Thinking about getting a pad

[MagdaD]

Very interesting! I hadn't seen that before! I love when software companies post manuals (as Zubersoft has done here), and that thing does a LOT! Out of curiosity, what part of the feature set are you leaning into most? I'm okay with saving and organizing files and using the Acrobat Reader to display them, but I'm intrigued by the ability to connect devices to turn the pages, for example.

Would love to hear more about how you're using it!

The forScore app with my iPad and the Donner foot pedal for page turning is a dream. It's a full-featured app that also works on my Desktop. I easily create setlists for each group I am in and it also remembers what metronome to use based on how you set it. I also just discovered that it can turn pages automatically based on the BPM and the measure you set to change pages. I can also pull specific pages from larger books and put them in different playlists. Whoever designed this is a genius

 

[Bibs]

I use it mostly for organizing set lists, collections, and display my SMN. I have it on my laptop [Windows] and several tablets and my phone [Android] to spread my backups around. The backups are common between the 2 OS' [one backup works with both Windows and Android]. I use a Pageflip via bluetooth to turn pages and start/stop vertical scrolling. There are a bunch of folks using it with MIDI devices, which I don't use. I also do some annotations using an active stylus on one of the tablets. The Companion app for Windows is the tool used to upload/download to the Android devices. It's capable of a lot more though, like audio playback [do some], variable audio speed [tried out]. metronome, chord pro files [including transposition], etc. I'm a hobbyist [not a musician] so don't use but a small selection of the functions/capabilities of the app.
@

MagdaD​

I think both apps have pretty much the same capabilities.

 

[TerryM]

E-ink devices can be worth looking into, not least because they have such low battery consumption and can keep a page open indefinitely. Larger ones aren’t cheap, but then neither are iPads.

The website Good E-Reader is a decent place to start to get an idea of what’s available and the pros and cons. Many e-readers use Android, which means that they can often load additional apps like a more normal tablet.

Thanks for that link. Our group meets outside on the beach, and I watch a few struggle to see their tablets in the strong light. We do the alternative and haul ~800 pages in 4 books, but I've wondered if e-ink tablets would work. I've used a Kindle exclusively since their introduction and know how easy to see they are.

 

[Papa John]

I've got stacks and stacks of printed songs from everywhere. Mostly they end up alphabetized in binders.

I'll probably never give up that system entirely, each binder marks a period of time and the songs I was playing way back when.

But I am getting a little tired of fishing though all that paper looking for a particular old song I might have heard on the radio.

My eyesight is terrible, I need +1.75 just to read from a music stand a few feet away, so I need a decently sized screen. I dont like auto-scrolling too much.

I would prefer to be able to build a catalog of downloaded song sheets so that I can keep everything handy.

Any recommendations? And don't say "corrective eye surgery"

Thanks

Ipad pro 12.9
refurbished generation 1 or 2 128mg
dropbox and goodreader softwear
from Backmarket.com
sub $400
I've got 2 of them...work perfectly. all my music is in them

 

[thehappypm]

BE AWARE: if you playing off a tablet in bright sunshine, it may heat up and shut down. Yes, it happened to me. I got a BLACK SCREEN OF DEATH on my iPad and a message along the lines of "Shutting down as the iPad is over heating", while sitting on my deck and checking out playing from an ipad. Is this a big problem? Well, playing outdoors, at Farmer's Markets, without a tent cover, maybe.

I am still on paper for one big reason - my music sheets are in Chordify format, inline chord notation, and I mark the sheet up heavily while learning a song to ensure I play and sing the song as intended by the songwriter. Eyesight is also not what it used to be so I can print in a larger than normal font / two pages if need be.

Not saying I'll never go to a tablet, great recommendations provided on this thread for if/when I do.

 

[Papa John]

BE AWARE: if you playing off a tablet in bright sunshine, it may heat up and shut down. Yes, it happened to me. I got a BLACK SCREEN OF DEATH on my iPad and a message along the lines of "Shutting down as the iPad is over heating", while sitting on my deck and checking out playing from an ipad. Is this a big problem? Well, playing outdoors, at Farmer's Markets, without a tent cover, maybe.

I am still on paper for one big reason - my music sheets are in Chordify format, inline chord notation, and I mark the sheet up heavily while learning a song to ensure I play and sing the song as intended by the songwriter. Eyesight is also not what it used to be so I can print in a larger than normal font / two pages if need be.

Not saying I'll never go to a tablet, great recommendations provided on this thread for if/when I do.

black screen is a valid issue but avoidable. goodreader allows all kinds of notes on the pages

 

[Jerryc41]

I've got stacks and stacks of printed songs from everywhere. Mostly they end up alphabetized in binders.

I'll probably never give up that system entirely, each binder marks a period of time and the songs I was playing way back when.

But I am getting a little tired of fishing though all that paper looking for a particular old song I might have heard on the radio.

My eyesight is terrible, I need +1.75 just to read from a music stand a few feet away, so I need a decently sized screen. I dont like auto-scrolling too much.

