iPad Pro and forScore

Macintosh software/hardware discussion and troubleshooting

Moderator: James Steele

Post Reply
oldecuriosity
Posts: 68
Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 10:01 pm
Primary DAW OS: MacOS
Location: Stamford, Connecticut
Contact:

iPad Pro and forScore

Post by oldecuriosity »

Hi all,

Anyone using a 10.5 iPad for reading sheet music? I have the iPad Air, which measures at 9.7 inches and it works reasonably well, though it's time to upgrade and a bit larger screen area would be nice. The 12.9 would be perfect for sheet music, though for everything else (particularly when I travel), the smaller iPad (and cheaper price) would be the preferred option. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

DP 11
iMac M1 (24-inch, 2021) 16GB RAM
OS X 11.6.2
User avatar
mikehalloran
Posts: 15134
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 5:08 pm
Primary DAW OS: MacOS
Location: Sillie Con Valley

Re: iPad Pro and forScore

Post by mikehalloran »

Went from a 9.7” Air to a 12.9” iPad Pro. I don’t get the 10.5” version as the 12.9 travels quite well. I schlepped mine around Italy and Israel with the Logitech keyboard and never thought it was too big or too heavy. I used it to log into work every few days.

I have used both the Logitech and Brydge keyboards with mine. The keyboard on the Logitech is far superior but I sold it as the Brydge is much easier to install and remove as needed—more important to me than the better keyboard (ideally, the Brydge would have Logitech or Mac-Ike keys).
DP 11.31; 828mkII FW, micro lite, M4, MTP/AV USB Firmware 2.0.1
2023 Mac Studio M2 8TB, 192GB RAM, OS Sonoma 14.4, USB4 8TB external, M-Audio AIR 192|14, Mackie ProFxv3 6/10/12; 2012 MBPs Catalina, Mojave
IK-NI-Izotope-PSP-Garritan-Antares, LogicPro X, Finale 27.4, Dorico 5.2, Notion 6, Overture 5, TwistedWave, DSP-Q 5, SmartScore64 Pro, Toast 20 Pro
User avatar
MIDI Life Crisis
Posts: 26254
Joined: Wed May 18, 2005 10:01 pm
Primary DAW OS: MacOS
Contact:

Re: iPad Pro and forScore

Post by MIDI Life Crisis »

I have the 12.9 and yes, great for sheet music. The size isn't as cumbersome as you might think. I'm using the over priced Apple keyboard and cover but also have a few others for different situations. The Apple cover comes off and goes on fast when I need to mount or otherwise have the iPad in a stand holder. For travel I use a more standard cover with better protection. I don't use the keyboard often but when I do it's a godsend.

I'd also highly recommend getting the max memory and the wifi only version. I create a hot spot on my phone when there's no wifi available. Works fine.

I use mine for drawing as much as for music and use the And Apple pencil for that. What a great combination. I do find myself using the pencil to type (using it to tap the virtual keyboard instead of using my fingers).
2013 Mac Pro 32GB RAM

OSX 10.14.6; DP 10; Track 16; Finale 26, iPad Pro, et al

MIDI LIFE CRISIS
User avatar
mikehalloran
Posts: 15134
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 5:08 pm
Primary DAW OS: MacOS
Location: Sillie Con Valley

Re: iPad Pro and forScore

Post by mikehalloran »

MIDI Life Crisis wrote:I have the 12.9 and yes, great for sheet music. The size isn't as cumbersome as you might think. I'm using the over priced Apple keyboard and cover but also have a few others for different situations. The Apple cover comes off and goes on fast when I need to mount or otherwise have the iPad in a stand holder. For travel I use a more standard cover with better protection. I don't use the keyboard often but when I do it's a godsend.

I'd also highly recommend getting the max memory and the wifi only version. I create a hot spot on my phone when there's no wifi available. Works fine.

I use mine for drawing as much as for music and use the And Apple pencil for that. What a great combination. I do find myself using the pencil to type (using it to tap the virtual keyboard instead of using my fingers).
Likewise, I use my iPhone as a hot spot when needed. I understand that, with some carriers, this can be a bit of a pain but, with AT&T, it's easy.

