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Some Hints for Using SongPro 4

Look & Listen Multimedia 20 Manor Road Ruislip Middlesex HA4 7LB

All SongPros purchased after February 2007 will install on Windows Vista (and this should be stated on the reverse of the case). If you have an older disc (pre April 2007) a replacement Vista compatible disc will need to be purchased by going on www.creationsoftware.com web site. You will need your Registration Key which can be found on the rear of the CD case or by doing help and about on the existing software. Then on the left hand side of the web site where it says Click here to register your SongPro enter your Registration Key. Having registered come out of the web site. Go back in again and put in your Registration Key again by using Click here to register your SongPro and there will be a new button called Order a replacement disc. (This is also used to replace lost discs). When the Vista compatible disc arrives 1) Install under "Program Files\SongPro" not "C:\SongPro" "Program Files\SongPro" is now default. 2) Right-click on the SongPro icon and click "Run as Administrator". if you dont do this it will tell you to do it! 3) Click "Allow" in user account control pop-up. 4) Click "view-options-media" and switch "ABDEF" on. this should automatically be set. Note: Always save plans or any user data in the Data folder (C:\Users\Public\SongPro)

IT IS ESSENTIAL TO HAVE WINDOWS XP SERVICE PACK 2 ON YOUR COMPUTER re XP Find My computer by doing Start, then right click Properties to see if you have Service Pack 2. If it is not used on the internet, to do the windows update, contact us for a free Win SP2 update disc.

NOTE: DO RING US FOR A TELEPHONE TRAINING SESSION. THE INSTRUCTIONS HELP AFTER THE TRAINING AS A REMINDER OF WHAT HAS BEEN SAID.
(We believe that SongPro is the easiest presentation software to use)

In addition to the new functions of SongPro 4, an important one is that an audio file can be played from the computer at the same time as the words are being shown. This is helpful for a mid-week meeting where there may be a shortage of musicians. Do Media tab, Add, Find the Windows Media Music File. After opening this, there will be an option of choosing a static background image. When music is put on a computer it plays until stopped. This can be done by pressing Q (Q = pause i.e. to queue and press again to continue. R restarts as with the lyrics). Some songs with an introduction will need the media player loop taken off on the Media tab of SongPro. Note to change which video or sound file is being used you need to first do Escape to take the live image off the projector screen. Below the dotted lines are the original instructions for SongPro version 3. The following instructions are the improvements provided by version 4:
It is important to register with Creation Software. They will email you when an update to the e.exe has been released. This is now a self extracting file. Even if the computer used on Sundays is not connected to the internet, the license allows the software to be loaded onto another computer. This can be updated via the internet and then, by using a USB memory stick, the updated self extracting .exe can be copied. NOTE: Please set your computer or laptop to dual screen before opening SongPro 4, as it automatically detects this option. Page 1

