MobileSheets Pro

[walldaja]

Been wanting to get my music out of a notebook and into a tablet. I've been using a Galaxy Tab A for years, got my first as a bonus for buying a smart phone. I was playing with a gentleman who was using an Apple IPAD at a rehearsal a couple of days ago.

That motivated me to try to find some way short of getting the Apple and associated software.

I checked the Google store and came across MobileSheets Pro by Zubersoft. The cost was a no brainer--$13. So I downloaded onto my oldest Tab A. The full documentation that comes with it was almost enough to scare me away. But I kept messing with it. I quickly loaded four songs for Sunday and really liked the half-page feature it gives you for multiple pages song--tap the right side and it displays the bottom half of the page your playing and the top half of the next page, tap again and you get the full second page. For longer charts it keeps doing the half page to full page evolution.

The next step was trying to get some large format charts into a PDF format. Downloaded Adobe's scanner and it fits everything to the page size I need to display.

Once I had the PDFs of the new music I used my desktop to arrange the files where I needed them (where I could find them).

This application solves several problems: no need for a stand light with a backlit screen; no need for a huge binder; and really don't mind the wind now--no wrestling with a sheet of plexiglas.

Looking forward to using it live (though I'll have paper copies handy for the first couple of gigs at least).

There is hope for the Android world yet!

[BGuttman]

I ran into a couple of problems trying to use a tablet outside:

1. In very bright light conditions you may have trouble reading the screen. Could be helped with a sun shade.

2. Older systems and older batteries have limited life. I had one go dark half way through a concert. Not as much of a problem with newer systems that have stronger batteries and low drain.

Also had my tablet lock up on me. Big problem if you are in the middle of a piece (or set) and you just can't get the proper stuff up in time.

Then again, chasing sheets of music can be a problem. Had one blow off a stand and go between the floorboards of a gazebo. Gone forever.

[muschem]

I'm working toward getting printed music digitized for this same purpose. My plan is to use an iPad (if it ever arrives... the new ones with the M1 chip have significant delays) and forScore as a reader, but it is good to know there are options on the Android side too.

In some cases, I've been taking an additional step of transcribing from PDF to MuseScore format, and there are a lot of benefits to that as well, including cleaner final copy, much smaller file size (probably not much of a concern, but PDFs generated out of MuseScore are about 1/10th the size of my original scans), and easy transposition to different keys, among others. So far, I have All of Voxman Selected Studies, Tyrell, and Slama complete in MuseScore, and much of Kopprasch and working on Bordogni. I like being able to correct small (and sometimes not so small) errors in the printed works (several examples of multiple bars missing in the trombone versions of Kopprasch, for example), and re-typesetting things for easier reading (I find many of the Tyrell etudes horribly crammed together onto a single page, when they are much more readable split across two pages). In the digital realm, there is no need to save space with unwieldy page breaks, trying to fit as much as possible into as few pages as possible, so laying things out for tablet use is nice. It does take considerable time to typeset, but there are also tools to help some with that. Audiveris is pretty decent at optical music recognition, and can save quite a lot of time getting things into mxl format for cleanup in MuseScore.

I just picked up a bluetooth page turn accessory from Stomp, which should be fun to use with the tablet, as well.

[walldaja]

Having a means of turning the pages without using your hands is a nice option.

[muschem]

Having a means of turning the pages without using your hands is a nice option.

Definitely agree. There are several bluetooth options out there, which should have wide compatibility for both Android and iOS platforms. Here's a link to the STOMP product I mentioned from Coda Music:
https://www.codamusictech.com/products/ ... or-tablets

I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but it feels well built.

[sacfxdx]

I use this with forScore and an iPad. https://www.airturn.com/products/airtur ... controller

[timothy42b]

I use MobileSheets Pro with a Kindle Fire 10 and love it for practice material. But it's too small for a rehearsal.

I haven't found a good tablet or Chromebook yet, the one recommended most is no longer available and I may have to settle.

I have an iPad for work, and that screen is perfect size and crystal clear, but obviously I can't use the work one for music. They are a bit pricey and MobileSheets won't work, though the author has been talking about porting it for about 5 years now. <real soon> in software terms.

[sacfxdx]

I use a iPad Pro 12.9 in. Good size for me. The convenience is worth the price. The tablet holding stands are much lighter than regular music stands so there's a weight saving also. Sticking with a platform that is supported by good software is important also. I'm sure there are windows versions around but I have not used them.

