post-Chorus (Post Chorus), Outro, Instrumental, Interlude, Solo, Break, Tag, Hook, Ending, Coda, and Vamp
• Chord lines — space-separated chords above lyrics, e.g. G D Em C
• Chord-only lines — leave a blank line after chords, or start a new section
• Inline chords — [G]word embeds a chord in lyrics
• Advanced chords — extensions and alterations such as G7#5b9, Fmaj7#11, Db13sus4, C13#11b9 (Unicode ♯/♭ also work)
• Slash chords — bass note after /, e.g. G/B, D7/F#, E/G#. This is not the same as beat / inside pipes (see below)

 G      G7         C         G
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound

Advanced:

• Pipes — | G C | groups chords that share one count span. Bars sets how long that span is: at Bars 1 in 4/4, one measure’s beats are split across the piped chords (| G C | → 2 beats each); at Bars 2, two measures are split across them (| G C | → 1 bar each)
• Beats — / between spaced tokens inside a pipe extends the chord before it; . is a silent beat. This is beat notation, not a slash chord (G/B has no spaces). With beat notation, Bars multiplies the total beats in the pipe. E.g. Bars 1 in 4/4: | G / / C | → G 3, C 1; Bars 2 in 4/4: | G / / / / / C / | → 8 beats; | G . . . | → G 1, then 3 silent beats
• Dashes — - marks a fixed beat in the pipe and extends the previous chord (not silent). Use adjacent -. for a silent beat (not - .). Ignores Bars and time signature. E.g. | G - | → G 2 beats; | G - - | → G 3 beats; | G -. -. | → G 1 beat, then 2 silent
• Key — Key: G, Key: F#m, Key: Bb; optional chart line (also in Song Menu)
• BPM — BPM: 120, BPM: 168; tempo for count (backing track plays at its native speed)
• Time — Time: 4/4 sets time signature; add x2 for Bars and (1234) for count, e.g. Time: 3/4, Time: 6/8x2, Time: 4/4 (1234), Time: 4/4x2 (1234)

Song Menu metadata fields:

• Undo / Redo — reverse Song Menu settings changes for the current session (per song, in memory; not chart text)
• Title, Author, Key — song metadata
• BPM — tempo for count (backing track plays at its native speed). Use Tap (T) or [ / ] step buttons
• Time — time signature, e.g. 4/4; sets count pattern
• Bars — measures each unpiped chord is held; inside | … |, those measures (or beats, with / and .) are split across the piped chords
• Count — spoken count per beat (empty uses a default for the time signature)
• Pre-Roll — count-in measures before playback starts
• Transpose (Q / W) — shift chords without editing source
• Backing Track (K) — upload, remove, and trim backing audio

Ultimate Guitar paste: paste in Edit; [Verse 1] becomes Verse 1:. Set BPM and Key in the Song Menu if needed.

Play and display

Play (Space or double-tap chart) in the Song Menu Playback section runs pre-roll, then speaks section names, counts beats, and plucks chords or roots (see Play Chord / Play Root in the Global menu). Backing track stays in sync. Pause (P while playing) freezes count and backing; press again to resume. When stopped, P opens Pedals in the Global menu.

• Current section and chord are highlighted during Play (disable row or chord highlight in Advanced); click a section label to jump
• R, Skip −/+, and Replay (Home) are in the Song Menu Playback section
• Pg Up / Pg Dn — while playing: previous/next row; stopped: previous/next song in the catalog list
• B — cycle Beat 1 / Beat 1&3 / All Beats in the Global menu
• 1-column View auto-scrolls during Play (disable in Advanced)
• Columns and Zoom are in the Song Menu Display section; Zoom appears in View mode only
• Lyrics (L) — in the Global menu

Audio (1–8)

Upload and manage backing tracks in the Song Menu metadata row (Backing Track, K). Mixer channels are in the Global menu Mixer section. Backing levels stay per song; mic mute is session-only (resets on reload). Each channel has a fader and mute button. Cue–Ping and Keyboard use Stereo / Left / Right output; Mic uses Mon Off / Mon Stereo / Mon Left / Mon Right for monitoring. Master (8) is the final output stage after all channel faders:

