After having now owned the Music Pad Pro Plus for over a week, getting it initally loaded with a small 75+ core set of song material (chord-lyric charts & leadsheets), I finally had a chance to work with it in the studio (rehearsal) as well as on a couple of gigs (both casual nursing home venue and weekend festival show).

Getting my music into MusicPad, and of acceptable quality was at first rather challenging, but after working with the helpful & friendly Tech Support specialist at Freehand Systems:
http://freehandsystems.com/

(manufacter of the MPPP) the display quality improved dramatically, and the conversion speed was much faster as well. I'm fortunate because much of my song lyrics and chords are already stored in my computer in a software program I've been using for MANY years called GigMaster (highly recommended):
http://www.shubb.com/gigm.html

so I only needed to export them directly from GigMaster to Freehand (.fh) grahpics format. Much of my other music is already in PDF format, so conversion was relatively simple as well, though not as sharp as I had originally hoped for. The best looking leadsheet scores displayed on the MPPP (1022 X 766 resolution) are the ones I manually scan myself and then tweak in Photoshop (5 min per song). Ok enough of the technical gibberish. Here's how the MPPP worked for me in actual use in rehearsal as well as on the gig.

After importing and organizing in the MPPP the songs alphabetically in folders A-Z, you can (if you desire) further crop the music to elimate all blank areas surrounding the music to maximize the size of the actual music displayed on the screen. I am then able to erase any existing notes, lyrics, chords, and add changes & additional instruction, like when to trigger arranger variation changes, fills, instr voice changes, etc. I find this feature quite USEFUL for song rehearsal. These additions can be stored, ammended, and even erased later if you desire, and does not affect the original music itself as its stored on a separate layer. I find the MPPP's screen very EZ to read and plenty BRIGHT for all lighting situations except possibly in very BRIGHT direct sunlight. You can also change the notes and/or sheet music background display to any color under the sun. The anti glare screen is definitely FAR easier to read outdoors than my Tyros LCD screen is. I threw together a couple of playlist sets which include some songs with lyrics alone, others with chords/lyrics, and a few actual lead shhets, which include some complicated non-standard chord changes & substitutions.

Ok off to my weekly nursing home job with MPPP underarm. The MPPP sets solidly on the larger than average music rack that attaches directly to my keyboard stand. Though I brought along the AC adapter (just in case), I ran the MPPP completely on battery power. It has a 3 hour life. I first selected and pulled up songs (on the fly) via my Tyros Music Finder, and then merely tap the MPPP same titled song folder & whatever song I choose in the Music Finder is able to appear on the MPPP (if desired) within 3-6 seconds, a lot faster than having to pull a fakebook up and locate the correct page, even if the page was memorized. I especially like the MPPP because it does NOT distract your audiences attention from you. No shuffling of pages or paper. Completely silent and very quick song access. Easy to converse with the audience while tapping the screen. When utilizing multiple page leadsheets, it too is seamless. I merely reach up briefly to tap the screen one measure before the end of the page, and presto, the next page appears. Pressing the lower right portion of the screen turns page right, and pressing lower left portion of the screen tunrs the page back. I doubt I will need to purchase the optional foot pedal activated page turner now.
My only complaint about navigating the MPPP on the touchpad screen is that song selection, scrolling, and window size expand selection can be a little difficult using bare fingers (instead of included stylus). The Technical Support rep assured me that Freehand will be updating the software to accomodate easier touchpad selection using bare fingers in a future update. I trust that they will be able to fullfill that promise.

Yesterday (Monday), I performed a show set for a Martin Luther King festival here utilizing the MPPP and utilized the custom playlist function. I typically would NEVER use music for a stage show, but this time I took the MPPP and because its unobstructive & undistracting, no one in the audience really noticed when I called up a few songs via playlist function with it. I merely tapped the screen once and then next song would appear, providing me lyrics & chords prompts (to each song) to glance at if needed. This is really an accepted stage practice used by MANY pros: even Frank Sinatra, as someone else here noted on another SZ thread.

