[ZuperDave]

Hi.  I'm new to the forum, but I've been using MSP for 4 or 5 years.  I play sax in a (volunteer) big band and do (or did before Covid) gigs at wedding receptions and old folks homes.  I also play with a church worship team.

Some of the scores I have look like they were hand written by Benny Goodman or Tommy Dorsey themselves and displaying them on a 10" android screen is becoming more difficult every year.  Go figure!

I've also been having problems with my AirTouch pedals, so I thought I'd upgrade to a 2 in 1.  Should be much easier to see and maybe that will also solve my page turning problems.

So there are a lot of options and I finally got my cash together.  One of them was running Windows 10 in S mode.  Anybody know what that is?  Is it compatible with MSP?

I've briefly browsed the forum looking for information that would help me avoid problematic computers and hopefully get the best one.

I don't have the money to get this wrong!

I have noted that the Admin has a Surface Pro 4 so I'm assuming all the bugs are worked out for that unit.  :-)

Then there's the stuff you can't know till you do it.  What is going to surprise me when I make the switch?

What accessories might I need to keep this thing safely on a stand?  etc.

Any comments or input will be appreciated.

Thanks.

Dave

[InstrEd]

Windows S version should be able to be turned into Windows 10 Home for no cost. Windows S version only lets you download applications from the Windows Store. So you would be fine as MobileSheets is sold that way. I need Windows 10 home or pro for my software needs.

I have used a HP Envy X360 15.6" 2n1 no problems FYI. I used it in portrait mode for worship service on a music stand. I have a USB foot-pedal and bluetooth one too. Both work fine but most of the time I just swipe the screen.

[ZuperDave]

Thanks, InstrEd,

Ironically the HP Envy X360 15.6" is exactly the model I was favoring! And it happens to be in stock at the local Best Buy. I may have to leave work a little early today!

Any specific things you do to keep it safe and/or on the stand? Do you use a music stand or something else? I've been using a tablet and portrait mode mostly. As noted above I have a few scores in chicken scratch, so I go landscape for those, but then DS, DC and Coda's get exciting! :-)

Years ago I made 4 "feet" for the back of my tablet using hot glue. That made it 100% more secure than the hard back against a metal or plastic stand. It also took out the wobble when swiping or mark-ups. And a lot of stands have ridges and bumps and rivets that make the surface not flat. So I can't see myself using hot glue on the keyboard. How do you keep it secure? And are the keys disabled in tablet mode?

Dave

[DonC]

I recently bought myself an Alldocube KNote X Pro Win10 tablet in China for chf 298.- (I guess about US$330 these days)
It has a 13.3" screen which would be nicer with a less extreme aspect ratio, but it is working perfectly with BT pedal, stylus, etc.
The screen brightness is quite good and the battery autonomy appear to be 7 to 8 hours.
I don't know how the service would be if you have problems so there is some risk, but HP, Dell, etc. service is also disastrous.
For the moment at least I am saying, even for 4 times the price it is darned good.
I was really looking for 15", but at that price I couldn't restrain myself, I found nothing with a bigger screen for less than about 1200.-
Don

PS: I printed myself some clips to hold it on the music stand with my 3D printer and feel safer.

[InstrEd]

I just had the laptop in tablet mode portrait on a orchestral stand. So the stand that is much wider and it was fine. I used it several times for worship service with no problems. It is actually my wives laptop and I borrowed it to try how it would work. I'm actually looking at the Costco AMD Ryzen one myself. Hoping it is available two days from now as my billing period ends on my Costco credit card tomorrow. This way I would get almost two months to pay it off and with using the Costco Credit card I get extended warranty on the purchase for no extra cost.

I was considering the 13" HP envy model but the ram is soldered in. On the 15.6" model the ram is up-gradable if I need more ram.

[maintech]

I also have had issues with which tablet, and mounting it securely. I dropped my Galaxy 900, broke the screen and could not locate or afford the replacement screen, so I got a cheap HP 14" laptop and use that, but I'm seriously considering a separate monitor to get a larger display, my 81 year old eyes are struggling with the results of overuse (commercial photographer for too many years, & too many hours retouching prints & 120 negs!)
My thinking is that a separate monitor using the hdmi signal from my laptop, and it's low cost will work for me, I only play at home, and so set-up is not a problem. I realize that musicians who play gigs might find the extra screen awkward, but they are very cheap, some are quite light-weight and a plywood carrying case could be simply made, providing you select one with a minimum, or removable stand, and use the music stand to hold he display. It would mean an extra side table for the laptop, so those in a band might not be able to use that. Some displays have touch screen capabilities, so that might allow the communication to the primary tablet to work, allowing it to be located out of the way.
Hope you can find a workable solution,

[hella]