a) The main software screen is less populated, and the preview monitor is part of the main screen now. There is a button at the bottom right to select whether this is shown, or the details of verse order, author and other such information is shown. The SongPro 3 Clear Plan button has been replaced by right clicking in the Plan. b) The little picture screen that used to have the button pictures to its left, is now above the word search. To access pictures you can either do View, Pictures or double click on this screen. c) SongPro 4 now has video clips on the hard drive. What needs to be understood is that at the present time, when the programme is loaded, none of these video clips are loaded. They are loaded by the media tab at the top right of the software and by using the add button at the bottom left. To have video background behind words of a song for example, you need to access pictures, load the media folder and then set the relevant one. Note to change which video or sound file is being used you need to first do Escape to take the live image off the projector screen. d) Choosing a Bible selection is also different. As before, do Bible tab, add and type matt3.1 for example, but now click on set start. Repeat with the ending verse, matt3.12 for example, and then click on the ending verse. Then do update. The version can be changed during the service by clicking on the relevant one. To set which version you normally use do View, Options, Bible and click on move position button. e) Changing the size of the text can be slow unless you do show details button at right bottom and press the Pause button on your keyboard then go live again. Changing the size of the text for every song is often needed in low ceiling buildings where a projector is set to 16 x 9 ratio (wide screen) or when a plasma screen is used. f) You are recommended to register on the www.creationsoftware.com web site to receive the updates of the .exe file. They are now a self extracting file that works automatically. g) If you encounter problems with the SongPro software and there is a need to repair or remove it, use the original disc and not the control panel. The most recent .exe updates will need to be pasted in again. h) VIDEO When using a camera, as of June 06 we suggest you use the AVerMedia EZCapture PCI Capture card in a PC. Having plugged the card in the slot and restarted the computer, you will be asked to load the driver software. Afterwards youll also need to do Start, Run and, on the CD drive, find the set up file and double click on that. That will load the actual software file. We suggest you put the icon for the software on the desktop. Open the software and observe that the camera image is being shown, in colour. Then load up SongPro and do File, connect to external source. (If you just do SongPro first, youll have a flickering black and white image). July 10th 2006 we are not satisfied with the video quality of the AVerMedia EZCapture PCI Capture card. The AverMedia AverTV Studio 303P card would not previously work. We have discovered that if you open this software first and then select composite source you can close it and then open SongPro and then continue as below it works and the quality is very good. In SongPro 4, click on the Songs or Liturgy tabs and hit enter to go active. Then go to File, connect external device, press camera in background mode (four buttons top middle of set up screen), then display in the normal way. To set up the text region for the Camera background: View, Pictures, Load folder "Patterns", select the black image which will be the "Camera", adjust the text region by right click with hold on the bottom of the white line and move upwards. Then use left click with hold and move down and Apply. This function is very important for putting the name of the speaker at the bottom of the camera image. To enable for example white text to be shown on all songs, on this previous black
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image, do View, Pictures, Load folder "Patterns", select the black image which will be the "Camera". To set up a font colour for every song, go to View, Pictures, Load folder "Patterns", remembering the black image is the camera. Change the Font Colour on this screen. Remember not to change the font position. To enable this to show on all the songs, do View, Options, Edit, and tick Apply to all items in the tick box. Thence the camera overlay works successfully on all songs. However where you previously show a specific background to go with a song, youll now lose that. When youve finished using the camera, and go back to normal background images, you need to reset the setting to Apply to current item only. As of 09-02-06, with a laptop that has USB2, the Dazzle Digitiser 90 also works. Using Windows Media Files When importing WMV files must make sure that your second monitor is set to 600 by 800 resolution. You can do this by right clicking on the desktop properties>settings then click on monitor 2 and change the resolution. It does not matter what resolution the screen on monitor 1 is. If you dont set screen 2 to 600x800 the words will flicker. DVD - To run a DVD Instructions to follow. 23-10-06 John working on the ability to select a DVD track i) Editing of categories is by right mouse click on the song / notice. j) On alert, you can do a new message by overtyping the existing active message. If you want to have different alerts, click on save to add to the list. k) For the worship group during a mid week practise, it may be useful when the church has a visual foldback monitor, to set up, on the computer/laptop at the back of the church, the songs that they plan to practise. Then with a special radio mouse one of the singers can cause the verses to move. To set up SongPro4 to be able to move to the next song using the mouse, go to View, Options, and tick Continue in Plan. Contact us regarding which mouse will work 50 feet away. I suggest that this change to SongPro is put back to after the practise, as during a service it is too easy to make the mistake of moving to the next item before the right time. NOTE: the new Logitech presenter radio mouse 222Z468 needs to have View, Options and Display options up/down ticked for it to work. Using the mouse is also used by the speaker to advance Bible verses, PowerPoint, the liturgy screen and when liturgy is used as an easy type PowerPoint function. (I recommend that in the first instance before using PowerPoint that a new Liturgy screen is created called Sermon with the relevant date and then the text is pasted into the liturgy screen. Wherever there is a gap, a new bullet point is created and, if different background pictures are needed, create a new one called Sermon part B etc. Therefore a simple PowerPoint type function is created without the complexities of PowerPoint). l) To create new picture files and import of pictures for SongPro4 this has to be done within the software and not via windows explorer. If a very large file size of a picture will not import, I suggest you create a PowerPoint file with the name of the picture and import that into SongPro. This is where the picture only is need and not words over as I needed for a carol service. If someone can show me how to change the file size of a picture please let me know! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Original Hints for Using SongPro 3 that apply to SongPro 4 (Hints specific to SongpPro 3 are in small type in brackets) Initial Start Up. At the first time of starting, you will be asked for the Christian Copyright Licensing number (CCLI number). (This enables authors to be paid for their efforts.) If you dont have one, just click OK. SongPro will work regardless, but you can obtain a CCLI number via the website: www.ccli.co.uk or on 01323 436104.
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1 SONGPRO 4 sets up multimonitor automatically now (In SongPro 3, to set up for dual screen
(multimonitor) go to view, options hardware. The resolution should match that of your projector. If the image on the projector screen is not correct make sure that the resolution of screen 2 on the laptop or PC is the same by doing right click on the desk top, properties, and settings, click on monitor 2 and change the resolution to match that of your projector.)

