[tonypayne689@gmail.com]

I'm looking for recommendations on a reasonably-priced e-music setup for someone with limited funds.

TABLET: I don't have a tablet, so this is my biggest outlay. I'm keen to stick with Android. I'd like a 12"+display but the prices hike up. 10" seems a reasonable compromise but comments welcomed!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/TOSCiDO-Tablet-...hdGY&psc=1

FOOT SWITCH/PAGE TURNER: I'm tempted by something like the first of these (simple & cheap) but can't help feeling it could be a false economy. Is it worth paying a bit more for this? Something like the second, or others?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BX...8WXS&psc=1
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09D...7RSB&psc=1

TABLET HOLDER for music stand or mic stand
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07F...1OLE&psc=1

SOFTWARE: I play in two bands with very different requirements for e-music. A jazz big-band where I need to scroll multi-page PDFs and handle repeats and codas etc., and a covers band where I have a combination of chords-and-lyrics, guitar tabs and sometimes just hand-written notes. I've pretty much settled on MobileSheets as it does Android and seems to handle all of these, where others focus on one or the other. It's also very reasonably priced, and doesn't have the dreaded subscription, which can be very expensive over time.

ANYTHING ELSE? Have I missed anything I'll need? I have a laptop and the MobileSheets companion to help get music onto the tablet.

[MB10]

Hi,

I can't really speak about the products you linked, but I can talk about the ones I use:

Page turner bluetooth pedal: Airturn PED Pro 500

The thing about this pedal is that it needs a little bit of force to press down, but after I got used to it, I think this is positive because it won't happen easily that you accidentally press it. You might have to try out 2 or 3 pedals to find something that works for you. I can recommend this one from my experience.

Music stand: I use a classical music stand that I described in this forum post: https://zubersoft.com/mobilesheets/forum...l#pid44774
If you already have a stable tripod, a holder like the one you linked might be sufficient. I would value stability a lot because saving here might lead to a lot of stress in a performance situation when your setup is too unstable and kind of wiggles around.

Software: Definitely you should get MobileSheets, I think it is worth every penny! No subscriptions/fair pricing, cross-platform-usability, a lot of functions, it still continues to develop and new functions are added by user requests, active user support

I hope these help!

Malte

[tonypayne689@gmail.com]

Hi. That's really useful, thanks. I like the idea of the magnetic tablet case. This would mean I can put the tablet on my current music stand, and not risk it falling off (which is the only reason I'd go for a separate holder in the first place). Where did you get the magnetic case?

[MB10]

It's a case by the company Logitech. On the front it says logi and on the back rugged combo 3. I got it from work and can't tell you where you can buy it but hopefully some googleing will do the trick It has two magnetic parts for closing the lid, those two work perfectly for holding it to the music stand when the lid is open

[redroc.k]

I also like the AirTurn products.

I use this page turner - 

https://www.airturn.com/collections/blue...controller

It has four buttons, but I've learned that I really only use one button -- to start/stop scrolling!

So, If I were to do it again, I'd buy this one, which has only two buttons - 

https://www.airturn.com/collections/blue...controller


And I use this tablet holder, also from AirTurn - 

https://www.airturn.com/collections/tabl...blet-mount

I use it with a 12.9" iPad, and the iPad turned out to a little too heavy for the "rotating" or "pivoting" part of the holder to hold the iPad at the right angle, so I also added this upgrade kit from AirTurn - 

https://www.airturn.com/collections/acce...ot-upgrade

And now, no issues at all.


As for software, I definitely recommend MobileSheets.  It works great, and Mike Zuber's support is great.   One thing I really like is the cross platform compatibility.   One of my friends uses a Surface Pro, and we easily share song files and set lists.

[tonypayne689@gmail.com]

Thanks. Interesting comment on only using one button. I'd come to a similar conclusion, which is why I'm considering the single button turners. Would be interested to know if anyone has experienced them, and if there are any issues. There is still a "back" option via a double-tap, so you're not losing functionality, just simplicity.

[MB10]

I would think that around 97% of the pedal taps would be next page/start scrolling/page down depending on which way you configure MobileSheets and your pedal. But in case something goes wrong during a performance I am very happy to have a separate button to press - considering the stress that is there. I personally would not want to use a long press or a double press in that kind of situation

[mdavej]

I personally have had bad luck with Airturn. Cube Turner is a fraction of the cost, easier and quicker to pair, more reliable and easy to feel with your feet. Those with mushy paddles are awful. I never know for sure if I've pushed it. 

Airturn also doesn’t support their products. When I had an issue they couldn't fix, they offered a free exchange, then reneged when I tried to take them up on it, so not very honest either. I'll never buy another Airturn product.