PDF Music Workflow with PDF Music Readers and DropBox

It’s been a little while since I’ve posted anything but these past few weeks have been full of preparation for Fine Arts Week. Through that preparation though I’ve started using a specific workflow that seems to be working pretty well.

When I digitize music at the school one purpose is for archival and the main purpose is so that I can access that PDF music on my iPad. Here is how I’ve been doing it….

Step 1)Digitize the music using our school copier which scans and emails me a file. I make one file for the parts and a second file for the score.
Step 2)On my iPad, I open my email app. Then I find the email in my inbox. I then use the Open In menu…. This is where a problem arises…. The file is sent to me with a very cryptic name AND UnRealBook (one of my two main PDF Music Reader Apps is NEVER in the Open In Menu! DropBox is not included in the Open In Menu either.
Step 3)The solution is to use that Open In Menu to open the PDF file in ForScore.
Step 4)Use ForScores metadata tools to rename the file, input a composer, type in the genre and keywords.
Step 5)Use ForScore to upload that file to DropBox.
Step 6)Then I can open whatever app I wish to load that PDF music in and access the file in my DropBox.

This fits in with one of my primary rules about using technology. HAVE A BACKUP PLAN!

By following those simple 6 steps I have my PDF Music files in both ForScore and UnRealBook. I also almost always create set lists for both apps. Each set list pertains to either a class or a concert.

Reflection App, Apple TV for $15?

Buying an Apple TV is on my list of soon to buy items. Of course at this point I am waiting until next weeks announcements from Apple on March 7. I have ideas about what will be announced, go read the rumor blogs if you have no idea. I an assure you it is not the iPhone 5 though, like one of my 8th graders pronounced today in class. Of course I don’t have any REAL knowledge, just educated guessing.

The problem with the Apple TV is that my classroom projector does not have HDMI. This means I also need an adaptor. No problem, just need more money.

Now, today though I saw all sorts of information about the Reflection app for Mac. This app allows you to mirror what is on your iPad2 or iPhone 4s to your computer. It works too! Go check out the website and watch the videos.

My question to those of you who have an Apple TV already is how does it compare in real life? $99 vs $15

 

 

Yikes! The evil side of Google!

I consider myself a pretty savvy tech user. I know I’m by no means a guru but I’m way more knowledgable than many others!

So how in the world did this go under my radar?

Google has been storing a ton of my web searches since 2007! How in world would this be possible, especially when I know for a FACT that most of the time I am not even signed into my account when I am performing searches! I’ve read these stories, I know that what ever you do online leaves digital footprints but good grief! If I am not signed in and I do a search that is still being tracked? I guess I should clear my cookies out more often!

Do you want to see what is in your web search history?

1)Sign into your google account

2)Go to http://www.ggogle.com/history

THEN

3)Tap on REMOVE ALL WEB HISTORY!

Unless of course you don’t mind people tracking you! If I wanted what I was searching saved then I would simply look through my computers web browser history.

iPad Apps used on a daily basis in teaching Music

 

What apps do you use on a daily basis while teaching music? I teach Band every day to five different groups from 5th grade through High School. We also have one experimental group that is exploring the Pop, Rock, Electronic side of music creation and arranging.

I use a group of apps everyday in almost every class. Then I use another set of apps when not in class but still doing teaching related activities. There is of course a group of apps I use when I am creating and exploring music as well and one more group of apps that I use when I am not doing musical activities.

Here is my list of apps I use constantly while teaching;

unRealBook, ForScore, Avid Scorch, Tempo, ClearTune, Fingerings, SL-Remote, Filemaker Go, DropBox, AirSketch, PlanBook, YouTube, Music (the app) and of course YouTube and Safari. I wish our school had an instant messenger app for GroupWise. Why we are still using archaic technology like GroupWise I will never know! If we had an Instant Messenger app all teachers could use I would have WAY fewer phone interruptions!

