Tablet Composition Tools?

[Shadix]

I picked up an Intuos 3 the other day, and besides art, I was wondering if there were any tablet-input midi composition tools anywhere.

I heard you can import TIF files into Finale and it will decipher the score, but is there anything that actually has some semblance of tablet integration already?

[The Pezman]

Could be wrong, but I imagined a tablet PC as basically being a different way to interact with the machine. In other words, you still have your mouse pointer, you just control it a different way.

So if you click in a midi note, you should be able to tap it in on a tablet.

[Shadix]

I'm aware of that... I'm looking for some sort of proprietary tool that will allow me to write sheet music "by hand" directly into midi, like a staff notebook program with note recognition.

Do you have any idea how fast staff composition would be with something like that?

[Infiniti]

The speed of composition depends on how used you are to the Intuos 3, as well as how well your mouse works. Intuos tablets are awesome and can navigate a screen really easily. Although they're actually for art, they can be used for pretty much anything.

You could also bind the shortcut buttons on the tablet to work as certain keys or key combinations for faster use of shortcuts in your DAW or otherwise.

So the tablet would most likely make composition faster. Maybe 1.5 - 2.5x faster than normal.

[The Pezman]

I'm aware of that... I'm looking for some sort of proprietary tool that will allow me to write sheet music "by hand" directly into midi, like a staff notebook program with note recognition.

Give me a hypothetical... you want to jot down a two bar idea you just had. What would you do on the pad and how would the program respond?

[Shadix]

Oh come on you guys are overthinking this.

All I want is to draw the notes on the staff and have the program convert it to recognizable midi.

If you want an example, look at your manuscript book and imagine if you could not only hear as you are writing, but drew the rhythms with the pen instead having to use the crappy inefficient note type cycling staff programs have.

Considering I'm having difficulty getting the concept across, I doubt a program with functionality like this even exists.

[dannthr]

What exactly are you trying to do that is different than what Finale, Sibelius, or any number of staff editors in almost every DAW does?

[analoq]

Considering I'm having difficulty getting the concept across, I doubt a program with functionality like this even exists.

Bingo, I don't know of any software that will allow you to use your tablet the way you envision. Your best bet is to get used to the "crappy inefficient note type cycling staff". Or if you can play piano, get a midi controller and sequence the parts live and notate only where necessary.

cheers.

[zircon]

You'd think there would be something like this by now, but I haven't heard of anything. I understand what it is he's asking for - a tool that lets you write manuscript exactly as you would normally and have it be read by the tablet and input into the sequencing program.

[The Pezman]

That actually sounds like more work than just tapping the screen.

[Shadix]

You'd think there would be something like this by now, but I haven't heard of anything. I understand what it is he's asking for - a tool that lets you write manuscript exactly as you would normally and have it be read by the tablet and input into the sequencing program.

Zirc understood me. heh

Pezman: You think it would be, but I simply can't get used to the clunky interface of Sibelius\Finale. I normally just use FL's piano roll for everything, however even that has limitations. (If only you could manipulate multiple channels at once. Arrangement can get tricky.) Our staff system was designed to be handwritten, and no program I know of has really done staffing justice.

I'll have to try the workstation thing again with the keyboard. I've done it before, and actually threw together a pretty rad song much faster than I usually do in FL.