Ok, the bottom line is that even though the MPPP may be a bit pricey, it's advantages (at least to me) is worth the price paid from Amazon.Com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ ...glance&n=507846

Yes, you can do a lot more different things with a laptop computer (and at a cheaper price) but if you need a dedicated digital sheet music organizer, viewer, and editor as I do, for BOTH studio rehearsal & taking on the gig, then the Music Pad Pro Plus is well worth considering. Directly Imported music from digital PDF files & other programs can have mixed quality results (from barely acceptable to good), but scanned files & tweaked in Photoshop music will look fairly impressive. I realize that this technology will continue to improve over time, but the good thing is that Freehand Systems is continually releasing OS upgrades to take advantage of the improvements. They are very customer oriented and actually listen to as well as act on customer user requests.

I still have a couple weeks plus to audition the MPPP and return it for a full refund if desired, but so far, I'm pretty sure this one (like the Yamaha Tyros) is going to be a KEEPER. The only trade-off is that I'm having to use the money I was going to spend to attend Winter NAMM for the MusicPad Pro instead. Oh well.

Scott

It sounds like there is a lot of prep time involved - maybe a little too much. Do you think that in the end it is more of a time saver (not having to deal with scanning and printing sheet music and keeping it together) or a time waster (programming the MPP and doing a lot of tweaking)?

I do a lot of nursing home jobs where the seniors are practically brain dead, and it's great to bring some sheet music to practice new material. I think the MPP is perfect for those gigs as well as home use. Occasionally using it at a high profile gig is probably good too.

Anyway, congratulations. I won't be following suit, for price reasons, but I'm happy that you're happy.

It doesn't seem like there is much new at Winter Namm anyway.

Beakybird

Hi Larry (Beakybird): Good question. Initially, getting the MPPP will take some time to get loaded up with your music. Luckily, because most of my charts are ALREADY in digital format, the amount of inital work is pretty quick (a days work) but the savings in the long run (no xeroxing of paper music sheets (for future projects or gigs needed again) will prove to be time saving. The idea of having your entire repetoire conveniently stored in a single conveninent & transportable unit to take anywhere (for rehearsal & on stage as well) suits my organized working style well. The ability to easily take this to gigs and optionally use it to call up a specific song that might benefit from chord/lyric or even a lead sheet prompt expands (not hinders) repetoire performance possibilities, and without the audience distraction that traditional (music stands, paper fakebooks, charts, music light) stage props can. Except for its minor caveats, I find the Music Pad Pro to be a valuable music organization, rehearsal & stage performance asst tool.

On another note, I called the company EStand:
http://www.estand.com who claim to be currently working on a competitive device. Its features pale compared to the MusicPad Pro and their device is far more expensive. They did tell me that they are planning on releasing a software only version which will run on a laptop, but this includes no touch screen feature or owner customizable song organization or playlist features. This alone makes the eStand unsuitable for live work.

I'll be glad to candidly answer any other questions regarding the MusicPad Pro.

Scott

Thanks for the review Scott... few reviews have been available for the MPP. I do have some questions if you don't mind:

Can you explain exactly what you mean by "tweaking the files in Photoshop" for the techno-curious like me?
How large are the individual ".fh" files approximately and what is the memory capacity of the MPP?
Didn't you buy the upgraded version of the MPP with extra memory, and what form does that memory come in? Do standard USB memory devices work with it?
How do you transfer files into the MPP? Can yo plug this up to a computer so it'll show up as an external drive (for file transfer)?
Are you planning on using the music stand adapter or is the MPP just going to sit on your keyboard music stand?
Is the power supply a wall-wart or a standard AC cord? How much does the MPP weigh?
How do you adjust the brightness? Does the viewing angle make a difference?

