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RESPONSES TO USER COMMENTS
bsmk: Locking the device normally (using the button on top of the iPhone/iPod) prevents SynchStep from working. Just remember to tap the "lock" icon within SynchStep INSTEAD of the hardware lock button on the top of your device.
The Music Head If you want more of your songs to work with SynchStep, simply download SynchStep Prep from sycnhstep.com to analyze all of your songs at your own leisure. I might add the tempo selector to the start screen to make it easier for you to choose a tempo, though devices that support multi-tasking already solve this issue. Thanks for your feedback.
Q. SynchStep uses a limited number of songs. Why?
A. This is an issue for SynchStep and Cadence. We use a service called EchoNest to find tempos. If the tempo is not on EchoNest, we can't use the song. I currently have 1.4 million song tempos in my database, and EchoNest is expanding it's library very quickly. Only SynchStep, however, will grab new tempos for your songs and pass them on to you automatically.
Q. Why can't I use the BPM tags I already have in iTunes?
A. SynchStep Prep - free for Mac and for windows - will do this for you. Get it here.
Q. How fast will my songs be analyzed?
A. I'm currently processing about 4,000 songs per hour, BUT NOT ALL TEMPOS ARE AVAILABLE on EchoNest, so not all of your songs will get analyzed automatically. SynchStep Prep, a free application for Mac and (soon) Windows, allows you to analyze all of your songs instantly.
Quickstart guide
- In the settings, choose the playlists you'd like SynchStep to use.
- Close the settings and hit the giant "Start" button.
- Place your iPhone/iPod in your front pants pocket or in your armband.
- When you hear a startup sound, SynchStep has begun detecting your pace.
- You'll hear a metronome start shortly. It should match your walking / running speed.
- Soon, a song will begin to play. Continue walking / running at the song's speed to keep that song playing.
- To change to a faster / slower song, run or walk faster /slower for about 10-15 seconds. The current song will fade out slowly and you'll hear a startup sound.
- Also, you can slide the unlock slider on the device and choose the tempo you want to listen to.
- Press the lock icon INSTEAD of the lock button on top of your iPhone / iPod.
- If a song doesn't match the metronome or your speed, you can fix it by tapping 'Fix' in the upper-right.
- The SynchStep server will continue to analyze your songs even when you aren't using Synchstep; the SynchStep application will download new tempos when they become available.
Use an armband! Synchstep is significantly more accurate with a tight-fitting armband.
What does the lock icon do?
Locking the device normally (using the button on top of the iPhone/iPod) prevents SynchStep from working.
The lock button shows a lock screen similar to the normal lock screen, but allows SynchStep to continue working.
Just remember to use the lock button INSTEAD of the hardware lock button on the top of your device.
Synchronizing with iPod
If you add or remove songs from your device using iTunes, you need to synchronize SynchStep with your iPod. Hit the iPod icon on the start screen to do this.
What does 'Fix' mean?
Song tempos are computed by the amazingly awesome SynchStep server, but they aren't always accurate (sorry). If a song has an incorrect tempo (it doesn't match your pace), simply hit the 'Fix' button in the upper-right.
How to fix a song's tempo
In the settings, you can access all of the songs on your iPod and change their tempos. Go to 'Manually fix song tempos' or hit 'Fix' when a song is playing, and pick the playlist that has the song you want to change. The song will play, and you just tap the song's beat anywhere on the screen. Continue beating up your screen until you hear a cheery sound that lets you know the tempo has been saved. The new tempo is saved to the SynchStep server as well.
Metronome is right, song is wrong
If the metronome matches your pace, but the song that plays does NOT, that song has an incorrect tempo. Tap 'Fix' to tap the correct tempo for the song.
I don't hear a metronome
If you don't hear a metronome fairly quickly (within 10-15 seconds)...
- Is the device in your front-pants pocket or in an armband?
- Are your pants excessively baggy? The closer the device is to your leg, the more accurate it will be.
- Sometimes the accelerometer fails to initialize on the iPhone 3G. Try quitting SynchStep and re-opening it a few times. Annoying, I know. Working on a fix for this one.
- Is your phone on mute (the iPhone's little silencer switch on the side prevents sound effects from playing)?
- Is the volume up high enough (use the volume adjustment on the side of the device)?
- Are you walking?
- Is SynchStep running?
- Are you still reading this? I'm out of suggestions at this point, so I'm just making them up.
- Do you have an iPhone or iPod?
- Are you human?
- Are any of us human?
- Wait.. where am I?
Some of my songs are missing
You probably just need to hit the little iPod icon in the upper-right on the start screen. SynchStep won't automatically synchronize with your iPod's music; you need to manually tell it to do this when you make changes.