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I play in a community band and
I play in a community band and often use Midinote composer to facilitate my practice, both for band rehearsal preparation and for music assigned by my horn teacher. Curreently, I am entering this music with a small midi keyboard, but this quickly becomes tedious. I am trying the smart score software which has the capability of exporting *.mid files.
Has anyone reported using such software? Any known problems? Is there a better way? I'd like to cut down the amount of work I have to do while keeping my costs minimized. Thanks.. Tom |
Hello Tom,
Musitek's Sm
Hello Tom,
Musitek's SmartScan is one of the two most respected music scanners out there, the other being SharpEye. So, you're using a good one. Currently, to use MidiNotate Composer with SmartScore or any other music scanner, the bridge between the two is MIDI. This is not ideal, because the MIDI loses basic information, such as whether a note is spelled as C# or Db; and it also does not included music annotations such as accent marks and dynamic marks. The industry standard method for moving a scanned score into another notation program is to use MusicXML. I am planning on adding MusicXML export support in MidiNotate in the upcoming 2.0 release currently scheduled for late May. However, MusicXML import support is needed for the bridge from a music scanner to MidiNotate. I hope to support MusicXML import by fall, 2006. Cheers -- Mark |
Howdy Tom,
I also use a pro
Howdy Tom,
I also use a program by Neuratron called PhotoScore MIDI Lite. It is a very basic scanning app that only exports to .mid, and only costs $24. I've found it to be very useful for scanning in hymns and other music (such as piano scores) that I needed to rearrange for sheet music for multiple instruments. This setup has worked fine for my needs, but I also haven't added a whole lot of annotations or dynamic marks (I do add some, just not prolific amounts). Mark is correct that the best method is XML, but using the scanner app to export a .mid to Composer also works pretty darn well ;) ttfn, Sherry |
Sherry,
Thanks for the inpu
Sherry,
Thanks for the input. I downloaded the trial version of Photoscore MIDI Lite after reading your post. I scanned a couple of pieces of my band music and while there were scanning errors, it SEEMS like I got fewer errors. The editor is a little awkward, but I think if I can do the minimum editing needed to create a MIDI file that I can import into Composer I can fix it in Composer easier than in the scanning software. Of course, the fact that I'm familiar with Composer probably helps! It seems like it is worth a try. Trying to enter pages and pages of music with a MIDI keyboard was getting VERY tedious. I also like the facilities of Composer that allow me to set up a practice loop, and the like. Thanks again... Tom |
Sherry,
I agree. It ain
Sherry,
I agree. It ain't bad. I bought it and then I scanned in one of the pieces we're working on in the band and attacked it. There were some errors,, particularly in recognizing multibar rests (I doubt that it got any right!). I spent about ten or fifteen minutes getting gross errors cleaned up and then saved it as a midi file. I picked the midi file up in Composer and spent about 45 minutes cleaning it up. This particular piece of music has 134 bars. I doubt that I could have entered it (and cleaned it up -- articulations, dynamics, and the like) in less than six hours. For me, this is a significant time saving and certainly worth the price. Thanks again for the info. Regards... Tom |
Howdy Tom,
I'm glad it
Howdy Tom,
I'm glad it works for you, too! I've also found it to be a real time saver, as well as being a nice inexpensive addition to my musical arsenal. Here's to good music in less time! ttfn, Sherry |
Mark,
There is an interesti
Mark,
There is an interesting interface problem. The scans require editing to get them ready to create a MIDI file. They will not allow a file to be saved if the beat count for a measure doesn't add up properly. Luckily, for me, they will allow you to add notes, rests, and the like to a measure with continual checks for accuracy (bars with incorrect counts have red on top and bottom so they can be spotted quickly). They will NOT change a notes value, but will indicate that the count is incorrect. In many cases the count mught be off by two br=eats and you plan to add two quarter notes -- comoser often will not allow that situation (I have had them change the quarter note to a half not when I enter it). I recognize that this may be because I have not found the proper answer to avoid such problems! However, until I fined the "proper" way, I like this approach, as I mentioned several months ago. However, today I entered the Danse Bacchanale by Saint-Saens. It has some intriguing changes in meter from place to place, e.g., 4/4, followed by one bar at 2/4, then 3 at 3/4 and then back to 4/4. I cleaned all of these up in the editor and then created the MIDI file. I have no idea whose ideas of a proper MIDI file are correct, but I had to go back and correct a number of errors in composer when I opened the MIDI file in Composer. Some meters and nots were changed by composer. I figured out a method which works for me when Composer throws off the rythym by changing a meter or inserting a note. I found if composer adds a note, that I can change the meter to, perhaps, 1/4, modify the wrong note (or delete it by deleting the measure!) and then change the meter back correctly. I still have saved a BUNCH of time even though I have to clean up the files twice. This is just an FYI, since I have found a couple of work-arounds. Who knows, maybe Sherry has some better ideas? Regards... Tom |
My goodness!!
I'm going
My goodness!!
