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Like a lot of musicians I have pages of sheet music. What I would like to do is copy them so I can load them into my computer. I thought of scanning but that process is too slow when one considers you have the time spent arranging the sheet on the glass or reducing the scan size so the finished product fits an 8 1/2" by 11" sheet of paper and then waiting for the mechanical process of the scanner. I thought it might be easier to photograph them. What I would like to do is build some kind of rack such that the area where the document would lie, would have some kind of frame that defines the area to be photographed, and then have the sides of the rack at some defined focal length so that the camera would sit in a frame above the document. I envision just sliding the document into the document holder and snapping a picture. My concerns are that I want the document picture to be taken as a full size 8 1/2" by 11". Do I just adjust the "legs" of the rack so the viewfiner is filled, or is there some other magic math I need? Any comments will be appreciated. DennisD
There are only 3 kinds of musicians: those that can count, and those that can't!
PC AMD A4-5300 APU 3.4 GHz, 8gb RAM, 1T HDD, Windows 10,
Reaper 4.77, BIAB2018, PTPA12, RB2018, Roland VS-880 DAW
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Dennis,
If the ratio of the dimensions of your camera lens is not close to the ratio of 8.5:11, you will have empty space somewhere in the image.
Maybe you should experiment a little first, if you haven't done so already, and see what works best.
Regards,
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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After all that... wouldn't it be much simpler to just scan it?
I had considered that when I was playing in the church orchestra especially for the Christmas musical/stage show/production extravaganza, that we did every year.
We literally had a 3 ring binder and orchestra music being what it is with the DC al coda's and the other various road signs in the music. There was a need to place tabs on the sheet music pages so that I could flip back a few pages to grab the repeat, then a few bars later, jump ahead to the ending.... that, was a real pain. Some of the tunes were easy enough to learn and commit to memory but others were not so easily committed to rote memory. Especially the ones with tons of chords and changes and modulations.....etc...
I started to do a cheat sheet of just the chords but due to the length of the entire production, that idea was quickly abandoned. The bass player and myself tried it in the rehearsal and found it to be less than desirable. The problem was, when the director stopped and then restarted... he would call out starting at measure 58.... and we were like "huh?"..... We knew that the production would not stop and start in the middle but we had to get through all the rehearsals too. For that year, we simply ended up using the 3 ring binders and I copied the needed pages and bars of the repeats and put together my own custom binder..... with the music in sequence and "peeks ahead" at the surprises coming in the first bars of the next page that I needed to be aware of.
For the following year, and for other similar church musical events, I thought it would be easier to simply scan the pages and use a laptop. This idea occurred to me as we were in the middle of the actual public performances. With a quick tap of a key we could page to the next page, and repeats could be inserted as the next page rather than going back and forth.... just keep it rolling forward.
I never got to try it out since the MM director and myself had a pretty significant "disagreement" during the "Spring Musical Extravaganza" and a parting of ways. Basically, I quit. Long story that I'm sure you don't want to know.
So I never got to the point of actually scanning it all in and building a document to use in those events. I do think it would have worked well. Some time later I saw that many other musicians are using such things...... technology is good. Use it.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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iPhone users: CamScanner Free. Works a treat. There might be an android version also. I've been using CamScanner Free for all of my document scanning needs for about 2 years. Have used it on music as well. Has intelligent keystone correction and save to .pdf, etc. Yes, I've used it on sheet music also.
-Scott
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Hi Dennis, Another approach would be to set your music on a music stand, set your camera on a tripod then zoom in on your page. This of course assumes that your camera can zoom, if not then set the camera at the proper distance from the music so the camera only sees the music. Shoot. Then batch resize with this free picture batch resizer: http://www.picresize.com/batch.phpI can not vouch for the resizer but it should work according to the web site. I hope this helps.
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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. I used to do this for a living. Professional photographers do something like what you describe using a setup like this: http://www.amazon.com/ProMaster-2174-Promaster-Copy-Stand/dp/B001VDNP3OIt is pretty easy to build something like this at home. A little experimentation will show you what the challenges are. Notice that the device does not have a fixed frame. Every paper printout has its own details of margins, sizes etc. Every shot has to be adjusted to fit the frame of your camera. The lighting has to be controlled so that you get the same shade of white from various qualities of papers. It can be quite demanding. After you have fooled around with this for a while, you may conclude that scanning is actually pretty quick.
Last edited by flatfoot; 12/05/13 07:31 AM.
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Be advised that sheet music copyrights also apply to digital or any other copy means as well.
While most think that such is okay because it is for their own private use, which is true as long as use remains private, it actually is a violation to take the copy out to certain venues, readily seen, such as nightclubs, bars, stages and even churches.
So take care. Don't include the copyright statements that may be along the bottom of the sheets...