My list of other apps I use for my job but not while I am teaching… (in addition to those listed above – because some of those listed above I still use while NOT teaching);

PlanBook, Pages, Keynote, MagicalPad, SmartMusic Inbox, AnyTune, Capo, Hokusai, Mail, Contacts, PDF Expert, Calendar, WunderList, Notability, NoteShelf, Skitch, Evernote, Hello, GMusic, AirSharing, SilverWiz, Photos, Videos, Camera, iMovie and PhotoSender. My newest find is iCam.

My list of Apps I love to use while creating, exploring, and playing music are;

MorphWiz, Mugician, GeoSynth, Seline, ThumbJam, Sunrizer, SampleWiz, CrystalSynthXT, GarageBand, Magic Fiddle and Piano, PianistPro, ProKeys, and my latest SampleTank and MelodyMaker.

The list of Apps I use when I am not making music, working on music classes or enjoying music…. in other words the rest of my free time;

ByLine (RSS News Feeds), Pulse News, Flud News, River of News (I can’t decide which I like the best but I did list these in the order I use them the most), Twitter, Flipboard, Showyou, Music, GMusic, WeatherBug or AccuWeather, Alarm Clock HD by the Alarm Clock Company, PackTheBag, AirVideo, Screens, Fandango, Flixster, What’s On?HD, Launch Points and Maps, and of course Safari, Mail, Contacts and Calendar.

What apps do you use constantly? I would love to discover new ideas and find out who else is using the same apps as I do on a constant basis. Leave a comment below.

Melody Music Maker app

I received a press release today about a very interesting app….

Melody Music Maker is an app that helps you with those melodies stuck in your head. The app gives you a quick way to play around with a melody line and chordal accompaniment. There are settings to pick what scale you want to use and what sound you want for the chords and melody. By picking a scale that you want to use you are then given visual recommendations on what notes might sound the best and what chords might be best to go to next. It is this part that I find interesting. I am constantly finding a mental block on what chord might sound good next when I am trying to write a song. When I am just simply sitting at the piano and messing around it would be nice be able have a few indicators as to what might work well next harmonically. The app developer uses colors to give these recommendations, as seen here in this video or in the screenshots below.

The same method is used when creating a melody – the notes that are from the chord are a different color than the other notes. The main notes in the melody section are only notes that are going to sound good. This is based on the scale you have picked and the chord you are currently playing. Coming up with no wrong notes is a goal of this app! Man I wish I could do that in Band Rehearsal!

The app looks like it could be useful even to myself and for sure could be a great tool to help explain scales, chords and harmonically sound choices for composition or improv. There is an good introduction video on the main page of the website. There is also a nicely done manual page with even more videos.

By the way there is also a a decent collection of built in sounds in this app for both the chord voice as well as the melody voice. The best part is that the app allows for controlling of other MIDI apps or devices. This means you could use the Sunrizer synth for some sounds or an external keyboard too. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities. The app also gives you the ability to send and share these recordings with other people.

This will become one more app in my arsenal of music related tools in my personal toolbox as well as a great tool to use in class.

 

New tools for working with PDF Music

As iPad apps get more and more advanced in dealing with PDF music, I find I want to go back and alter my PDF’s from the past two years. Now I am seeing a great advantage to having metadata embedded into these PDF’s. Metadata is what you are given the opportunity to input when you create a PDF file from the Print menu in OSX – It allows you to put in a Title, Author, Subject, and Keywords. The problem is that it is not an option in Preview to go in later and change that data.

ForScore has a desktop app out that I have used in the past that allows for editing of this info though. When using the ForScore desktop app, you are  given the option to input Title, Composer, Genre, Difficulty and Rating. as seen in the screenshot to the side. Composer is just a rewording of Author and Genre is a rewording of Subject. their options for Difficulty and Rating is specific only to ForScore. The problem with using this app is that you can only change one file at a time. Some of these boxes could be filled in all at once for a bunch of PDF’s – like Genre or Keywords. So I went looking again….

Tonight I did a few google searches and came across one other app, for OSX, that will allow me to change an entire folder of files at once!

PDFInfo is a free app that allows for changes to all files in a certain folder or you can change one file at a time. Here is a screenshot of this app at work. I think I will be using all three options to get this metadata filled in – it just depends on which metadata I am trying to input and at what stage in the creating or using of the PDF I am at.