I'm going to have to proof read more carefully!! Excuse all of the typos in the preceding message, please!! Tom |
Howdy Tom,
I had your same
Howdy Tom,
I had your same experience re. meter changes. I think what might happen (and Mark can correct me here if I'm wrong) is that even though you clean up the meter changes (such as from 4/4 to 3/4) in the scanning app, the .mid file that it saves doesn't appear to necessarily save it that way. I found I actually had better success with some pieces if I made the meter consistent (say, all 4/4) and then saved the .mid with added rests, and opened it in Composer. Then I, just looked for the measures that had the quarter note (or whatever) rest in all the staves, and altered the measures there. I'm not sure which way takes less time, but that method made me feel like I was saving time, anyway http://www.notation.com/discus/clipart/happy.gif The other thing you have to watch out for with PhotoScore MIDI Lite is that it doesn't seem to be consistent about if it transcribes two voices or single voice per staff. The version that I have says it only does single voice per staff, but it does in fact do two if I click the little box check mark. This can make a difference in the "red marks" you get on the beat counts for each measure. The version I have (3.10) will save an "incorrect" MIDI file if you click the "save anyway" button when it brings up the warning box. I've done that occasionally, too, and just cleaned it up in Composer. I guess my approach has been that I try to do the minimal amount of clean up necessary in the scanner app to get a recognizable file in Composer, and used Composer mostly for major clean up. That said, I do like the "magnified view" interface in the scanner app that lets you look at the original image scan so you can be sure of what the notation on the printed page looked like right where you're editing. I really needed that last summer when I was working on some old parlor piano music, and some of the sheets were in really bad shape, or really small print. I hope something here is helpful! ttfn, Sherry |
Hello Tom and Sherry,
If th
Hello Tom and Sherry,
If there are meter changes in a scanned score, then I would think that any scanning program would detect and save the meter changes in the exported MIDI files. MIDI files can keep track of meter changes. And if MidiNotate finds the meter changes in a MIDI file, then it will use them correctly when converting to sheet music. I would be somewhat surprised if Photoscore MIDI Lite doesn't support meter changes. Perhaps you could refer to its documentation to see if it does or not. Cheers -- Mark |
Mark and Sherry,
Th scanned
Mark and Sherry,
Th scanned score SHOWS meter changes and where incorrect allows changes before saving to a MIDI file. However, when the MIDI file is read into Composer in some cases the meter changes are not the same as in the scanned score. That is why I said I didn't know who was handling the MIDI file improperly, the MIDI file created by the scanning program or composer in reading it. If you like, it should not be hard to come up with a partial page with some meter changes, scan it, correct it, if necessary, save the corrected version as a BMP or Tif file, then convert to midi. I can send you all of the files, if you wish. However, since Sherry and I are coming up with work-around and there doesn't seem to be a lot of pressure for solution, I imagine you might have better things to do with your time <g> Regards... Tom |
Hello Tom,
One thing you mi
Hello Tom,
One thing you might do to arbitrate whether Photoscore MIDI Lite or MidiNotate Composer that is confused about the scanned meters is to take the MIDI output of Photoscore to another notation program and see whether it is confused, as MidiNotate is, about the meter. If two different notation programs are both confused about the meters, then that tends to point the finger at Photoscore MIDI Lite. Cheers -- Mark |
Hi Mark,
I did a bit of work
Hi Mark,
I did a bit of work with the new Composer 2.0. Great improvements. I love it even more than before. Now I'm considering to buy sheet scanning software, probably Capella Scan. It exports files in Music-XML format. I was wondering whether you plan to introduce an XML-Import functionality. All the best. Jörg |
Hello Joerg,
There have bee
Hello Joerg,
There have been lots of requests for MusicXML import support in Composer. It's competing for priority with several other major new features, but its priority is increasing. I suspect MusicXML import will be included in Composer by the end of April. Cheers -- Mark |
<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>quote:</font>
I suspect MusicXML import will be included in Composer by the end of April<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>Or perhaps sooner. At the NAMM Show yet more people are lobbying me for MusicXML import support in Composer. Cheers -- Mark |
Hi, Mark:
You have to give
Hi, Mark:
You have to give us a blog about NAMM. Jeez, I've been reading about NAMM in Keyboard magazine since the late 70s, but I've never known anyone who's actually been there. Let alone, as I infer, as a presenter! David |
Hi Joerg,
I have used Capel
Hi Joerg,
I have used Capella Scan 6.1 for about a year. It does not save XML files. Scanning sheet music saves a lot of time, but it is far from perfect and needs a fair bit of correction. In some cases, there is little correction required. In a few cases it did not work at all for me. Yet, I would not want to be without the software. Let me know, how you go. I suspect that users buy certain software only once and put up with it. What we need for this forum, is access to independent reviews of software. It may have saved recent disappointments with GPO and JABB. If Sherry or Mark is listening, can such reviews be arranged? It might not be so easy. Best wishes, Herbert |
Hello Herbert,
Hello Herbert,
<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>quote:</font> I suspect that users buy certain software only once and put up with it. What we need for this forum, is access to independent reviews of software. It may have saved recent disappointments with GPO and JABB. If Sherry or Mark is listening, can such reviews be arranged? It might not be so easy.<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>Anyone is free to offer his review of other music software or hardware products in this "Using Notation Composer and Musician with Third Party Products" section of the forum. I'd personally prefer to see discussions about products that are used with Notation products rather than instead of Notation products (i.e., competitive products) because this forum cannot claim to host unbiased discussions about comparisons of Notation products with competitive products; other forums such as epinions can better claim impartiality. Specifically regarding discussions about the pros and cons of GPO and JABB, I think this forum is a fine place for that, because these Garritan sound library products are highly relevant to Notation Composer users. I regard Gary Garritan as a business friend. So, if there are patterns of praise or complaints about his product expressed in this forum, I summarize and pass these on to Gary. Cheers -- Mark |