MusicPad Pro and MusicPad Pro Plus (review)

Abstract

MusicPad Pro(TM) and MusicPad Pro Plus(TM). Stand-alone digital music notation viewer, bundled with MusicPad Manager(TM) software. U.S. patent 6,483,019. FreeHand Systems, Inc., Los Altos, CA. $999 and $1,199 list price, http://www.freehandsystems.com. [System requirements: Ethernet or USB connection; monitor capable of displaying at 1024x768 pixels and 16-bit color; PC: Pentium II or higher running Windows 98 SE, ME, 2000, or XP; Macintosh: OS 9.1 (or higher) or OS X vlO.2 (or higher).] From digital recording and compact discs, to the Internet and computer-based music engraving programs, technological innovations developed during the last quarter of the twentieth century have rapidly transformed almost every area of music making and music studies. While the creation and distribution of notation has evolved, black dots and lines on paper are still the final product. Text documents have already emerged electronically (via PDAs, eBooks, etc.), and now music is beginning to catch up. Formed in 2001, FreeHand Systems, Inc. has focused on developing software and hardware for a dedicated digital notation viewer. FreeHand's cornerstone hardware product, the MusicPad Pro (MPP), a specialized PC tablet computer with touch screen, is intended to substitute for paper printouts of music. A related product, eStand, Inc's eStand(TM) (in many ways a very different product and at a higher price), was reviewed previously in this column (Notes 60, no. 3 [March 2004]: 754-56). That review discussed many general issues regarding electronic music viewers; this review will focus on my three months of working with a MusicPad Pro Plus graciously provided by FreeHand Systems for this review. By the time this review is published an improved model with new features, options and improved screen resolution will replace the model detailed here, while FreeHand will also have released additional new models in various sizes. I had the opportunity to work with one of the units shipping through the first half of 2004. Measuring 13.3'' × 9.9'' × 1.8'', the unit is slightly bigger than a large-size Dover score. The black hard plastic case blends well with the music stand environment and is shaped to promote easy holding and carrying. The most significant difference between the standard MusicPad Pro ($999, weighing just under five pounds) and the Plus model ($1,199, weighing just under six pounds) is the addition of a built-in rechargeable battery. To help protect the touch screen a padded carrying case is desirable, even if the MPP is only traveling from building to building. Several custom designed cases are available from FreeHand's Web store, but many padded laptop or tablet computer cases should work. While it is possible to place the MusicPad Pro on a traditional concert music stand, the weight may cause poorly maintained stands to tip. A specialized clip might help secure the MPP, but FreeHand's optional MusicPad Stand (resembling a modified microphone boom stand) is sturdier and more reliable (the MPP is designed to attach to this stand). While users may be tempted to hold the MPP in rehearsal and performance, I found it a bit heavy. Although FreeHand reports that some choirs are using the current unit without stands, I would suggest looking at a soon-to-be-released smaller and lighter unit for most choirs. With only a power button on the front, almost all interactions with the MPP take place on the touch screen. The back of the unit includes connections for power (the external adapter is in the middle of the cord rather than as a space-wasting wall wart), video-out (for connection to data projectors), a page-turn pedal (sold separately), and two USB ports (one for a computer connections and the other for flash memory modules). Future models will include an audio-out port. The hardware ships with cross-platform MusicPad Manager software used to import/convert files into the necessary FreeHand Systems format (FH files) on a regular computer desktop. …