Why use a Mac for sheet music?
A MacBook on a piano's music desk is a common stand. The screen is big and the keyboard is out of the way. It's also where many musicians keep their scores, in a Files folder, a Dropbox or a synced library.
SheetScroll works from that folder. Open a folder of PDFs and the whole library is there.
What does SheetScroll do on a Mac?
- macOS 12 or later: on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.
- Opens your files: PDFs, photos, MusicXML, MuseScore, Guitar Pro, MIDI, ABC, MEI, Humdrum, chord charts and text tabs. Add a whole folder at once.
- Listens: to the Mac's microphone, or to a digital piano connected over USB or Bluetooth MIDI.
- Turns the page: two beats before the end, never early; it holds the page when two passages sound alike.
- Syncs: optional, through iCloud Drive, so the Mac and an iPad share a library. It is end-to-end encrypted.
How should I set up a Mac on a stand?
- Tilt the screen up so the page sits at eye level. A laptop riser or a music stand with a flat tray works.
- Pair a Bluetooth page-turn pedal in System Settings, then open a score. Most pedals send Page Down, Page Up, the arrow keys or Space, which work as they are.
- Plug a digital piano in over USB and choose it in Settings > Listening. SheetScroll then follows the notes themselves.
- For an acoustic instrument, allow the microphone when asked and place the Mac so it hears you.
- Use an external display for a bigger page if you have one.
Or put the Mac next to a tablet. With sync on, the same library is on both, and Pro bought in any store works on every synced device.
How do I get Pro on a Mac?
Pro bought on sheetscroll.com is a license key. Enter it in Settings > SheetScroll Pro > Enter License Key. A key works on up to three devices.
The reader is free forever: every format and view, annotations, setlists, pedal or key turns, and eight courses. Pro adds listening and automatic turns, at $5.99 a month, $29.99 a year (first 2 weeks free) or $79.99 once.
What does a big screen add?
On a laptop or an external display you can show two pages side by side, which means the page you are reading never disappears when the turn comes. For long scores, half-page turns keep the next line in view.
Marking is free. Pencil, highlighter, fingerings and symbols stay with their bars when you change the view, so a laptop and a tablet show the same markings.
Is a Mac useful for teachers and arrangers?
Yes. A teacher with a notation program can save a MusicXML or MuseScore file and open it in SheetScroll. The piece opens as a page that listens and turns, with your own markings on its bars.
Questions
What macOS version does SheetScroll need?
macOS 12 or later, on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.
Can I use my Mac's microphone?
Yes. Allow the microphone when asked. Sound is analyzed on the Mac and never recorded.
Can I use a digital piano with my Mac?
Yes. Connect it over USB or Bluetooth MIDI and choose it in Settings > Listening.
How do I get Pro on a Mac?
Buy it on sheetscroll.com and enter the license key in Settings > SheetScroll Pro. A key works on up to three devices.
Can my Mac and iPad share a library?
Yes, with sync on, through your own iCloud Drive. It is end-to-end encrypted.
Related
- iPad and iPhoneA sheet music reader for iPad and iPhone (iOS and iPadOS 15 or later). Apple Pencil markings, iCloud sync and hands-free page turns, never early.
- WindowsA sheet music reader for 64-bit Windows PCs (Intel, AMD, Arm), Surface too. It listens and turns the page, never early. Free reader; Pro by license key.
- LinuxA sheet music reader for Linux on x64 and Arm: .deb, .rpm and AppImage. It listens and turns the page, never early. Free reader; Pro by license key.
- PianistsA sheet music app for pianists: it listens through the mic or a digital piano over MIDI and turns the page two beats early, never early. Free reader.
- TeachersMark up pieces, set up recitals, build a lesson library and give students practice that listens. A sheet music app for music teachers, with a free reader.
- Bluetooth page turn pedalsHow a Bluetooth page-turn pedal works, how to pair it with iPad, Android, Windows or Mac, which mode to pick, and notes on AirTurn, PageFlip and Donner.
- Automatic page turnersEvery way to turn sheet music pages hands-free, from pedals to apps that listen, with the pros and cons of each and how a listening page turner decides.
- Opening music filesSheetScroll opens PDFs, photos, MusicXML, MuseScore, Guitar Pro, MIDI, ABC, chord charts and more. How to add them, and pair a scan with a digital copy.
- Digital pianos over MIDIConnect a digital piano by USB or Bluetooth MIDI and SheetScroll follows the notes themselves, with no microphone. Here is how to set it up.
- Page turning appsSheet music apps that turn pages by listening (SheetScroll, Newzik, Smartleggio) or by face and eye gestures (forScore, MobileSheets, SightTune).