The Backstory
My name is Michael Zuber and I am the creator of MobileSheets. Music has always been a big part of my life, and I have been playing the piano for as long as I can remember. Like most musicians, I accumulated a significant amount of sheet music over the years, both in books and binders, and my bookcase was filled to the brim. It started to become a tedious chore to rifle through books to find the songs I wanted to play. I also would regularly travel to see my family, and one of the things I would love to do is play through musical numbers and sing with my sister, but I could only bring so many books with me. I knew there had to be a better way to manage all of my sheet music. As someone who always loved tech and became a software developer, digitizing my scores seemed like the perfect solution.
Around 2009-2010, I got my hands on a Windows-based convertible laptop with a touchscreen, and being a Windows developer, I immediately set out to see if I could create an application to manage my sheet music. I was working full-time though, so it became a passion project in the evenings and weekends. When Android tablets entered the market to compete with the iPad and there weren't any sheet music apps available, I decided that I would convert the test app I built on the Windows laptop over to Android—the Android tablets were a far superior hardware solution than the clunky laptop. At the end of 2011, I had finished the first version of MobileSheets for Android, and it worked really well for my simple needs. I thought that other musicians might benefit from having a sheet music reader app on Android, so I published it on Google Play.
Timeline
Release of MobileSheets for Android
User base steadily climbs, and users provide invaluable feedback. Feature set slowly grows over time.
Redesign of MobileSheets begins
Work is started on a complete redesign in order to accommodate more advanced features and meet the needs of performing musicians.
Release of MobileSheetsPro
The new design is released under the name MobileSheetsPro. The user interface is largely redesigned, more display modes such as vertical scrolling are added, and the codebase is structured to allow for complex enhancements going forward.
Release of MobileSheets for Windows
The Windows version of MobileSheets is released. The same features are supported on both Android and Windows so that users can easily collaborate with musicians working on either platform.
Release of MobileSheets for E-Ink Devices
An e-ink version of MobileSheets is released with optimizations for BOOX tablets.
Transition to working full-time
After years of planning, I excitedly resigned from my day job to work full-time on MobileSheets.
Annotations redesign is released
In order to accommodate more complex annotations and provide a better user interface, the annotations functionality is redesigned.
Release of MobileSheets for iPad
The goal is finally reached of having MobileSheets on all of the major platforms. Users are now able to collaborate with their fellow musicians with ease regardless of what type of tablet they are using. Renamed the app back to just "MobileSheets" for consistency on all platforms.
iPhone version released along with face gestures
MobileSheets is made available for the iPhone and face gesture functionality is now available on all platforms including support for older iPads without a TrueDepth camera. Users now have more options than ever for hands free playback.
My Heartfelt Appreciation
Over the last 12 years, I have been astonished by the frequent generosity and kindness of the MobileSheets users. The app would not be a fraction of what it is today without the support I have received, and the feedback that I get on a daily basis. MobileSheets is now available in 17 languages thanks to the amazing translators who have volunteered their time and energy. The Zubersoft forums are filled with helpful comments and feedback. I want to thank each and every one of you who has helped the MobileSheets community grow by sharing the app and making the app what it is today.
About Me
I live in Portland, Oregon in the United States with my wonderful wife Elana. I have been working professionally as a software developer for over 18 years. I have played piano for the better part of 30 years as well as acoustic guitar for over 20. My wife and I are enormous fans of musicals such as The Music Man, Something Rotten, Man of La Mancha and Les Miserables. I also love volleyball and mountain biking, and am an avid gamer.