--Mac
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Thanks for taking the time to review my post. Can’t believe a week has gone by. All the replies were useful to me in that they either gave me another direction and/or confirmed my thought process was relatively valid. Noel thanks for info that it is the ratio dimensions of the camera lens to the document which results in a better finished photo GH, the music I am scanning is mostly stuff out of books like “Top Hits of The Sixties” (ad nauseum). All I want the song for is to maybe review the melody or lyrics. I won’t be digitizing orchestra or big band charts because in my experience we edit them for shows. Also all I have is the guitar or banjo part not the complete score so it is of limited use. RS thanks for the lead on CamScanner, I youtubed it and looks to be ideal. I will be giving it a try. Mario and flatfoot, your examples are what I want to make out of “wood” so that I would have a fixed focal length, lighting and a defined photo area.
Mac thanks for the reminder on copyright. Normally this information is intended for “work” in the home. If I take it outside, I usually just take the part of the arrangement I need the reminder on. Currently I have loaded about 250 songs into a $59 tablet to see if I could forgo my binders. So far other than the screen being too small, the experiment has worked such that I now feel comfortable about buying a Surface Pro 2 or equivalent and loading most music data into that. Hence the reason for a faster easier way to get my sheet music and lyrics digitized.Thanks again, DennisD
There are only 3 kinds of musicians: those that can count, and those that can't!
PC AMD A4-5300 APU 3.4 GHz, 8gb RAM, 1T HDD, Windows 10,
Reaper 4.77, BIAB2018, PTPA12, RB2018, Roland VS-880 DAW
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.
>>>... I want to make out of “wood” so that I would have a fixed focal length, lighting and a defined photo area...>>>>
You can certainly make a perfectly effetive copystand out of wood, but my point was just the opposite. A little experimentation will reveal that you WILL NOT arrive at a working standard of fixed focal length, framing and lighting requirements. Try it and you will see that every shooting situation is different. A lot different.
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Old Photograohic Darkroom Enlargers are now out of vogue due to digital photography.
An Enlarger can easily be turned into a photographic copy stand for a modern digital camera by simply removing the actual Enlarger bulb housing, film holder and bellows/lens assembly and mounting a 1/4-20 camera mount plate as found on tripods to the Enlarger mount.
Adjustable focal length copy stand in one shot.
Old Enlargers can be found sometimes at Thrift Shops, Garage Sales, ebay, etc. and the good news here is that you only want the stand itself, meaning that you can find a good bargain in one where the enlarger actual parts can be missing, damaged, etc. and use that to barter down the price, you only want the working base, pole and scissors.
--Mac
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The app I mentioned above is in my hand right now and weighs nothing. It simply works. It's best use for me is documenting white board brainstorm sessions. Rendered electronic whiteboards nearly useless.
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Introducing XPro Styles PAK 11 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
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Introducing XPro Styles PAK 11 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
XPro Styles PAK 11 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 (and higher) is here with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 31 RealTracks/RealDrums!
Guess who’s back again? That’s right! It’s our XPro Styles PAK’s triumphant return with the 11th edition in this series! 100 new styles are coming your way spread across the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres. And this edition's wildcard genre explores the immense and far-reaching catalogue of electronic music! The included 31 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1-11 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 11 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2026 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 22 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2026 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
It’s time to celebrate! Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Band-in-a-Box® is here, and we've got 200 brand-new styles coming your way!
No Xtra Styles PAK is complete without the classic rock & pop, jazz, and country volumes you know and love, and we’ve got plenty to share, with 150 styles spread across too many genres to list! Of course, it also wouldn’t be complete with our special wildcard volume to add a little spice and pizzazz to the mix. This year, because we loved it so much the first time, we’ve decided to make the second iteration of our SynthMaster volume, full of new sounds, interesting genres, and 50 engaging styles, all making use of the diverse SynthMaster plugin! Here you can find genres such as airy yacht rock, sultry electrotango, and even some synth soca funk. Don’t wait, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 22 today!
In this PAK you can find: dulcet folk ballads, funky gospel country, Brazilian jazz fusion, upbeat 1980s pop, classic Americana, a plethora of breezy bossa novas, indie singer-songwriter, scintillating synthwave, exuberant electronica, and many, many more!
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1-22 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 22 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 22.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 22 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 22 requires the 2026 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Peter Gannon Talks Band-in-a-Box with zplane
zplane recently interviewed Peter Gannon, the founder and creator of Band-in-a-Box, about the software's early days, what sets it apart from AI, how zplane's audio algorithms are used in Band-in-a-Box, and more!
Special thanks to the team at zplane for their continued support.
Check out the full interview here: https://products.zplane.de/blog/peter-gannon-interview-pg-music
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