ShowTracker

The ShowTracker Integrated Database Solution is a set of FileMaker Pro™ files designed to aid production sound engineers, assistant/associate sound designers, and pretty much anyone else involved in the sound design process of a typical Broadway or West End musical by tracking and attending to the petty details of paperwork without repetitive and arduous data-entry.

ShowTracker records information on a per-show basis, tracking master equipment lists, sound effects, cables and bundles, RF microphones, mixing console set-up and settings, equipment settings, notes, staffing, boxes, and other feature via twelve interconnected files. Templates and scripts abound in order to effectively produce clear lists, data sheets, and printed labels for just about any facet of the design.

Many designers and associates have, over the years, constructed their own templates in database and spreadsheet applications. However, only a handful have produced a solution with the intent to be as globally appealing as possible. This solution has been developed over the better part of eight years in the hopes that we, too, can offer this as a viable solution to the neverending stack of paperwork. Why repeat data-entry commands in different applications just to change the length of a bundle? Why waste precious labeling tape on cables and breakouts when standard address labels can be fed en masse into your printer? Why scratch up your multi-million dollar mixing console with pencil markings when you can track all the knob positions on the computer?



		WHAT IS IT? The ShowTracker Integrated Database Solution is a set of FileMaker Pro™ files designed to aid production sound engineers, assistant/associate sound designers, and pretty much anyone else involved in the sound design process of a typical Broadway or West End musical by tracking and attending to the petty details of paperwork without repetitive and arduous data-entry. ShowTracker records information on a per-show basis, tracking master equipment lists, sound effects, cables and bundles, RF microphones, mixing console set-up and settings, equipment settings, notes, staffing, boxes, and other feature via twelve interconnected files. Templates and scripts abound in order to effectively produce clear lists, data sheets, and printed labels for just about any facet of the design. Many designers and associates have, over the years, constructed their own templates in database and spreadsheet applications. However, only a handful have produced a solution with the intent to be as globally appealing as possible. This solution has been developed over the better part of eight years in the hopes that we, too, can offer this as a viable solution to the neverending stack of paperwork. Why repeat data-entry commands in different applications just to change the length of a bundle? Why waste precious labeling tape on cables and breakouts when standard address labels can be fed en masse into your printer? Why scratch up your multi-million dollar mixing console with pencil markings when you can track all the knob positions on the computer? Because it is written in FileMaker Pro™, ShowTracker is completely cross-platform. Windows-optimized layouts and Macintosh-specific scripts have been included to provide your design staff with the easiest, most direct way of generating paperwork. Please note that FileMaker Pro™ is not included with the Solution; the Solution is merely a collection of files with pre-programmed templates, layouts, fields, and scripts; and that a basic understanding of database structure is necessary to fully utilize the features within. ShowTracker is and always will be a work-in-progress. Every attempt is made to ensure that all functions will work properly on any computer system, but mistakes are made; it's not like we have a team of programmers working on the Solution five days a week. That's where you, the user, comes in. If you find a problem or have an idea for a function, all you need to do is send an e-mail to me, and I'll fix it or add it to the list of ongoing improvements. This Solution can only improve with feedback from actual users.
		HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? Showtracker is available for USD $200.00. This gets you the current release version, downloadable from this website, and allows you to download revisions as they become available. Technical support is of course free and just a click away; we strive to answer questions with as much alacrity as possible. Note that the current release version is a locked file; due to the complex nature of the Solution and the amount of blood, sweat, tears, and cigarette smoke that have gone into developing the solution, we cannot provide unlock codes. If there is something that you must change, e-mail the developer.
		WHAT DO I NEED TO USE IT? A computer. Windows™ or Macintosh™. FileMaker Pro™ version 5.0 or higher. A basic understanding of relational databases is, to quote Martha Stewart, a good thing. ShowTracker will not design your show for you, though, so an idea of what needs to happen on a large-scale production would also be a good idea.
		WHAT DOES EACH FILE IN THE SOLUTION DO?
		WHAT HAVE WE IMPROVED/FIXED/CHANGED/ADDED IN VERSION 4.5?