Lesson Plan App – PlanBook

So I am trying to get more organized with working the iPad into a good workflow with my lesson planning. I have been looking for a way to write up my lesson plans that I can sync between my MacBookPro, the Band Room iMac, my iPad and that will also allow me to display each classes lessons on the projector screen for each class. It just makes sense to me that we should not be having to re-type thing. I don’t want to type lesson plans into a plan book, then have to re-type for the principal and then re-type it again into a Keynote for the class to see what’s on the agenda for the day. Duplicate Work=Wasted Time!

PlanBook Touch for iPad seems like it just might do the trick. The iPad app works with the Mac app and those both sync to DropBox. The app also lets me track standards that I am addressing. (more about this in a moment) The Mac app also allows for integration with iCal – I have not explored this so I’m not sure how it works and to what benefit it would be.

The Standards portion of the app is interesting in the fact that I can have all the standards in one place, alongside my lesson plans and it will allow me to track which ones I’m over teaching or under teaching. The only thing is that unless someone has all the standards already in a CSV file, I’m going to have to go through and manually enter each one.

With this app it seems to be a pretty easy job to display the daily agenda onto the projector screen for the kids to see so they can be prepared for that days rehearsal.

I’m wondering what other iPad toting teachers are doing right now as a solution to lesson planning and sharing lesson plans with the students/teachers. Does anyone have a good workflow that is working for them right now? What apps are you using?

24 Track iPad Recording Studio for $49!

How about being able to record 24 tracks of audio at once? 48 tracks of playback! Being able to record on your iPad then move that session into another desktop recording software package like ProTools (LogicStudio?)!

The $49 is a bit mis-leading as you of course need an iPad as well as a USB audio interface. But the thought of what this adds up to in price and capability to what we were able to get 10 years is a staggering difference!

Auria App is from WaveMachine Labs and with the ability to play 48 mono or stereo 24bit/44.1 kHz tracks simultaneously, record up to 24 of those tracks simultaneously (through any supported USB multichannel audio interface), and edit and mix with familiar tools and full parameter automation, it’s clear Auria sets a new standard for iPad multitracking.

Here is a video of the software from YouTube

Of course there are other apps out there right now that let us record into our iPads – but the Auria App is the first to allow 24 tracks of simultaneous recording!

Now we just have to find a digital mixer – or at least a mixer that is compliant with the iPad camera connection kit! Of course if I’m recording 24 tracks of audio onto my iPad what am I going to use to read my music off from? I just might have to steal my original back from my wife iPad…. (anyone got any idea of how THAT’s going to go?) Maybe she’ll just let me by the iPad3!

If the thought of recording 24 tracks is a bit daunting to you – remember that there are several new iPad audio/midi docks/interfaces that are perfect for just recording several tracks at a time. The Alesis iO Dock is not new news but the Behringer iStudio  and the StudioConnect from Griffin are both new.

Apple’s GarageBand - which works on iPad/iPhone/Computer ,

Studio Track  from Sonoma WireWorks (8tracks of audio),

Amplitube 2 for iPad -(8 tracks of audio) (Really great for guitar players with all sorts of amp simulations and such),

MultiTrack DAW from HarmonicDog – (8 tracks simultaneous recording),

Studio.HD from SoundTrend LLC

New Mixers that integrate iPads

Are you looking for a way to incorporate your iPad into your live sound? Looking for new ways to mic up your Jazz Band or Choir? I know I want a new way to take advantage of the iPads portability and processing strength in ways I’ve not been able to. I want a great new way to use my iPad in conjunction with my sound system, both in the band room as well as when we are live. Live sound is always a hassle to some extent, trying to haul equipment and find someone to run it and then the sound board is in the back of the room and you, the director, are up front. Well,  NAMM 2012 has brought lots of exciting new gear announcements that incorporate the iPad and iPod’s. I have been looking at a new sound board for my band program these past few weeks and these announcements have caught my attention. There are several new sound boards that change the way we use sound boards. These sound boards utilize an iPad in one way or another.