Look for used/refurbished hardware to save some money.

Be sure to verify the max OS level for the tablet and supported OS for any software that you will use.

Good luck.

[timothy42b]

I bought a Chromebook, an Acer with a 13.5 inch screen, with 3:2 format. The MobileSheets is $13. (I already owned it but bought it on Amazon and Google wouldn't transfer.

The iPad has a nice screen but at $1200 it was a bit expensive for something a hobbyist will just not use that much. The Chromebook was less than half that, and I probably could have got by with the Flip instead of the Spin, at around a quarter.

I've not done a rehearsal with it but played out of it last night without glasses and saw fine.

Now I need to know how to protect it from bumps and scratches. My work iPad came with an Otter box, but this is a 2 in 1 table/laptop.

[Cmillar]

I just bought the software for my Surface Pro 5, which I bought used at a really great price compared to an iPad.

NIce screen, etc. Am not a Windows fan, but I can suffer with some PC software for this

[PhilTrombone]

In some cases, I've been taking an additional step of transcribing from PDF to MuseScore format

I am a Musescore user as well. Do you plan to publish any of these (assuming no copyright issues) on the musescore blog?

[hyperbolica]

I asked for a 14" convertible for my birthday just for reading music (cheap one, about $200). I've been waiting for these to get bigger (and less expensive). It took a while to find something that wasn't just a laptop. I did see a 24" which might show two page sheets nicely. (https://www.amazon.com/Wisepoch-Screen- ... B07T6Z4XPH)

I'll report back and let you know how it works. I had been trying to use my 10" MS Surface, but it was just too small to be really practical.

[timothy42b]

I bought the Acer Spin 713. Check carefully, there is a wide range of prices, you can pay $200 more for the same model. I think the Ace Spin 3 might be just as good at much cheaper. I went with this one because I wanted a 3:2 screen, and they don't make the old Samsung Plus with that anymore.

I used it for rehearsal last night. It was okay but I don't have it dialed in yet - had some pages out of order, some sideways, didn't bring my foot pedal either. The tuba player next to me had an iPad with forscore, but he's been doing this several years and hadthe bugs worked out.

I have a Kindle Fire 10, and it's just too small. The 13.5 inch Acer seems to be the sweet spot.

Oh, one defect with the Chromebook Ididn't expect. My Kindle has a camera on the back, the Chromebook only on the front, so you can't scan with the camera.

[muschem]

In some cases, I've been taking an additional step of transcribing from PDF to MuseScore format

I am a Musescore user as well. Do you plan to publish any of these (assuming no copyright issues) on the musescore blog?

Yes, that is the plan. Not too long ago, I made a set of Marchesi vocalises available:
https://trombonechat.com/viewtopic.php? ... 58#p152558

For other material, where it is clear the source in public domain, I do plan to make those available as I complete them.

[walldaja]

The only thing missing from using my Samsung Tab A without having to touch the screen to change pages was a foot pedal to change the pages.

I ended up getting a MouKey MK1008 bluetooth page turner. Only drawback was the documentation (or lack of) it came with. There was a single sheet of paper that said "user manual" and it had no directions for pairing / use. Searched the "net" and between that and applying common system knowledge got it paired easily enough.

Works great. Today I found out that supposedly it is also a teleprompter controller in an email where MouKey asked me to review their product.

It has the additional advantage of containing a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and even came with a USB C cable that is long enough to be useful. Case is matte black plastic with metal footswitches. On the bottom are four non-skid pads so you don't have to dance with it to use it.

Being somewhat curious about things, it would be nice to have enough documentation to see what else it may do. It goes for $40.

[timothy42b]

Update on my Acer with MobileSheets.

When I bought it last August I had to buy MobileSheets again, and transfer all my files from the Kindle. I somehow used the backup function and moved the music files I already had, and have since added many since I figured out how to scan with my iPhone. (turns out it is built in to the Files app, and saves to Google Drive, so it is a snap to get new music into MobileSheets.)

I thought I saved everything to an SD card, but I didn't. Chromebooks are funny about file storage and it isn't at all intuitive.

So yesterday the Chromebook got stuck in tablet mode, and none of the internet suggestions for fixing it worked. After an hour working with Acer support, and they were really pretty helpful, the advice was to do a factory reset and lose everything. If I had loaded the files and the MS program onto the SD like I intended there would be no issue.

So just a warning. Backup your files and remember where you put them.