• 1 Cue — spoken section names
• 2 Count — spoken beat numbers
• 3 Chords — count-in plucks and chord-modal previews (see Chords below for voicing; tone from Keyboard Inst / Sample)
• 4 Ping — while nothing is playing, plucks the first chord’s root on a configurable interval (1–30 seconds in Advanced) in the middle-C octave (defaults to middle C if no song or chords). Unmute Ping (4) or press 4 to enable; mute to turn off
• 5 Keyboard — live GM synth and sample play via MIDI (works when the panel is closed), QWERTY, and on-screen piano. Click Keyboard (5) or press 5 to mute/unmute
• 6 Backing — uploaded track (upload in Song Menu with K; mute and volume in Global). Click Backing (6) or press 6 to mute/unmute
• 7 Mic — microphone input. Starts muted with Mon Off. Click Mic (7) or press 7 to unmute and allow access; Record or Add more on an idea recording also activates the mic for capture. Recordings are always captured in stereo. Mon Off keeps the mic available for recording without live output. Mon Stereo, Mon Left, and Mon Right route live mic audio through the fader to your output—useful with headphones or a stereo splitter. Live monitoring through mains, PA speakers, or open room monitors can cause feedback; keep Mon Off or use headphones in those situations.
• 8 Master — final output stage after all channel faders. Left and right faders; Linked (default) moves both together, Unlinked trims L and R independently. Click Master (8) or press 8 to mute/unmute all output—including mic monitor.
• Hardware — after Master: Mic Input selects the microphone device (mono); Master Out picks the stereo output device. Output routing requires browser support for device selection.
• Profiles — Mixer Profile dropdown below the channels. Switch setups (e.g. different hardware or monitor routes). The first profile is Default; rename it, create new profiles with New, or delete extras with Delete. Fader, routing, and hardware changes apply immediately but are stored in the active profile only when you click Save; switching profiles with unsaved changes asks for confirmation

Backing tracks play at their native speed. Set BPM to match the count; chart BPM: lines change tempo without affecting the backing track.

• Left / Right routing — send cue to one ear and backing to a PA via a stereo splitter (separate L/R, not a headphone duplicator)
• Bluetooth adds latency and cannot split channels—use wired headphone or USB audio

Sets and live sync

On the Sets tab in the Catalog, build ordered setlists. Each shows estimated duration and song count. Select a set to use Host and Join in the set toolbar, or Edit to rename, reorder, remove, and add songs.

A setlist is an ordered list of songs from your catalog. If you open a song from a set and edit its chart, metadata, transpose, or backing track, you are changing the song itself—the same song on the Songs tab and in every other set that includes it. Removing a song from a set only removes it from that setlist; it does not delete the song from your library.

Live sync with a set selected:

• Host — share a QR/link; you control song, count, and transport
• Join — open a host link or paste a room code
• Tap OK when prompted to start following the host
• Leave session to disconnect; joiners are follow-only (host leads playback)

Ideas and Share

• Ideas — like songs, plus optional recordings. Create with + Idea on the Ideas tab in the Catalog. Manage recordings in the Song Menu Recordings section (last section, Ideas tab only). + Recording adds a row; click Record or Add more on that row to activate Mic (7) and capture audio. Leave monitoring on Mon Off unless you need to hear yourself (see Audio for feedback cautions).
• Share — link or QR with chart and settings (backing tracks do not transfer via link, use Host / Join for that); button in the Song Menu Modes section, after View / Edit / Help
• Copy — copies the formatted chart with current transpose; button in the Song Menu Modes section

Keyboard (D)

Press D or choose Keyboard (D) in the Global menu to open a floating, draggable synth panel. Live play routes through the Keyboard (5) mixer channel; count-in plucks and chord-modal previews use Chords (3); the root ping uses Ping (4). Drag the panel header to reposition it—panel position is saved globally. Inst (tone), octave, effects, monophonic mode, sample library selection, and MIDI preference are stored in named profiles at the bottom of the panel (see Profiles below).

