iPad Disappointment

I am pretty disappointed that I can't store the chord sheets for my church praise team music on my iPad. The licensed site that I get my music from, CCLI, requires FLASH to display the chord sheets. I wanted to be able to store all my music on my iPad and use a Bluetooth page turner leaving my huge stack of paper sheets at home, only to find that Apple's mobile devices do not support FLASH. I could do what I want to do on my MacBook but my iPad mini fits right on my keyboard. I would likely need a special high quality holding device for the laptop.

God Bless,
Don

https://thegigeasy.com/

Thanks Donny, but my iPad won't do it and I need my laptop in order to read the FLASH files.

God Bless,
Don

The LAPTOP is KING on stage!!.....
I tried the tablet route myself, it just doesn't cut it for my needs.

good luck

I just posted this on the PSR-Tutorial forum, but thought I should post it here as well because the same rules apply.

Personally, I would not get an I-pad. I use a 1-pound netbook PC, which provides all the necessities, internet connection, word processor, USB connections so I can fire MIDI files directly from the PC to the keyboard, and vise-versa, great display, even outdoors, tremendous battery life, etc... The cost of my PC was under $300, the programs are all free and can be quickly downloaded, it takes up no more space than an I-pad, but can do so much more. I really don't understand the craze to move to an I-Pad or other similar device that is so restrictive when compared to a PC. Maybe I'm just old fashioned. The Netbook PC I use is an Acer Aspire One with a 9-inch display.

While I was in the Florida Keys last winter, I saw lots of entertainers, mainly singing guitar players. Many had I pads on mic stands, and they were constantly tapping the touch screen, which rocked the stand back and forth so they had to wait a few seconds for the stand to stop rocking so they could hit the touch screen again. Their dead time between songs was horrendous, often 1 to 2 minutes. If there were ever a lesson on how to loose your audience, this should be included as an example. Donny Pesce once said to me "When you get em on the dance floor, you gotta keep em on the dance floor. They can't dance when there's no music playin." He was right on the money with that statement.

This guy was a great player, but his dead time between songs was often 2 or more minutes. He had to program his drum machine between songs, then turn to the page in his loose-leaf binder where the sheets were so he could play the song, and of course, while he did this he lost eye contact with his audiences.



My rig took up less space, and as you can see the laptop does not obscure my view of the audience, or their view of me. It is permanently attached to the top of my custom console using Industrial Strength Velcro and the wireless mouse is situated on a small platform, out of audience view, on a platform situated below the keyboard, but where I can easily access it with my right hand. That console also lights the top of the keyboard, lights the sign on the front, contains my TC Helicon Harmony-M, power supplies for the laptop, harmony-M and keyboard, a surge protector, and provides a strip for the fan, Bose L1 compact, and Bob The Flame light. It's made of aluminum, weighs about 11 pounds with everything installed, and fits on the top tier of my keyboard stand, sitting just 2 inches above the keyboard. There's room for a small, 6 or 8 channel mixer, but I no longer use a mixer. Where the mixer would sit, I place my tip jar, which is a plastic beer pitcher.



All the best,

Gary :cool

Don, just use a standard Manhasset music stand to support your MacBook. Tighten up the bolt so it'll take the weight, and sit your MacBook on the main plate. Sort of use the music stand in reverse position, so to speak.

If you really like the 'tablet' form factor, why not just pick up a cheap android tablet dedicated to just that application. You can pick up a new or (better quality) refurbished one for under $100. Opinions (and everybody seems to have one) differ, but if JUST for reading music on stage, I'm with you....I'd prefer a tablet as well, over a laptop or netbook. Lots of reasons; size, ergonomics, battery life (up to 10 hrs vs 2-3 hrs), weight, portability, and price. Just another opinion.

chas

I guess this is like the old "Mac vs. PC" wars - each person has their own preferences and likes/dislikes. I happen to like the size, simplicity, etc. of an iPad with unrealBook for me ... sure a laptop can do way more, but for what I use the iPad for, it does all I need (call up PDFs, search for songs, use Set Lists, send MIDI to call up Tyros registrations, etc. - and, I can network several iPads (4 in my band) to all work together when calling up songs. A Laptop can likely do all this and more since it's a full-fledge computer, but for me an iPad does what I need, very well.

I can see both sides - some prefer a laptop and it works great for them ... glad we have a choice, we can do it whatever way works best for (each person)! :-)

Jim

Don,
I am not sure what you are looking for. I am using the OnSong app. Lyrics with chords on the top. You can change size, transpose, change fonts, place notes on the sheet and more.