SONGPRO 4 has all the Bible versions ordered now and you can change instantly between them. (In SongPro 3, t o View, options, Bible can be set up load the version you require.)
SongPro can be loaded onto two computers; with preparation on one, and projection on the other, provided both computers have the same words and pictures. Extra preparation copies are 60 incl. vat each. These are useful in their own right regarding the Bible search as a concordance. (Extra songs can be imported from the floppy disc which is at the back of the Songs Of Fellowship Music Book 2 and the CD of Book 3.)

SongPro backup and transfer instructions 1 If many songs are added it is wise to do File, Save Database onto a memory stick and load it on another computer.

The licence of SongPro covers one laptop/pc (machine) for live use and another for preparation. This is particularly useful where the laptop is being used elsewhere during the week and brought along shortly before the service starts. It is therefore necessary that both machines have the same song database and pictures/media files for the song plan to work when it is restored on the live machine. Also any PowerPoint that is created on the preparation machine will need to be transferred as well. 1 2 Having created the plan, do File, Save Service Plan. I put the file name as the date such as 20-01-07am. Use and not /. Then do File, Save Service Plan As and choose the memory stick as the target. Do this with the Songs Database and PowerPoint. You will need to give the database a name and I use the current date. Regarding pictures and media files if there as many it may be worth as an idea to first create a folder on SongPro file system with the Title New and the data before putting them in the relevant places on SongPro. Then it is easy to save this folder on the memory stick so all the pictures/media files are on the memory stick without leaving one off by mistake. On the live machine do File, Open Database and then do File Save Database and find the SongPro folder on the Hard Drive. (With the database you have to give it a file name again). Do the same with all other files by doing open, find the memory stick and then do save as. With PowerPoint I save it onto My Documents ready for the doing the Add of PowerPoint of the SongPro functions.

