AirTurn, Inc.

AirTurn AT-104 Wireless Page-Turner

by Dr. Mario Ajero

* Note:  This article originally appeared in the September/Octover 2009 Issue of Clavier Companion Magazine.

Pianists are beginning to go paperless with their scores. Just as the consumer can convert an audio collection into a complete digital library, the artist is now able to consolidate an entire score collection into one portable notebook or tablet computer. With digital music, a pianist can place a computer on the music rack and perform anything on the spot.

Whether reading digital or traditional paper scores, we pianists must deal with the problem of turning pages while both hands are occupied at the keyboard.The AirTurn AT-104 solves this problem: when connected to a pedal footswitch, the AirTurn allows musicians to incorporate a handsfree system of page turning.

The AirTurn AT-104 contains two components: a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver is the size of a USB flash drive and plugs directly into one of your computer’s USB ports. The transmitter is the size of a small television remote control and is compatible with a variety of pedal footswitches that initiate page turns on your computer’s display. The AirTurn transmitter requires two AA batteries. Although the transmitter does not use any battery power until it is plugged in, I would like to see AirTurn add a power indicator light to the unit.

The product comes with a two-page instruction manual. I decided, however, to try out the device without reading the instructions; I wanted a true test of the AirTurn AT-104’s user-friendliness.

When I first plugged in the USB receiver, my MacBook Pro computer treated the receiver as an unidentifiable external USB keyboard and launched a Keyboard Setup Assistant window. Since, however, the computer stated that I could skip the setup if the device worked properly, I simply closed the Keyboard Setup Window and connected the AirTurn transmitter to a Boss FS-6 Footswitch. (I chose the Boss FS-6 because it contains two pedal switches. The right pedal switch turns pages forward, and the left switch turns pages backward.) Using musical scores that I had scanned into PDF format,my test page turns were flawless.

By default, the MacBook Pro interpreted the pedal switches correctly: pushing the right (forward turn) pedal was the equivalent of activating the “Page Down” function of most computer software programs, and the left (backward turn) pedal corresponded with the “Page Up” command. I was pleasantly surprised to see that several software programs that I already own (Adobe Reader, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Apple Keynote, and Apple Pages) worked beautifully with the AirTurn/Boss FS-6 combination.

So how does it feel to turn pages with your foot? It took me about one day of practice to truly adjust to this new physical movement. At first, I tried to use the AirTurn AT-104 pedal with my right foot, but I found myself accidentally turning pages when I wanted to use the damper pedal! So I moved the AirTurn pedal to the left of the pedal lyre and found it much more natural to turn pages with my left foot.

Communication between the AirTurn transmitter and receiver was consistently reliable, even at a distance of thirty feet. It is of course highly unlikely that a performer would be this far away from the music display, but my testing demonstrates the strength of the connection between the two AirTurn components.

While some musicians might prefer built-in pedals, the AirTurn’s compatibility with a variety of third-party footswitches provides the user with a variety of options. For example, one pianist might feel more comfortable using just one pedal and preprogramming the score with repeats, while another player might prefer to add a second pedal for backward page turns. Personally, I liked having the two connected pedal switches on the Boss FS-6, but both Boss and Roland manufacture other pedals compatible with the AirTurn AT-104.

The bottom line is that the AirTurn AT- 104 is an invaluable device, especially for musicians who have decided to go digital with their scores. It works as well as its creators promise. More important, with the AirTurn AT-104 you won’t have to bother your colleagues or students to turn pages for you ever again. (AirTurn, Inc., www.airturn.com. $49.95.)

—Mario Ajero

© Clavier Companion. Used By Permission. All Rights Reserved.

Click here to view Dr. Ajero's video review of the AirTurn.