It also handles PFD files (notes) I have all my Christian music separated in Topics (Playlist)

John C,

Don, there is a way to capture and convert the Flash sheet music into the PDF file format. When you print the Flash sheet music, hyar choose a PDF printer driver instead of your hardware printer. Then the PDF driver will "print" or rather convert the music into a PDF file. I use the free version of PDF reDirect http://www.exp-systems.com/. It is very handy. Whatever you can print out can be converted into PDF. It will even merge multiple PDF files into one. If you want to print out or make a PDF file from just a few pages of a PDF songbook, once again this PDF driver will allow you to do so.

Of course, once you have PDFs in your hands, any computers or tablets can easily handle them.

Chris
PS: I am strongly biased against Apple as a company and their products for various reasons, but I use the iPad for different tasks. If I were just dealing with PDFs on a tablet, I would get something like a Samsung tablet. A lot more machine for much less money.

What I have found.

I had been using Pdf files with the UnReal Book until I found the OnSong App for my IPad.
Once a PDF file is made there can be no changes. Any change that is made requires redoing the process.

With OnSong you can:

1-Change the fonts
2-Add a new thought without redoing the process.
3-OnSong can handle PDF files much like the UnReal Book
4-Combine files
5-Transpose instantly
6-Add add information in color to the song.
7-Change the color of the chords above the lyrics so the page is easier to reed
And more.

John C.

Hi - wow - transpose instantly?! My PDFs files are scans from books and sheets etc. so basically they are "photos". unrealBook (and other PDF viewers) can display them, let you add annotations (text and lines and such) on top of them, etc. - but I can't see how any app could transpose instantly if you have a PDF file - unless that PDF is some 'special' music file??

I'm assuming that in OnSong, you're using something other than PDF files perhaps, such as generating the songs (lyrics + chords) right in the OnSong app? Since I have ~1,200 songs now as PDFs, I'm not likely to want to re-enter them in a new app ... I've kind of "gone down the PDF path" and probably will stay with that.

FYI, with unrealBook, you can make some changes to PDFs - mostly along the lines of "annotating" by adding "on top of" the PDF files (lines, colors, circle something, underline, highlight, add text, etc.)

-Jin

Jim,

I don't think you could convert your scanned pages until they've been converted to text files using a reader program. Then they could be saved as PDF files, which would then allow the transpose feature to be used. A .jpg file cannot be transposed, which is what most of the scanned pages are - .jpg files.

All the best,

Gary

Last night I discovered what TORCH is alluding to with the PDF format. Although I cannot see the chord sheets(no FLASH)I can download which gives me a PDF file. I also discovered that I can"Open in iBooks" This puts my file into iBooks where it can be viewed and stored. Files can be organized into folders but since that iBook database is searchable, typing in a bit of the song title brings it right up. Not sure if a Bluetooth page turner would turn from page one to two. These files are never more than two pages long.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys.

God Bless,
Don

Thanks Brian! It was your text that set me on the path to the solution.

God Bless,
Don

On some web sites where download is not possible or doesn't even allow the right mouse click, I use the screen capture function and then it can be converted into PDF.

I use a Bluetooth pedal whether or not my music is all single pages. That way I can move between songs without touching the screen.

Chris

Jin,
Sorry, I was not very clear with my explanation.

OnSong can handle PDF files in the same manner as the UnReal Book, it is a photo. I use the PDF files when I need the notes. OnSong allows me to do the things I listed in my last post.

At one time I used a program that showed staff and notes – I did not need the melody line so I began using lyrics with chords written above. I did not scan form books or sheets because I had over 900 songs in my PC. If I needed a new song I downloaded from the internet.

The midi player VanBasco will give you a word doc. of the lyrics. There are many places to get free lyrics. My job was to add the chords and then print them and place it into my book. Six books were a bit heavy.

Which one is better PDF or OnSong? Wrong question; which one fits your needs would be a better.

John C.

PS, Gary your thought about using a laptop is solid – and you are right it does it all. For me the IPad is a multiple toy/tool. I have everything from Bibles to fun stuff – and I carry it just about everywhere. But – the laptop thought has not left me.

The Apple iPad, and anything Apple for that matter, lives in it's own world. Apple communicates and operates the way it wants to and does not adapt very well to any other form digital information or transfer.

I do have an iPad air. It's o.k. However, information transfer and format is a lot easier between my P.C. and my Tyros than the iPad.

For years, I avoided buying anything Apple, and I teach part time where a good share of the education world I know only knows how to run an Apple product. But I also knew that interacting with keyboards, PC's and you name it was going to be more difficult with IOS/Apple.

Bottom line. You buy an Android product...you do your thing your way. You buy an Apple product, you do your thing the way Apple wants you to do it...and it's usually a lot more $$$.