• Inst — General MIDI program for synth tone (not fretted voicing; see Chords below). − / + step to the previous or next program (wraps at either end). Choosing a new instrument clears an active sample and returns to the GM synth
• Sample — opens the sample library. Upload WAV or MP3 files; each sample defaults to root C4 and you can set root note and octave per row (e.g. G2). Use selects a sample for live keyboard play and count-in plucks; Play previews at that sample's root; rename inline; Delete removes from the library. Clear Active deselects the sample. The button shows a check mark when a sample is active. Sample audio is stored locally in your browser
• On-screen piano — tap or slide across keys while holding (mouse or touch), or use QWERTY: white keys Q W E R T Y U (C through B); black keys 2 3 5 6 7. Wider screens add more keys to fill available width (up to 88)
• Pitch and Mod wheels — vertical drag controls on the left of the playboard; apply to GM synth and samples (including vibrato rate from Mod rate)
• Mod rate — toggle Hz / BPM sync; in BPM mode, use − / + to set vibrato cycles per beat
• Octave — default 5 (range 1–7); shifts keyboard notes and count-in chord plucks together
• Monophonic — when enabled, only one note can sound at a time on the live keyboard (new notes cut off the previous voice)
• Compress + Squash — optional GM compressor (off by default for new users); Reverb + Level — optional GM reverb (off by default). These apply to the GM synth only, not uploaded samples
• Enable MIDI — route notes, pitch bend, modulation, and sustain (CC64) from a connected MIDI keyboard (works even when the panel is closed)
• Profiles — dropdown at the bottom to switch setups (e.g. piano vs organ vs a specific sample library). The first profile is Default; rename it, create new profiles with New, or delete extras with Delete. Changes apply immediately but are stored in the active profile only when you click Save; switching profiles with unsaved changes asks for confirmation
• Trigger — optional keyboard or MIDI trigger to jump to this profile. Choose Tap (default, fires on press) or Hold (fires after continuous hold; duration set in Advanced, default 2 seconds) before Capture, then press a key or send a MIDI event; the binding saves automatically to the active profile. Clear removes it (click Save to persist). Triggers work when the panel is closed; MIDI switches require Enable MIDI
• While the panel is open, piano key bindings take priority (Q–U, 2 3 5–7 — e.g. Q plays C instead of transposing down). Digits 0–9 and O P are also disabled so mixer mutes and pedals do not fire while playing. All other shortcuts still work. Esc closes the sample library or keyboard panel

Chords

Click any chord in View to open a centered chord modal with note names, a fretted diagram, piano keyboard, staff notation, ▶ Play preview, and the Instrument / Voicing dropdown on the fretted diagram.

• Instrument / Voicing — dropdown on the fretted diagram; Guitar, Bass, Ukulele, Mandolin, Banjo, or Piano. Sets fingerings, tuning, and which notes count-in plucks use—the same symbol can be voiced differently on each instrument. Root dots mark the chord root. Piano uses staff voicing for plucks; the left-panel guitar diagram stays as a visual reference. Saved globally for all songs.
• Play Chord / Play Root (N) — Global menu toggle; Play Chord plucks every note in the diagram voicing, Play Root plucks only the lowest root from that voicing. In Advanced, Root Note Sustain and Chord Notes Sustain hold notes like a sustain pedal until the next pluck (both default on)
• Keyboard Inst / Sample — GM synth tone or an active uploaded sample (see Keyboard above); not which pitches are plucked. Octave on the Keyboard panel shifts pluck pitch up or down
• Piano / staff diagrams — when a fretted instrument is selected, the piano keyboard and staff panels are reference only; when Piano is the diagram instrument, staff voicing drives plucks

Pedals (P)

Press P when stopped or choose Pedals (P) in the Global menu to assign keyboard or MIDI triggers. Triggers work when inputs are not focused.

• Profiles — dropdown to switch setups (e.g. different foot pedals or keyboards). The first profile is Default; rename it, create new profiles with New, or delete extras with Delete. Captures and the MIDI toggle save automatically to the active profile
• Bindings — choose Tap (default, fires on press) or Hold (fires after continuous hold; duration set in Advanced, default 2 seconds) per action, then click Capture and press a key or send a MIDI event to bind. Click Clear to remove
• Enable MIDI — route triggers from connected MIDI inputs
• Actions — Play / Stop, Pause / Resume, Repeat, Replay, Skip −/+, Previous / Next Song, BPM −/+, and Tap. Previous / Next Profile sit above the list and apply to every pedal profile

Keyboard shortcuts

Troubleshooting

• USB audio drops on mobile — Some phones and tablets drop external USB audio interfaces when the app is silent for a while. Unmute Ping (4) in the mixer so a soft root note plays periodically while idle; that keeps the audio path active. Adjust the interval in Advanced (1–30 seconds).
• No sound from USB audio on mobile — On some phones and tablets, the app must finish loading before the external USB interface is available. Wait until the app is fully open, then plug in your interface. If it was already connected when you launched the app and you hear nothing, unplug it and plug it back in after the app has loaded, then pick it under Master Out in the mixer Hardware section if needed.

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