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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 330
Journeyman
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OP
Journeyman
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 330 |
I'm relatively a novice with most of the "new " technology...basic cell phone use and computer.
I'm looking for a device to store all my current printed music; lyric/chord sheets (word documents) and my BIAB lead sheets that I currently print out and have in a notebook at gigs.
Any recommendations for an electronic "pad" of some sort (I'm a microsoft user) that I could download lyric and lead sheets from my computer (my documents and BIAB)?
As always your help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Frank R
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Joined: Dec 2003
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if you already own a laptop computer then/than you are all set to boogie.
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 330
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 330 |
Thanks Don but I don't have a laptop and I'm looking for something smaller...possibly to attach to a music stand?
Frank
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Joined: Jul 2000
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You've probably come across this PDF device, the Music Reader: http://www.musicreader.net/I have not seen it, much less used it, but I know they are being sold off at prices less than half of what they were when it was introduced. This is likely because of the advent of the iPad and other tablets.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Joined: Jan 2003
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Check Craigslist for a "tablet" type of PC and see if there is an app that will handle your music format. Buyer beware on Craigslist though. Try before you buy is a good motto to have.
It will depend on what format you are wanting to save your music sheets as. Have you checked the PG Main web site to see which other applications work with Biab? They might have an idea for a hardware solution as well.
Trax
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Any tablet can display PDF files (as does the Music Reader).
You can always generate a PDF file for anything you can print, by substituting CutePDF or equivalent for your regular printer.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Joined: Sep 2003
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I have a 7" tablet and have sort of used it with the piano. It's ok if I pretty much know the piece and want a crutch. I really can't see it well enough with or without glasses to use it well. I found that when I put the same file on a larger tablet in the store I could see it well.
With a computer you can convert scans or photo's of music to .pdf's, but I have found it's hard to find stuff once you get a lot of it.
Once scanned I'd use dropbox or something like that so that you can get ahold of your stuff from a distance.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Joined: May 2005
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I use a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to store tunes. The equivalent of at least a dozen fake books is stored in the Tab. I know a lot of tunes, but there's always a few tunes that are rarely played that get requested. It's worth it to have all those tunes available. In most of the tablets out now, you can store lead sheets in any way you want. Vocal sets and instrumental sets or one large file with all the tunes. iRealb is a good program to buy. It has 1200 tunes, chords only, and limited rhythm (piano, bass and drums)accompaniment capabilities. Not as sophisticated as BIAB for accompaniment. Later, Ray
Last edited by raymb1; 11/18/11 10:46 AM.
Asus Q500A i7 Win 10 64 bit 8GB ram 750 HD 15.5" touch screen, BIAB 2017, Casio PX 5s, Xw P1, Center Point Stereo SS V3 and EWI 4000s.
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The Kindle Fire is soon to be released. Make sure you check one out before you make your decision.
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Joined: Dec 2006
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Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 125 |
I have found that the iPad is pretty ideal for this. It works fine with Windows computers (I used it that way before I got a Mac last year.) I use my iPad 1 with an app called unRealBook, which is designed for this. It is set up so you can easily set indexes and set lists, and set page offsets for books so you can easily find the right page. I find the iPad is just about the right size; any smaller (like a 7" tablet) would be too small for me to read. The fact that you don't need a stand light, and that the battery lasts for many hours makes it ideal, I think. You can also get Scorch so if you have Sibelius files you can read those directly on the iPad as well. I currently have about 8 different Real Books (C, Bb, and Eb versions...) plus hundreds of individual tunes on there. I can usually find what I need within a few seconds if I have to go outside of the set list. I also have a bluetooth footswitch for it so I can turn pages while I'm playing. You can either put it on a music stand, or get a device to attach it to a mic stand or the bottom of a Manhasset type stand. Plus, if you need to, the app allows you to play a tune while you display a file, so you can see your chart for a tune and play mp3s while you play or sing along. Perfect for solo gigs. (It also allows you to record while you are using it, so you can easily record a rehearsal or even a gig (though the sound quality is a little limited) while you are displaying the music. I have a Kindle Fire (well, my wife does), and it is nice, but just too small to use for this purpose for me. Some of the guys I play with complain that it is too convenient, since it makes memorizing tunes a little less necessary, which is not a good thing.... 
SaxMarc
daringharmony.com
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Expert
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Expert
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 901 |
I have a Kindle Fire and tried some of my PDF sheet music on it yesterday. Using Dropbox it was very easy to transfer. I could read the music from both my clarinet stand and while playing piano. It was readable and quite a bit better than I expected. Kindle Fire gives you 2 choices for reading. The Kindle view allows page turns side to side, and the Adobe view allows for scrolling down.
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Just to complicate matters (or possibly blow them wide open), I recently found out about an iPad/iPhone app called OnSong. This is a pretty danged impressive piece of kit: a complete fakebook management system. Five bucks, and you'll be simply amazed at what it does. A friend showed me this on his iPod just before Halloween, and I sat goggling as he easily accessed his hundreds of songs, put them up on screen in a flash, had them scrolling automatically to match the tempo he plays them at, and just a bunch of coolness.
Best, Tom SmithWin10/64 • i7-8700K • 24 GB RAM BIAB 2026 • Reaper 7.57 • Izotope MPS AKG C1000S • IK iRig I/O Pro
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