The current storage offerings are 64/256/512G for the current version.
https://www.apple.com/ipad-pro/specs/

The first gen 32/128G 12.9" Pros are still available in the Refurb/Clearance Store where you can get the 128G for less than the 64G above.
https://www.apple.com/us-hed/shop/brows ... deals/ipad

I find 128G to be ok for me but can't imagine having less RAM. iOS 11, music .pdf files, pictures etc. take up a lot of real estate. 512G isn't too much for many users especially now that, with iOS 11, it's possible to store documents instead of just accessing them through the cloud. 32G barely covers iOS 11—avoid.

As to any other differences between the two versions, they include an A10 chip and a better camera on the current version. Might be important to someone but not me.

My only issue with the Apple keyboard cover is that I spend a lot of time away from a desk or table—one of my issues with the Logitech. Like the Logitech, the Apple makes a direct connection instead of Bluetooth.
Apple Smart Keyboard
https://www.apple.com/us-hed/shop/produ ... us-english

Logitech CREATE
https://www.apple.com/us-hed/shop/produ ... d-pro-blue

Only the Brydge keyboard can accommodate my needs—firm keybed & easy on/off. The keys do suck, however, requiring a firm and direct touch to be accurate (touch typers hate it; I only dislike it).
https://www.brydgekeyboards.com/product ... o-keyboard
DP 11.31; 828mkII FW, micro lite, M4, MTP/AV USB Firmware 2.0.1
2023 Mac Studio M2 8TB, 192GB RAM, OS Sonoma 14.4, USB4 8TB external, M-Audio AIR 192|14, Mackie ProFxv3 6/10/12; 2012 MBPs Catalina, Mojave
IK-NI-Izotope-PSP-Garritan-Antares, LogicPro X, Finale 27.4, Dorico 5.2, Notion 6, Overture 5, TwistedWave, DSP-Q 5, SmartScore64 Pro, Toast 20 Pro
oldecuriosity
Posts: 68
Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 10:01 pm
Primary DAW OS: MacOS
Location: Stamford, Connecticut
Contact:

Re: iPad Pro and forScore

Post by oldecuriosity »

Thanks, Mike and MLC - you guys always have a wealth of advice. No question the 12.9 is much better for reading music, so the only concern was if it would be too big for other stuff. And, Mike, I will be traveling to Israel soon, so good to know it wasn't an issue.

In a perfect world, I would have the 12.9 for music and the 10.5 for everything else. However, in a more perfect world, I would have all the music memorized (or better eyesight), thereby only needing the 10.5 . . . .

Thanks for the input - leaning towards the big one.

DP 11
iMac M1 (24-inch, 2021) 16GB RAM
OS X 11.6.2
User avatar
mikehalloran
Posts: 15134
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 5:08 pm
Primary DAW OS: MacOS
Location: Sillie Con Valley

Re: iPad Pro and forScore

Post by mikehalloran »

However, in a more perfect world, I would have all the music memorized (or better eyesight)
Yep, if I sang a piece before 2009, I still know it.

In my case, when reading music, I have to hold it with one hand and flip pages with my thumb. Two-handed is not an option with me. The smaller iPad is easier in that regard but the large one works ok for me.

People tell me that forScore is great but I find the free Kindle app is quite easy for that. Loading .pdfs onto an iPad is easy through email, iTunes or SendToKindle.app on my Mac, another free download from Amazon.

iBooks absolutely sucks for this use, BTW. Absolutely, completely, is Apple kidding? blows.

Dear Apple: iBooks should work as well as Amazon's free Kindle.app.
DP 11.31; 828mkII FW, micro lite, M4, MTP/AV USB Firmware 2.0.1
2023 Mac Studio M2 8TB, 192GB RAM, OS Sonoma 14.4, USB4 8TB external, M-Audio AIR 192|14, Mackie ProFxv3 6/10/12; 2012 MBPs Catalina, Mojave
IK-NI-Izotope-PSP-Garritan-Antares, LogicPro X, Finale 27.4, Dorico 5.2, Notion 6, Overture 5, TwistedWave, DSP-Q 5, SmartScore64 Pro, Toast 20 Pro
Post Reply