Type three words into the search box and right mouse click to add to plan by left mouse click. (Sometimes this may not work if there is a comma, in which case do show all and search for it.) Do show plan and then the order can be changed by left mouse clicking on the yellow area to show a list which allows you to change the order. Save the song plan and give it the date of the service using dash and not slash key (for example Plan 05-0329). 2 The help function is very good. Do 'Import' and print re importing songs. The following is a quick start for trying the software out or preparing for a convention when you are short of time. Convert your existing list of songs into text only. Come out of Word and go back into Word by showing All Files. Highlight the first line of the song. Press and hold Ctrl key then press the C key. Press home, do return and do up arrow key. Type #T. Do return, Press and hold Ctrl key and then press V key. Do return and type #1 (First verse) or #C (for chorus) etc. At the end of the song, type #E. Leave no gap and do #T for the next song etc.
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On SongPro do file and import normal. (If you have problems importing the converted text then save it back from text only to Word format so you can use Show/Hide to see if a tab or a space was put in by mistake. Show / Hide symbol has two vertical lines with a left facing black filled in P. If not there on Word 97 do right mouse click on the top row and tick Standard. On Office 2000 there is a small arrow to show further buttons near % of screen seen. Note this is not the one to the far right.) If you want your songs to be on a separate database to Songs Of Fellowship then do File and Create New Database. This is particularly important when your song is a popular one in which your worship leader has altered a couple of the words. In this instance without the new database it would not be imported or put the initial of your church name after the title. 3 F5 to F11 can change the colour of the print whilst you are using it or in preparing so that the colour of the words does not clash with the background colour. F12 toggles a border around the words and 'O' returns it back to the original colour. 4 The bracket keys to the left of 'return' can change the size of the print. 5 You can use the 'return' key to go into 'display' rather than using the mouse and use the arrow keys to move up and down on the song plan. 6 Down arrow for the next verse. Suggest you do this three words before the end of song as people read in advance. (At the end of the song the down arrow takes the text off as you wait to see what the next song is going to be. Type 'N' for the next song or item, 'R' to go back to the beginning of the song, 'C' for the chorus and number keys for verse number. X to take text off. Z to blank. V for blue background - used for video overlay with a digitiser. (May be a good idea to change this to black. See display commands in Help function.) 7 I add a song and call it A Black Screen no.1 and add another as no. 2 etc. I set the back ground to black and the text to black. I can then put these in the song plan when there is going to be a delay in the worship caused by something happening and I do not want the background image of the song on the screen. 8 With a single screen computer, when a worship leader adds a song during the service I use the remote control of the projector to freeze the image of the background of the last song being used. Then use escape etc to add the song. Do 'display' and unfreeze the projector. Because it is difficult to operate the remote control as well as operating the keyboard software, a special RS232 cable has been developed for Hitachi, NEC and Mitsubishi projectors to be able control the projector from the keyboard. (Some other makes could be done but it is very hard work and the Hitachi projectors are very good with video in broad daylight which is what I believe churches need.) For example: - F2 = Freeze, F3 = Change Source, F4 = Blank screen. To see this function go to View, Options. If you have a multi monitor computer or laptop, go to View, Options, hardware. The control cable is still essential for you can bring up the welcome screen, freeze the image easily and check all the songs Live for size of text, colour of words re the background image I can supply the Control cable and the instructions for Hitachi projectors. Other makes are being developed. I also supply multi monitor (Dual Monitor) laptops which are incredibly useful for churches and compliment the SongPro software very well. See our web site and www.Acer.co.uk for information on the Aspire and Travelmate series which for only 69 incl vat can have a three year warranty. They include our special step by step instructions and a USB transfer device to enable the hard drive to be backed up. We are constantly researching in the audio, visual & IT arenas to ensure that churches & charities get the best value for money whilst being future proofed at the same time.
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9 PowerPoint can be imported via SongPro but if you want to use PowerPoint at the same time as SongPro you can switch between the programs by holding the Alt key down and then press the Tab key. Open the PowerPoint before loading up SongPro. (For multi monitor use you often have to go to Slide Show, Set Up Show and set monitor to Secondary Monitor. To use the mouse to move forward a slide you have to move the cursor onto the projector screen. (Right hand edge?). To go back a slide with right mouse click, do Tools, Options, and un-tick Pop Up Menu on right mouse click. A radio mouse can be used for the whole of SongPro and all you have to do is move the mouse to the right of the screen. Much better than PowerPoint where you have to move it on the projector screen. The liturgy screen can be used instead of PowerPoint in the first instance if moving text is not required. Paste in your bullet points and where ever there is a gap you have a bullet point. (If you want a gap to appear click on the line and press the space bar. Applies to songs as well) If you want a different picture as part of your talk just create another liturgy screen and call that Sermon Pt B. The operator of SongPro just does N for next at the end of part A. 10 A great thing about SongPro 4 is that it contains many versions of the Bible as well as 3,300 songs. Choosing Bible selections is different to the SongPro3 method. As before do Bible tab, add and type matt3.1 for example, but now click on set start. Repeat with the ending verse matt3.12, for example, and then click on ending verse. The version can be changed during the service by clicking on the relevant one. To set which version you normally use do View, Options, Bible and click on move position button.
(In SongPro 3, in order to browse the Bible click on the Bible tab at the top left of the screen then the add button at the bottom. You can search for Bible verses in a similar way to searching for songs, simply type gen3.2 (Geneses Chapter 3 Verse 2) into the Bible

Verses can be added to the plan by doing update, right mouse click, left mouse add. If a series of verses are in the plan you cannot got past the last verse. The text does not appear. To bring up a quoted verse on the fly do back slash and type in the book and verse etc.
search box. To do more than one verse click on the first one and then hold shift down whilst clicking on the last one.)

11 You will also find it very useful to join the SongPro users group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SongProUsers/ or the new forum on http://elitrix.net/songpro/portal.php This will ensure that you always have the latest information and help from other users as well as from Creation Software. A useful resource is www.sermonspice.com where you pay for short themed video downloads and with SP4, N (next) on the keyboard brings up this video clip easily. To add Microsoft Office to an existing computer is expensive, about 350? If you are a charity you can obtain Office XP Pro, which includes 'PowerPoint', 'Word' Excel Publisher etc for 84.60 incl. vat., and is available from:
Citnexus Suite F18, The Old Convent Beeches Green Stroud, GL5 4AD on 0845 338 5 339. www.citnexus.co.uk

Please call them to arrange, rather than using the web site. They are very helpful. Bill Upchurch August 2007 Tel: 01895 624 774 email: bill@llmedia.com

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