I would prefer to be able to build a catalog of downloaded song sheets so that I can keep everything handy.

Any recommendations? And don't say "corrective eye surgery"

Thanks

I like the Kindle, and it works well with a $12 music app - MobileSheets Pro. The free version isn't worth the price.

I use an 8" for close-up and a 10" for farther away. What's nice about the Kindle is that you can add a memory card, unlike iPads. They're often on sale at Amazon. I've gotten the 10" KIndle Fire for around $140 on sale.

Here's one for $109. iPads cost considerably more.

https://smile.amazon.com/All-new-tablet-release-without-lockscreen/dp/B09KMW4YGR/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1JPS98NL0JMSR&keywords=kindle+fire+10&qid=1667317668&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIzLjY2IiwicXNhIjoiMy40NiIsInFzcCI6IjIuOTgifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=kindle+fire+10%2Caps%2C95&sr=8-2

 

[Festussian]

Where did you download that? I can't find it in the Amazon app store.

I found it there, you just have to look way down the list.

 

[JimQPublic]

For those with the base model 10" iPad and ForScore, are you able to have it in landscape orientation showing full width and use a foot button to advance by 1/2 page at a time?

I would get last year's 9th generation (i13 chip) ipad as I don't have budget for the newer or bigger iPads. Prime Day deal for the 9th gen iPad was $260 so I expect similar Black Friday deals

It seems like I would need:

• iPad 9th Gen (i13) 10.2", 64GB $260
• Case & Screen protector $30
• ForScore $20 music app
• Tripod and/or mount $30-$100
• Page turner pedal $30-$100
• Stylus $30-$100
• Total $400 minimum

Of course I could start with just the tablet and ForScore.

I've been using a Chromebook as my primary device but turning pages is tricky. Plus it has reached planned obsolescence so can't update software and is having more trouble. If I don't get an iPad I may look at a new Chromebook that allows "tablet" mode. Paper works too!

 

[MagdaD]

For those with the base model 10" iPad and ForScore, are you able to have it in landscape orientation showing full width and use a foot button to advance by 1/2 page at a time?

I would get last year's 9th generation (i13 chip) ipad as I don't have budget for the newer or bigger iPads. Prime Day deal for the 9th gen iPad was $260 so I expect similar Black Friday deals

It seems like I would need:

• iPad 9th Gen (i13) 10.2", 64GB $260
• Case & Screen protector $30
• ForScore $20 music app
• Tripod and/or mount $30-$100
• Page turner pedal $30-$100
• Stylus $30-$100
• Total $400 minimum

Of course I could start with just the tablet and ForScore.

I've been using a Chromebook as my primary device but turning pages is tricky. Plus it has reached planned obsolescence so can't update software and is having more trouble. If I don't get an iPad I may look at a new Chromebook that allows "tablet" mode. Paper works too!

I use the 10-inch in landscape and portrait mode. ForScore allows scrolling, but I prefer portrait mode. When I first switched to iPad, (Which I already owned) I just bought forScore and a Donner foot pedal and used my old music stand until I found a decent cheap iPad stand for around $30.

 

[thehappypm]

ForScore question: I play at different venues and for each song I play, I write the venue name on the sheet. If I play it a second time at that venue, I put a check mark beside it. I do plan to abandon my paper system for ForScore. I downloaded the ForScore manual, browsed it, I do see there is an annotation feature. Is there any other way to keep track of where I have performed that song, some tagging capability I may have missed. Or is there just the basic annotation - write on the sheet digitally. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[MagdaD]

ForScore question: I play at different venues and for each song I play, I write the venue name on the sheet. If I play it a second time at that venue, I put a check mark beside it. I do plan to abandon my paper system for ForScore. I downloaded the ForScore manual, browsed it, I do see there is an annotation feature. Is there any other way to keep track of where I have performed that song, some tagging capability I may have missed. Or is there just the basic annotation - write on the sheet digitally. Thank you in advance for your help.

I create a library for each venue or group that I am in and save the playlists there. Very convenient. forScore does have a lot of features that aren't apparent at first glance. I annotate music all the time with my Apple Pencil. I know that there are cheaper pens that also work. I have also used my finger in a pinch. I am also going back and making sure each file has the composer, title and other relevant tags in forScore for easier searching.

 

[KohanMike]

ForScore question: I play at different venues and for each song I play, I write the venue name on the sheet. If I play it a second time at that venue, I put a check mark beside it. I do plan to abandon my paper system for ForScore. I downloaded the ForScore manual, browsed it, I do see there is an annotation feature. Is there any other way to keep track of where I have performed that song, some tagging capability I may have missed. Or is there just the basic annotation - write on the sheet digitally. Thank you in advance for your help.