I found information on two boards that did not include a release time or a price, those two boards are listed last. I did find one video review of the Mackie DL1608 Board (Find it here) that told me the price – $999, and they said the release time frame is quarter 2. For what this thing is doing that is amazing!
I could not find a price anywhere for the bottom two mixers.

The information from Mackie is the best put together of these three. A word of warning though, if you are not familiar with Mackie and the way they write their material, it’s going to be an interesting trip for you!

Mackie DL 1608 from Mackie  - go here for video and more pics from the Mackie website. Here is a video at the Mackie booth – the guy is showing it off and talking about it. He also mentions the price in this video – $999

Highlights - The Mackie DL1608™ redefines live mixing by combining the proven power of a full-featured digital mixer with the unmatched ease and mobility of an iPad.® With 16 boutique-quality Onyx mic preamps and the performance of 24bit Cirrus Logic® AD/DA converters, you have unparalleled sound quality. Seamless wired to wireless iPad control means you can mix from anywhere in the venue. This gives you the mobile freedom to control not only the mix, but also powerful plug-ins like EQ, dynamics, effects and more. The sleek DL1608 even supports up to 10 iPads.

What really is showing their innovation -

• Control the mix from anywhere with an iPad
• Great Preamps
• Great built-in Processing – like 4 band EQ, compression and gate plug-ins. Reverb, tap delay and 31-band graphic EQ and compressor/limiter on the main and aux outs.
• Suports up to 10 iPads – Give each band member the ability to adjust their own monitors.
• Total snapshot recall
• Chanel presets like kick drum, bass, guitar, keyboard and more.
• Record from the main mix right to your iPad
• Integrate music from any other app, like GarageBand without using up one of the mixers 16 channels while the iPad is docked.
• Channel Images – gone are the days of masking tape and handwriting who is on each channel!

I like that it appears that you do not have to leave the iPad docked for the entire show.
XENYX iX2442USB from Behringer – There are 16, 24 and 32 channel versions of this one -

XENYX iX2442USB

Premium 24-Input 4/2-Bus Mixer with iPAD Docking Station, XENYX Mic Preamps & Compressors, KLARK TEKNIK Multi-FX Processor, Wireless Option and USB/Audio Interface

• Premium ultra-low noise, high headroom mixer with iPAD integration
• iPAD docking station seamlessly integrates hundreds of iPAD music apps for recording, system tuning and monitoring etc.
• 10 state-of-the-art, phantom-powered XENYX Mic Preamps comparable to stand-alone boutique preamps
• 8 studio-grade compressors with super-easy “one-knob” functionality and control LED for professional vocal and instrumental sound
• Ultra-high quality KLARK TEKNIK FX processor with LCD display, dual-parameters, Tap function and storable user parameter settings
• “Wireless-ready” for high-quality BEHRINGER digital wireless system (not included)
• Built-in stereo USB/Audio Interface to connect directly to your computer. Free audio recording, editing and podcasting software plus 150 instrument/effect

MasterLink 24 with dock for iPad – from Alto Professional

 

24-CHANNEL MIXER WITH DOCK FOR IPAD

 

• Seamlessly integrates iPad with fitted enclosure, 30-pin dock and exclusive software
• Works with iPad and iPad 2
• Process and record your main mix with Alto Professional’s Live Drive App*
• Dedicated analyzer/talkback microphone input
• 24 input channels: 16 Mono, 4 Stereo
• 16 high-headroom low-noise microphone preamps
• Three-band EQ with sweepable mid-frequency on all mono channels
• 16 independent channel compressors for dynamic control
• Built-in Alesis digital effects processor with reverb, delay, chorus and more
• Four aux sends with aux one and two configurable as “post” or “pre” fader
• Four-bus operation, offering main and monitor mix separation
• Real-time audio analysis*
• 12-band parametric EQ*
• Compressor/limiter*
• Two-channel audio recording capability*
• Built-in programmable SPL meter*

The soundscape is changing….

Go look at Mackie’s web-site!