|
|
|
|
|
|
#142036 - 02/24/07 03:23 AM
Re: My Review of the "Music Pad Pro"
|
Senior Member
Registered: 04/13/05
Posts: 5126
Loc: USA
|
Originally posted by Maxone: Hi guys, my name is Max, I'm new to this forum and I'm glad to "meet" you.
So please tell me Scottyee, after 2 years are you still happy with your Music Pad? How does it behave? Have you ever had any problems with it? Is it gig friendly? Is still..... working? What kind of printer do you use with it? Do you edit your scores after scanning? If yes, what kind of program do you use? Sibelius, Coda Finale, Smart Score...
If anyone else here has any experience with the Music Pad, will you please share it? Anybody here using a Mac? I hear FreeHands doesn't have a printer driver for Mac. How much does this affect the Music Pad's performance (when used in conjunction with a Mac)?
Thank you very much Scottyee, thank you guys.
[This message has been edited by Maxone (edited 02-23-2007).] Maxone welcome. I've had the MPP about 15 months and for me it's been a great tool. I have 1200 plus lead sheets stored in it and I'm as happy with it as when I bought it. I have had no problems with mine, it is very dependable. I have the newer version 4.0.6 that has the capability to play mp3 files. I do not use that function, but my understanding is that the mp3 player has problems. Esh who posts here can probably add some feedback about that. It is gig friendly, I use it all the time and have an optional foot pedal to turn pages. If you're playing an outdoor gig you're out of luck the screen is not bright enough to be used outdoors. You can use any printer with the MPP because it comes with software that is loaded on your PC.( I have no Mac experience ). As a rule I have no need to print from the MPP software. Edits can made right on the MPP using a stylus that comes with the unit. There are many color choices you can use to write your edits on the screen, since it comes with a color palette similar to what is found on a PC. Scanning sheets into the MPP can be very time consuming and tedious. I have a collection of lead sheets in PDF files and don't do much scanning anymore. I copy the PDF files into MS Paint, then save as a PNG file then import to the MPP. Time savings doing it that way are susbstantial. I don't use Sibelius but for those lead sheets not found in print I use Band in a Box to convert midi files to lead sheets then simply print to the MPP software installed on my PC. You may also want to visit the forums at Freehand
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
#142039 - 02/24/07 05:11 PM
Re: My Review of the "Music Pad Pro"
|
Senior Member
Registered: 10/15/05
Posts: 1433
Loc: Niceville, FL USA
|
Hi Guys. I can comment on this. I bought an older MPP recently as well. Although my time to work with this device has been limited by my regular employment, I can tell you the following things about it based on my experience thus far:
1. I got the MPP Plus (think that's the only one available anymore) which has a battery and an audio out jack (though I haven't figured out what application would use the audio out at this point) 2. I charged it up and ran it today and the MPP ran 2 hours and 45 minutes before it died, with the screen intensity set to max. I really wasn't worried about the battery, since I can't imagine a situation where I won't have AC power for my keyboard, but just checked it to see how long it would last. 3. I will use it primarily for lead sheets. I don't expect to scan many charts in. I have built several fake sheets using Band in a Box. When I do this, I build the fake sheets using BIAB and then save them as JPEGs, BMPs or PNGs. With the latest version of BIAB, I can adjust the output file resolution to 768 X 1024 (which is the resolution of the MPP Plus). If you don't set the resolution to that size, it will default to a smaller page. Then when you import the sheets into the MPP, the MPP file processor will enlarge them, which can introduce some graininess. After I started saving my BIAB files to the 768 X 1024 resolution, they displayed much better on the MPP (no graininess at all). I can build a lead sheet using BIAB in about 2 minutes or so. Total time to complete a chart and export/save it is between 3-5 minutes. You can build a whole directory of sheets and then call up the MPP import tool and it will convert all the files quickly.
Bottom line is (so far) is that I like the MPP. It has a bright display, is fairly easy to use, and will be a lot better than thumbing through books, though they will be in my trunk in case I have a failure.
Two other observations. It is awkward to handle when it's not on a stand. After I nearly dropped it a couple times, I bought the MPP stand which makes it much simpler to manipulate. Secondly, the operating system is a little slow (takes a minute or two to boot up). But all in all, it appears to be a nice device.
Finally, if you go down through the Synth Zone listings (this forum) to February 1st, you will find another series of informative posts about the MPP.
Randy
_________________________
------------------------------------- Randy
PA4X, SX900 (Baby Genos), Roland U-20, L1 Compact, Way 2 Many Saxes
"My computer beats me routinely at chess - but it's NO MATCH for me at kick boxing!"
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|