Yes, there is a variety of ways to add tags and recall by any of the criteria. It has a find feature, and the Apple Pencil works great. Before I got the iPad Pro 12.9", I tried Android and a Windows tablets with MobileSheetsPro (which is a very good app), because I was too cheap to spend the money on an iPad, but after having enough difficulties with those two types, I went to an Apple Store and tested the iPad. It was so obvious that the iPad and Apple Pencil with forScore was head and shoulders above and ran circles around the others.

 

[LimuHead]

The 10" Boox Note 3 is the e-ink reader/tablet that ended the search for me. I got a refurbished one for just a few dollars over $300 from the big river site.

It is a Chinese made ebook reader that only has an e-ink display - no color at all, but the display is completely readable in direct sunlight with no screen brightness! And the 10" screen is plenty big enough for me to read.

It runs on Android 10, so you can use any app in the app store that suits your scrolling needs.

There is a learning curve when getting comfortable with using it because some of the functions aren't where you'd expect them to be, but that's true of any new device, so shouldn't be the determining factor.

It is fast, manipulable, and most of all, the most readable tablet in direct sunlight that I have ever seen.

You can resize the PDF and make notes/corrections directly on the PDF with a stylus, fingertip, or keyboard and save and export the notated PDFs!

I now use the Boox Note 3 as my everyday ebook reader because I can make the text of any book suitable for my eye comfort.

The battery life is also amazing. I played a 1 hour gig this summer and the battery only went from 100% to 98%! I was gob-smacked!

Anyway, that's my current recommendation. I'm always on the lookout for a better more affordable bigscreen e-ink reader and the Boox Note 3 ticks all of my boxes at the moment.

Hope you find (found) your solution!

Aldon

 

[Jerryc41]

I've got stacks and stacks of printed songs from everywhere. Mostly they end up alphabetized in binders.

I'll probably never give up that system entirely, each binder marks a period of time and the songs I was playing way back when.

But I am getting a little tired of fishing though all that paper looking for a particular old song I might have heard on the radio.

My eyesight is terrible, I need +1.75 just to read from a music stand a few feet away, so I need a decently sized screen. I dont like auto-scrolling too much.

I would prefer to be able to build a catalog of downloaded song sheets so that I can keep everything handy.

Any recommendations? And don't say "corrective eye surgery"

Thanks

I use a Kindle Fire for all my songbooks. I paid $12 for MusicSheets Pro, and it works great. I've paid roughly $50 - $150 for 8" and 10" Kindles. Compare that with $750 - $900 for an iPad. Try to get "hands-on" experience with them before you buy. At a session last night, everyone had a tablet or a laptop, and we all got the songs via Zoom.

 

[dancephoto]

The 10" Boox Note 3 is the e-ink reader/tablet that ended the search for me. I got a refurbished one for just a few dollars over $300 from the big river site.

What is the "big river site?" Thanks.

 

[LimuHead]

What is the "big river site?" Thanks.

Amazon

 

[Mo So]

Just got an ipad (12.9") and my group suggested Songbook Pro. I input probably 250 songs from the group I just joined's songbooks and I have to say my reaction is ... mixed, for a couple reasons:

Hardware: I tested the software on a the new ipad, an Android tablet, a Windows laptop and a Windows desktop. The ipad version is the slickest with the most features. Since I am not an "Apple-native", I'd have preferred to do the editing on the Windows laptop, just because that is the format I know the best. Either I don't understand Apple gestures and the Apple pen, or, more likely I think, the program does not support all of the Apple peripherals, like the Apple pen and the Apple mouse.

Software: Songbook Pro is a nice, inexpensive program and, as far as I can tell, support is just about non-existent. I'd like to be able to chat with someone importing images and converting to pdf and a few other issue, like: you either get chords as all sharps (F#m) or all flats (Gbm). It's a universal setting and changing it defaults everything. Or it has a library of default chord diagrams that it CAN print above the songs, but I can't find a way to edit them. AFAIK, the chord diagrams are only in the ipad version.

Not sure how we are going to do "version control" for this - if I just send out the setlist that has all of the songs from one book, what happens when at a later session we add/remove/change chords?

 

[Bibs]

FWIW. You might take a look at MobileSheets by Zubersoft. It's a cross platform app for Windows, Android [Chrome Books, Boox readers, and Kindles] and may be available in the next few months for the Ipad barring any unforeseen serious problems. The Ipad version is in Beta testing now.

 

[KohanMike]

FWIW. You might take a look at MobileSheets by Zubersoft. It's a cross platform app for Windows, Android [Chrome Books, Boox readers, and Kindles] and may be available in the next few months for the Ipad barring any unforeseen serious problems. The Ipad version is in Beta testing now.

I did mention MobileSheets in my earlier post, a good app, but one of the things the Android/Windows version didn't do was record and attach it to the song sheet, the iPad app forScore does. With it, I would record each song at rehearsals, then post the audio files on my website so everyone could practice anytime they want as if we were all together.

When I was using MobileSheets about 5 years ago, I asked the developer if there would ever be an iOS version, he said maybe, but it would be a long time, so true to his word. If and when it comes out for iOS, I'll look at it.