I believe that I will likely be joining you as an MPP buyer soon... I just want to be sure nothing new comes out at NAMM that's competitive (and BTW beakybird; so far the talk is that this might be one of the better NAMM shows in years with lots of new products debuted). My current music book is ungainly, heavy, and growing... it's already too big for my keyboard music stand and is just begging to be replaced. Since my music is all printed I would have to scan each page and get it into the MPP the hard way... ugh. And the price is still to high for what this device is IMHO, but nothing else can match it currently. I'm also frightened as to what would ever happen if the screen went out on the MPP.

BTW: I see that Sting, who reads music while performing live, is using an MPP on stage now.

Scott,
I have been considering the Music Pad Pro and was just about to ask the forum if anyone has used the system. Thanks for the report.
Since my eyes are getting old I find that I need larger music as well as better lighting than years past. Two questions for now:

[*]Have you tried the Pad lying on it's side in landscape mode? This will make the font larger but fewer lines per sheet.

[*]Have you tried the half sheet function?

Walt

[This message has been edited by Walt Meyer (edited 01-19-2005).]

Hi Jim. For the very highest quality conversions, I scan the music at 300dpi & import into Photoshop. I then apply Photo shop 'image sharpen' and bump the 'image contrast' to further intensify the blacks. I also rotate the image so the staff lines run perfectly horizontally across the screen. I then reduce the image size to around 75 dpi and 1022 x766 (optimal size for MPPP screen display) and save it as a .PNG file. Via the Music Pad Manager Windows software, the .PNG is then converted into .fh format and imported into the Music Pad Pro. The above process sounds a lot more involved than it really is. It takes about 2-5 minutes to scan-convert each piece of sheet music in this manner. For music which is already in digital format (PDF, tiff, jpg, png, Band in a Box, GigMaster, Finale, Sibelius, etc) it's MUCH quicker directly into the MPPP conversion process. Unfortunately, one specific software program I use to create & store song lyrics & chords, ChordPro Manager:
http://www.mussoft.com/TabStyler.htm

does not support printing to anything better than draft quality (72dpi). As a result, the conversions to .fh format look only minimally acceptable. Regretably the manufacterer of ChordPro no longer supports this product. Too bad, because I think ChordPro the best lyric/chords creation software out there because you are able to link the chords right up to the exact letter in a lyric word. Anybody know ANOTHER lyric/chord creation program that allows you to do this?



The .fh file size for the HIGHEST quality scanned converted images is around 300kb per song page. For minimally acceptable lyric-chord sheets the size is as low as 6kb per image. Size is dependent on your image quality demands.

Onboard RAM memory is 32KB, but because the MPPP accepts USB remote outboard flash memory, the storage capacity via USB flash (pen) drive is pretty much limitless. I purchased a 1 gigabyte Lexar Secure USB Jump Drive which will theoretically hold my ENTIRE collection of music (thousands of songs). Memory constraints with the MPPP should never be a problem as USB flash drives are easily hot swapable (if needed).



Yes, I purchased the newly improved 1022 x 766 screen resolution 'plus' version of which includes 32K internal memory, a 64mb Kingston USB flash drive, and rechargeable battery. In fact, Freehand now ONLY sells this newly upgraded version. The one without a built in rechareable battery is no longer available.



Transfer to MPPP is easily done via the MusicPad Pro Windows utility software (drag-drop) & USB connection. An alternative method is to insert the USB Flash drive directly into your PC and copy over that way. I myself have opted to keep ALL my songs on the removeable USB drive. It's amazing to believe but your ENTIRE music sheet music library will probably fit a single USB flash drive.

As far as the music stand adapter goes, I will probably eventually opt to purchase it, or have my MPPP custom fitted (by a company called Tap Plastics) to mount securely on an existing stand. What I like about the MusicPad Pro is that it sits comfortably and securely on my Steinway Piano's music rack as well. The MPPP AC adapter power supply/recharger has it's small box unit situated mid-point in the power cord so as not to create the plug in point obstructive problems of the box-plug combo type power adapters. Weight of the MPPP is around 5 lbs, about the size and weight of a standard thick fakebook.