I also have had issues with which tablet, and mounting it securely. I dropped my Galaxy 900, broke the screen and could not locate or afford the replacement screen, so I got a cheap HP 14" laptop and use that, but I'm seriously considering a separate monitor to get a larger display, my 81 year old eyes are struggling with the results of overuse (commercial photographer for too many years, & too many hours retouching prints & 120 negs!)
My thinking is that a separate monitor using the hdmi signal from my laptop, and it's low cost will work for me, I only play at home, and so set-up is not a problem. I realize that musicians who play gigs might find the extra screen awkward, but they are very cheap, some are quite light-weight and a plywood carrying case could be simply made, providing you select one with a minimum, or removable stand, and use the music stand to hold he display. It would mean an extra side table for the laptop, so those in a band might not be able to use that. Some displays have touch screen capabilities, so that might allow the communication to the primary tablet to work, allowing it to be located out of the way.
Hope you can find a workable solution,

Hi maintech,

I have MobilSheet on a laptop with Windows 10 Home edition.
As external screen I have a LCD Display 17" connected via HDMI.
On the laptop I have the Display setting to Portrait so the LCD is in a portrait position.
I purchased the LCD screen on eBay for about $130.
This setup works great for me and the sheet music is displayed very large and nicely for my 70 years old eyes


Hope this helps...regards, hella

[Andrew9999]

Here's my experience with MSP and Windows FYI...

Before COVID I only used MSP with Android on large tablets (13.3") - currently Lenovo.  I ended up simply placing the tablet on a normal Stagg music stand (not one of those wobbly portable ones) with a bluetooth peddle.

With the advent of COVID I now play mostly remotely using Jamulus - which is not available for Android yet (work in progress).  So I have Jamulus running on a Windows PC.  I've also started using virtual sampled instruments more via a Reaper DAW with a MIDI keyboard instead of a piano (I'm finding it a very interesting area to explore in lockdown).  My setup currently is therefore:

- Windows 10 Pro - with multiple monitors, and a spec primarily determined by the needs of Reaper (good sampled instruments can consume a lot of disk space and memory);
- Wired not wi-fi - Jamulus latency is lower that way, needed for "live" sessions;
- An external sound card (Focusrite Scarlett, connected via USB to manage all my analogue inputs/outputs, and MIDI connection to the PC - vastly better quality and lower latency than Windows native audio);
- MSP on its own monitor, with Reaper and Jamulus on another.

So using Windows has become much more of a logical progression for me.  Given the above it wouldn't make sense to use a Windows laptop, for example.  I can get/build a good spec PC for much less money and spend the saving on some good quality large monitors.

Some of the people I play with are still using Android tablets - so we share setlists by exporting songs/files via e.g. OneDrive, and then sync song selection and page turns with MSP via the Internet. 

When we can play together physically again, I'll start to use my Android tablet - but large Android tablets aren't hugely expensive unless you want something unnecessarily high spec like a Samsung.  I tend to buy Chinese models off AliExpress at around £150.  Minimum spec, but fine for MSP, which doesn't demand a lot of hardware.

--Andrew

[jeffn1]

I have looked at Ali Express. So, you have had good experience with them? Are you in the US?

Jeff

Here's my experience with MSP and Windows FYI...

Before COVID I only used MSP with Android on large tablets (13.3") - currently Lenovo.  I ended up simply placing the tablet on a normal Stagg music stand (not one of those wobbly portable ones) with a bluetooth peddle.

With the advent of COVID I now play mostly remotely using Jamulus - which is not available for Android yet (work in progress).  So I have Jamulus running on a Windows PC.  I've also started using virtual sampled instruments more via a Reaper DAW with a MIDI keyboard instead of a piano (I'm finding it a very interesting area to explore in lockdown).  My setup currently is therefore:

- Windows 10 Pro - with multiple monitors, and a spec primarily determined by the needs of Reaper (good sampled instruments can consume a lot of disk space and memory);
- Wired not wi-fi - Jamulus latency is lower that way, needed for "live" sessions;
- An external sound card (Focusrite Scarlett, connected via USB to manage all my analogue inputs/outputs, and MIDI connection to the PC - vastly better quality and lower latency than Windows native audio);
- MSP on its own monitor, with Reaper and Jamulus on another.

So using Windows has become much more of a logical progression for me.  Given the above it wouldn't make sense to use a Windows laptop, for example.  I can get/build a good spec PC for much less money and spend the saving on some good quality large monitors.

Some of the people I play with are still using Android tablets - so we share setlists by exporting songs/files via e.g. OneDrive, and then sync song selection and page turns with MSP via the Internet. 

When we can play together physically again, I'll start to use my Android tablet - but large Android tablets aren't hugely expensive unless you want something unnecessarily high spec like a Samsung.  I tend to buy Chinese models off AliExpress at around £150.  Minimum spec, but fine for MSP, which doesn't demand a lot of hardware.

--Andrew