FreeHand Music Pad Pro

At the Jam this year some folks from California, as I remember, had a MusicPad tablet with them and were kind enough to give me a brief demo. Tooo brief. Would like to catch up with them to ask some specific questions focusing on file format and capacity issues. Thanks.

Tim

Hi Tim,

Bob Hendershot is an eaxpert with the Pad. Scott Yee, if he is reading, may also have your answers.

Bob is undergoing knee surgery so it may be a while for him to reply.

Fran in SC

Scott Yee, abandoned the Synthzone forums some time back and I don't know if he ever looks in anymore as I never see any posts from him.
I do see him posting now and then in this forum: http://www.smallgig.com/forums/index.php
so you might want to try there.
best to all Technicers
Bebop

I have one, although I don't consider myself an expert. Also, the Freehand forum is here. http://www.freehandsystems.com/phpBB2/

Bernie

Hello Everyone,

I too am still very much interested in the MusicPad (just waiting until my savings grow a bit more).

Meanwhile, Johnny Barr has been very kind to me these past few months and I know he has one. However, my last email to him was unanswered so come on Johnny - let's hear from you. I know you think it is great and use it a lot so must know more than the rest of us do. Please get in touch.

Audrey

I may not be an expert, but can answer most questions. What do you want to know ?
Bernie

The Pad I saw at the Jam had an entire Fake Book (maybe two) loaded onto it. My questions are: What file format is used by the Pad and can you load data from a variety of sources? For instance, if I were to scan a Fake Book page and save it as ???, is it possible to load that page onto the Pad.
Thanks
Tim

Hi Tim
I'll give you short rundown.

First of all, don't worry about capacity. I have a 2GB Sandisk inserted into mine that will hold thousands of songs. You can swap out sticks at will. The formats are many, including Jpeg,PDF,Lime etc. The best one depends on clarity achieved by your system.

The procedure goes like this: With the software provided,scan any page containg the score or lyrics to a file area in your PC from any scanner. You can categorize them into subfolders any you like. Once you get enough, you bring up the remote Musicpad(enabled by the same software you have installed) and import these songs to your Musicpad. The files are then converted to Freehand format. It is quite easy once you get ahold of the procedure.

Once you load the songs to the MPP, you can arrange them in playlists where you can bring them onto the screen sequentially with the tap of your pedal, or tapping the forward arrow. If the song is more than one page, you can "append" them together so that tapping page one will bring you to two etc. There are other things you can do like writing eraseable notes on the score. I use this to connect my score to a location on my keyboard.

I would not be without mine and I paid $1200 plus stand and case, and pedal. They are now about $900, with a recent price drop.

Bob Hendershot is my mentor on this machine, but this will give you a laymen's perspective.

Bernie

Thank you for your detailed reply Bernie. My questions are:-

1) can it be positioned on the music stand?2) if so, can it been seen clearly - how
large is the type?
3) Is the foot pedal you have a dedicated
one or could I programme it to the 'Foot
Controller' I already have?

I am more than a little interested in this piece of gear as the last PC count showed more than 14,000 songs I have on it which causes me a headache on what to take with me each time I'm preparing for a 'gig. It is obvious there are great advantages to having a Music Pad, so will follow this thread closely.

Audrey

Hi there - I looked at the specifications of this about six months ago and at the time thought it was quite expensive. Looking up the site now I see the price looks as if its been reduced and I quote

“Now only £495.00 excluding VAT.”

This looks quite attractive at this price -

I will seriously think about treating myself to one of these - I deserve it!!!! - Joan

Hi Audrey

The viewable dimensions are 7 3/8 x 9 3/4. I sit mine on the music rack with stand holder through the wire and twisted upward to secure it. Some use velcro. The MPP can be oriented up and down, or in Portrait mode(on it's side). The type depends on the size of the scan type. There is a zom feature and fit to size. My eyes are getting old and I don't have a problem. Bob Hendershot has a way of enlarging, also.

The footpedal I have was bought with the system. However, any pedal that is normally closed will work if it's stereo and can be adapted to and 1/8 hole. One ring is forward, and the other backwards. You need two to go in both directions. I would try yours with an 1/4 to 1/8 adaptor or buy a Boss FS-5US, or theirs.

Joan, you certainly do owe it to yourself.

Cheers
Bernie

Thanks for your reply to my questions Bernie. As the screen seems to be on the small size, I presume the notes 'scroll'?

I have offered to bring one or both of my KN7000 keyboards so if you are coming to Cambridge, it would be really great if you could bring your Music Pad with you, connect to the KN and give us all a personal demonstration. What better way is there to learn?

Think about it please and let Roger know your decision as he needs to be kept informed on these things in order for him to keep ahead of the organisation of this exciting event.

