A Week with Song Sync for Your Media Team

This article follows Song Sync through an ordinary church week, so your media team knows what to expect, what to check and when to step in. For installing Song Sync and every setting, see Song Sync — The App That Keeps Your Media Computer Ready for Sunday.

Note: the Translations card and Log out are in the Mac version (1.0.4). The Windows version (1.0.2) doesn't have them yet.

Thursday: The Set Changes, and Sunday's Folder Follows

On Monday morning, the worship leader builds the setlist for Sunday, 4 October: five songs. The media computer in the booth is set to sync Daily at 4:00 PM. That afternoon, some time between 4:00 and 4:59 PM, Song Sync creates a 2026-10-04 folder with 01 - to 05 - in it, and a notification says "Sunday, Oct 4 is ready" / "5 songs exported to your folder."

At Thursday evening's rehearsal the leader swaps the third song for a different one and moves the opening song down a key. Nobody touches the media computer.

On Friday afternoon, Song Sync's daily sync sees that the setlist changed and rewrites the whole 2026-10-04 folder: the new third song is now 03 -, and the opening song is in its new key. A notification says "Setlist updated" / "5 songs re-exported for Sunday, Oct 4." By Sunday, the folder has been right for two days.

(A computer set to sync On Saturday only would pick up both the new setlist and the change in one go on Saturday afternoon.)

On Sunday at 9:30 the leader changes one more song. Whoever is at the media computer clicks the Song Sync icon in the menu bar (or tray) and chooses Sync Now. A minute or two later the folder is right. This only works if the computer is on and Song Sync is running, so leave it running.

A Service in Two Languages (Mac)

A church sings in English with Spanish on the screen. (The same works for Russian or any other language you translate into.)

1. During the week, a translator adds each song's Spanish text and ticks Published (see Adding a Translation to a Song). A translation still marked as a draft never goes to Song Sync.
2. On the projection Mac, the Translations card is set to Language: Español and Placement: Original on top. The Preview shows the first line of a song in both languages, stacked the way they'll appear.
3. On Saturday, someone looks at the Next up list. Four songs show "Español ✓"; one shows "original only", with the note "1 of 5 songs has no Español translation yet — those sync with their original words, so nothing on screen goes blank."
4. The translator publishes that last song. Publishing a translation counts as a change, so the next sync picks it up. Or click Sync Now straight away.

Meanwhile, the livestream computer stays on Original only: each computer keeps its own language and placement. A congregation that reads mainly the translation might choose Translation only instead.

If your projection computer runs Windows, it shows the original words only until the Windows version gets the Translations card.

Two Computers, Two Jobs

The sanctuary has a projection computer running ProPresenter, and a second computer runs the livestream.

• Both pair with the same code from the Song Sync tab. Two computers is the most a church can pair at once.
• Each chooses its own folder, format and schedule: the projection computer syncs ProPresenter (.pro) Daily at 4:00 PM, and the livestream computer syncs PDF (.pdf) so its operator can follow along. On a Mac with version 1.0.4, each also has its own language.
• When the livestream laptop is replaced, the new one shows "This account has reached its computer limit." Revoke the old laptop under Paired devices first. Logging out on the old laptop isn't enough; it still counts until it's revoked.

Every computer gets every setlist. Song Sync doesn't sort setlists by team, room or campus: each paired computer receives every setlist in your church's look-ahead window (3 weeks unless you change it). And if two setlists have the same date, such as two services on one Sunday, they share one date folder, and the one synced last replaces the other.

The Volunteer Who Only Opens ProPresenter

Sunday's volunteer doesn't know or need to know about Song Sync. They know ProPresenter.

Set up once, by your media lead:

• Format: ProPresenter (.pro).
• Sync Folder: a folder the team already uses with ProPresenter, so the files are where the volunteer expects them.

On Sunday, the volunteer opens the folder named with today's date (the Song Sync menu's Open Folder gets them there) and brings the numbered .pro files into ProPresenter in order: 01, 02, 03. Each is already in the right arrangement and key.

Song Sync doesn't open ProPresenter or add anything to it on its own. It only keeps the files in the folder current.

Spotted a typo on a slide? Fix it in the song's chart in TimelyChurch, so the next sync carries it everywhere. Don't save an edited copy back into the synced date folder: that folder is rewritten the next time the setlist changes, and anything else in it is deleted.

ProPresenter is the only presentation program Song Sync has its own format for. The other formats (PowerPoint, PDF, slide images and plain text) are standard files.

Before Sunday: A Checklist

On Saturday, or the last day before the service:

1. The media computer is on, and the Song Sync icon is in the menu bar (Mac) or the tray (Windows). If the computer restarted this week, open Song Sync once; it doesn't start by itself.
2. The main window shows Connected and a recent "Last synced …" (the menu says Up to date).
3. The Upcoming list shows Sunday's setlist with the right number of songs.
4. Open Folder, open Sunday's date folder, and check that the files are numbered in the order you'll play them.
5. Two-language service: check that Next up names Sunday's setlist, and look for any song marked "original only".
6. Changed something since the last sync? Click Sync Now.
7. No hand-edited files are sitting inside the date folder.
8. On the Devices page, the Paired devices list shows a recent "Last seen" for each computer.

On Sunday morning:

1. A late change? Choose Sync Now from the Song Sync menu, then check the folder.
2. Leave Song Sync running. Closing its window is fine; choosing Quit Song Sync stops it.

Related Articles

• Song Sync — The App That Keeps Your Media Computer Ready for Sunday — installing, pairing and every setting
• Adding a Translation to a Song — writing and publishing translations
• Building Setlists — putting Sunday's set together
• Stand Link — The Tablet That Lives on the Music Stand — the look-ahead window Song Sync shares