I find the brightness of the screen very good, and fully adjustable (from dim to bright). Another nice feature is the ability to custom change the color of the background as well as the notes themselves. The viewing angle & range is pretty good as well. Similar to a decent LCD computer LCD display. The non-glare touch screen is of hard plastic, much more durable and rugged than a typical LCD screen.



Though I'm not 100% positive, the ONLY other known competitor to Freehand is eStand. I spoke with the sales rep at eStand yesterday and he told me that their product is NOT EVEN ready for showcasing at NAMM yet. On top of this, their eStand has fewer features and will be priced MUCH HIGHER than the exisiting MPPP. Still, if any NAMM attendees here see a better product out there, I hope you'll share the info with me as I'll still be covered under the 30 day return policy after NAMM is over. Also, all NAMM attendees here: I hope you guys will 'take the time' to visit Freehand System's booth #6912. In addition to product demonstration, Jon Anderson of "Yes" will perform a concert with the "MusicPad Pro". Your impressions of the MPPP will be much appreciated.



Yes, the price may be high and the initial input a bit timely, but a worthy investment for those of us of which MUSIC is our business. I cannot stress enough that (in addition to maintaining our image as carefree creative types) we MUST remain focussed & organized to succeed in the MUSIC biz as well. The MPPP helps in this regard.



Right, from Sting to Frank Sinatra, "top Pro" actors, musicians, and entertainers nearly all utilize a teleprompter these days for their shows. Watch the David Letterman, the Tonight show, or music awards shows. All TV cameras include a 'built in' teleprompter these days. Teleprompters which include dialog and/or music lyrics abound even though you don't see them hidden behind the camera. The KEY is just not to appear like you're actually STARING into it. A teleprompter (and MusicPad Pro . . . on stage) should be used as a prompt only and not read from line for line. For performances where you've not the main audience focus of attention (background music and/or casual gigs), reading from music is acceptable.





Hi Walt, I indeed have tried the landscape mode and it truly does increases (doubles) the size of the notes & lyrics for very easy JUMBO note size reading, albeit having to turn the pages (tap on display screen) twice as often because fewer lines appear per page. This mode will definitely benefit those who are visually challenged. Not sure what you're referring to regarding the 'half sheet' function, but landscape mode seems to accomplish this as each page is blown so the top half of the music is displayed on page one, and the lower half of the music is displayed on page two, and so on.

Ok guys (and gals). If I end up keeping the MPPP (which it appears I will), I'll be bringing it with me to the Florida Synthzone Jam in April, so I hope this provides even more incentive for more SZ members here to attend as well: http://home.earthlink.net/~eastcoastjam/

Scott

Hi Scott,
I understand that the "half page turn" function that I referred to is a mode where when you touch the screen, the screen advances only 1/2 page so that you can always see not only your current place but the next 1/2 page of music. When you touch again it jumps up 1/2 page to show you the then current location plus the top 1/2 page of the next sheet.
This would be instead of touching the screen when on the next to last measure as you described. I think it might allow you more latitude as to when you called for a page turn while performing.
Regards,
Walt

Can you advance the page with a footswitch? I can't remember if you said that. Does it jump a page or can you scroll?

Ahhhh . . . . right. You're refering to the MusicPad Pro's 'look ahead' page function. I tried it and it's definitely useful when you want to see the bottom half of one page and the top half of the next page concurrently. So far, at least for me, I find it more useful when annotating & editing the score during rehearsal than for use it when actually reading & playing the music.




Optional Footswitch 'page turn' activation is possible. I believe you can even use a generic footpedal. You can program the footswitch activation 'page turn' order to follow repeats and codas. Since I'm using the MPPP primarily for single or double paged lead sheets, I find the direct finger tap page turning approach more flexibile in allowing you to go back and forth (at will) between different song pages. The primary advantage of the footswitch is for music which contains a number of different repeats and returns, and to/from entirely different sections (pages) in the music, and then having it jump from like page 3 to 7 to get to the coda.


Scott