Thanks again, Audrey

I would love to go, but travelling abroad is not possible for me at the present time.
Don't forget for all practical purposes, this is 8 1/2x11(No margins)that appears the same. It does not scroll,but flips pages. There is a provision for putting two pages side by side in portroit mode, although I have not done that.

As far as connecting it to a KN7000, please remember this is really a tablet computer with special software that stands alone. It can be placed anywhere and operates on battery or AC power.

Well I did treat myself to this equipment. I expect it to be delivered Wednesday, i.e. tomorrow...........Joan

Hi Everyone,

I have an important question and that is how long does the battery last?

I logged on to the website and read that on average it only lasts 4 hours? This seems a very short lifespan considering most dances go on for 5 or 6 hours at a time. I would hate it if the Music Pad ceased to function and I didn't have my music with me, but if I have to take music as well, there is little point in my having the Music Pad.

I'll be interest in hearing from those of you who are currently using it. Thanks in advance.

Audrey

Hi Audrey
This is a computer, and as such, has a limited battery life. It can be extended by lowering the brightness and sleep mode. The fact is, I don't even care, as I plug it in with my keyboard etc. In all the jobs i've played, I haven't ever had to put it on battery, except one. I forgot to bring my cord and was happy that it had battery backup.

Bernie

Audrey,
A second battery is a good thought. Wow, I jobs lasting 5 to 6 hours, here in Florida I have gotten used to 3 hour dances.

I do not own a Pad, I use my Laptop. It is an older model which gives me only one hour of use so I always carry the electric cord.

I also thought what if my laptop fails – my backup system, the books are always in the car. Hmmmm.
I come from a family that did not trust new gadgets, so when my Dad first used his calculator I found him adding the figures on a paper bag just to make sure the gadget.

John C.

Hello Bernie and Bruno,

Thank you for your quick response.

Bernie - it suggests that the Pad is charging whilst connected to the mains. If this is the case, there shouldn't be a problem.

Bruno - what a good idea to carry the books, just in case. Unfortunately, the car space is limited which is one of the reason I was looking to shed some of the baggage.

Ah well! I know Joan is just venturing out on the circuit and was expecting a delivery of a Music Pad yesterday, and we do keep in touch so I'll wait awhile and see what her verdit is.

Thanks again for your help.

Audrey

Hi there - John you say:

"when my Dad first used his calculator I found him adding the figures on a paper bag just to make sure the gadget".

I still do and I am younger than you let alone your Dad!

When I left school, before calculators, I worked in an insurance office and we had to add up long columns of figures all the time. I could even add one up upside down if I was sat opposite someone who was adding one up if it wasn't too long. I can never trust that I have keyed in the correct amount into a calculator!!!

As far as charging batteries is concerned. Wouldn't it be great if we could plug ourselves in and give our own personal battery a boost? I think mine have nearly reached their sell by date........Joan



[This message has been edited by Joan (edited 07-20-2007).]

Yes, the battery is charging during AC operation and there is a meter that shows the amount of juice left while on battery mode.
Bernie

Thanks for your swift response Bernie. It is just what I wanted to hear. I admit when I read about the 4hr battery life, I was really disppointed because I thought "it'll never work for me" but of course it will if it's charging whilst connected to the mains.

Audrey

[This message has been edited by Audrey Turner (edited 07-19-2007).]

The neat thing about it is the ability to arrange playlists anyway you want,and tie it to the keyboard. One example is take your favorites on the SD card, and load it with 9 waltzes,9 rhumba's,etc. Then on the MPP,you make playlists to correspond. You pick a favorite file on the KN7000,and bring up the playlist on the MPP. The search engine is always available also.

For one who depends on written scores, it is a must have if you want to have any continuity to your program.

Bernie

What is the advantage of using a MPP compared to a laptop for lyrics and music?

John C.

Hi John
As you know, I have used laptops for years, both for midi playback and lyrics and notation.

I scanned several thousand lead sheets into the laptop several years ago. I organised them into categories and it worked fairly well as long as I had plenty of time. Aside from the time it took to find and load, I had a problem with fitting the whole score on the screen. I could use the zoom, but then it was too small for 81/2x11 scans to be read. I tried a scroller, but too clunky.

The second advantage of the MPP is that you can write performance notes on the screen and save it.

Thirdly, I use my laptop for playing back midi notation to play over. I can go from that to playing a style with the score right there in MPP.

The appearance of the score is far superior. The ability to press a footswitch, or tap an arrow to immediately turn a page to the same or next song. The ease of carrying a small tablet loaded with six fakebooks.

While these are advantages, it is not to say laptops are not adequate for many. It is that I need every advantage I can get, and this is one them.