Audio Technology: AirTurn Wireless Page Turner for iPad
Friday, 05 August 2011 00:00 | Last Updated on Thursday, 26 January 2012 01:04 | Written by Administrator | | |
Casa Valdez Studios: AirTurn Bluetooth Foot Pedal Board
Tuesday, 12 July 2011 00:00 | Last Updated on Thursday, 26 January 2012 01:08 | Written by Administrator | | |
Hands free - and feet free - page turning solution for organists
Sunday, 10 July 2011 21:08 | Last Updated on Monday, 11 July 2011 05:48 | Written by Administrator | | |
For some musicians who need to use both hands - and both feet - to play their instruments, something as simple as turning pages for sheet music can pose considerable challenges.
Meet Bob Bell, the developer of "One Good Turn", a cutom computer system for reading music, including a novel way for musicians to turn pages - hands AND feet free.
The bite switch connects to a page turner called the AirTurn AT-104, which includes a wireless transmitter and a USB receiver
For some musicians who need to use both hands - and both feet - to play their instruments, something as simple as turning pages for sheet music can pose considerable challenges. Organists, harpists, and drummers are some examples of musicians who have both hands and both feet constantly in use, making a hands-free foot switch system somewhat impractical.
Bob Bell, founder of Bell Computer Services (BCS) and organist for his local church, has developed "One Good Turn", a custom computer system for reading music, which includes a novel way for musicians to turn pages - hands AND feet free - by using bite and tongue switches connected to AirTurn's AT-104 wireless USB page turner.
One Good Turn consists of a customized 21" touchscreen Windows 7 computer loaded with MusicReader PDF 4. The screen is large enough to display 2 full-sized pages at a time, yet weighs only 8 pounds and can be carried with the help of a carrying case. Custom brackets can be made to order to secure the One Good Turn system onto any organ music rack safely.
In addition to the AirTurn page turner systems, bite switches, and carrying cases, BCS provides a full list of accessories for One Good Turn, including document scanners and scanning services ($2 per page with a 10 page minimum - resulting scanned files will be emailed to the customer, ready to be loaded onto the One Good Turn system).
Bob Bell demonstrates the One Good Turn Digital Music Library system running MusicReader PDF 4, and page turns triggered by the AirTurn AT-104 wireless USB page turner and a bite switch.
Detail of the AirTurn AT-104 wireless USB page turner with bite switch. The transmitter uses 2 AA batteries, and the receiver plugs into the computer's USB port.
One Good Turn and the AirTurn AT-104 with Bite Switch for Organists
Bell Computer Services also sells the AirTurn BT-105 Bluetooth page turner for iPad. This picture shows how the 1.5 pound iPad can replace hundreds of heavy binders full of sheet music.
Musicnotes iPad app adds support for AirTurn Hands Free Page Turner
Thursday, 23 June 2011 21:49 | Written by Administrator | | |
Leading internet-based sheet music store Musicnotes.com has added support for the BT-105 hands-free page turner from AirTurn within their Musicnotes Sheet Music Viewer iPad app. With Musicnotes, musicians can easily and legally purchase and instantly download digital sheet music and guitar tablatures from leading publishers of rock, pop, worship, and classical genres. Songs can be transposed on the fly within the app and marked up with text, ink, and highlighters in various colors. With the AirTurn BT-105 Bluetooth page turning pedal system, pages viewed within the Musicnotes Sheet Music Viewer iPad app can be turned without the need to touch or swipe the screen, enabling musicians to keep their hands on their instrument and their focus on the music. Multiple songs can be compiled into set lists, and turning the last page of one song will automatically open the first page of the next song on the list.
The AirTurn BT-105 connects wirelessly to the iPad via Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, and comes with 2 ATFS-2 silent foot switches, designed to be the quietest of its kind in the consumer market. The AirTurn BT-105 also features the ability to toggle the iPad's Virtual Keyboard, allowing for text entry within the Musicnotes Sheet Music Viewer iPad app. Both the AirTurn BT-105 and the ATFS-2 are manufactured in the U.S.A.
The latest version of Musicnotes Sheet Music Viewer iPad app also features a brand new Conductor mode, which allows a master iPad user to select songs, turn pages, and share annotations on multiple slave iPads simultaneously. Conductor mode will allow bands and larger ensembles to literally stay on the same page, with shared ink and text annotations making rehearsals and performance cues much more efficient.
Musicnotes, Inc. offers an online catalog of 100,000 digital sheet music titles, built on the strength of content agreements with Alfred Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, EMI Music Publishing, Faber Music Ltd, Sony/ATV Publishing, Disney Music Publishing, Cherry Lane Music Company, Peermusic, Word Music, EMI Christian, Bug Music and many others. Musicnotes is featured in Internet Retailer Magazine's list of the Top 500 Online Retailers and is one of the Top 50 American Music Products Retailers according to Music Trades Magazine.
AirTurn, Inc., a Boulder, Colorado based company, creates and markets technologies to enhance the study, practice and performance of music. Airturn was formed in 2008. It's latest product, the BT-105 Bluetooth page turner for Bluetooth-equipped Mac, PC, and iPad computers, has been featured in ZDNet, Wired, Engadget, Crunchgear,CNet Asia, and, USAToday.
AirTurn launches silent foot switch for its iPad page turner
Thursday, 23 June 2011 20:53 | Written by Administrator | | |
AirTurn, Inc. is introducing the ATFS-2, a new silent foot switch designed to be the quietest consumer foot switch on the market today, as a companion to its BT-105 Bluetooth hands free page turner for the iPad and Bluetooth-equipped Mac and PC computers. The ATFS-2 features a proprietary "mechanism free" design, where there are no moving parts aside from the molded hinge. The switch is actuated with a rare earth neodymium magnet and a rhodium reed switch, both of which are embedded within the body of the foot switch. Manufactured in Colorado, the ATFS-2 is injection molded with a unique blend of high strength plastics, which makes the foot switch virtually indestructible. "When I first started using computers as digital sheet music readers 10 years ago, I fell in love with the idea of being able to carry my entire library in a single device and marking up my music with digital ink," says Hugh Sung, VP and Co-Founder of AirTurn, Inc. "The hardest part of putting this digital system together was finding a way to turn the pages without having to press a button with my hand, which I really wanted to keep on my piano while I played. I tried using various programmable foot switches, but they were all difficult and clunky to use. My dream page turning foot switch would need 3 things: it would have to be easy to use, it would have to be wireless (since I hated the look of dangling cables), and most importantly, it would need to be perfectly silent, since I had to turn pages in recording sessions and classical music concert halls. I think we've come up with a home run page turning pedal system for the iPad and Bluetooth-equipped computers that is easy to use, wireless with the latest Bluetooth technology, and hands down the most silent foot switch on the consumer market today." Up to two ATFS-2 foot switches can be connected to the AirTurn BT-105 Bluetooth page turner to trigger forwards and backwards page turns. The BT-105 features fast, easy pairing with devices like the iPad, long rechargeable battery life, and compatibility with a wide variety of iPad apps and most document and presentation programs for the Mac and PC.
Click on the images to view the store listings.
Side view of the ATFS-2 silent foot switch:
Two ATFS-2 silent foot switches with the BT-105 Bluetooth hands free page turner:
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