MIDI Connections Scan

Use your flatbed scanner to turn sheet music into a MIDI file
Free down-loadable version to try before you buy.

MIDI Connections Scan is an ingenious PC program that lets you turn your printed music into a MIDI file. Once converted you can edit the MIDI file in the included MIDI Connections light program. You can even change the key and print the transposed music (for personal use only)

How does it work?
Place your printed sheet music in your scanner and let the Scan program "take a picture" of your music. At this stage you can edit the picture using eraser and pencil tools to help the music recognition. This usually means removing all non musical graphics such as the title, lyrics, dynamics etc., (these can be replaced in the MIDI file during editing). Scan will then be ready to turn the picture into music data.

Step one: Scan identifies the type of arrangement by recognizing the staves. An arrangement of up to 4 individual parts can be analyzed, of which each stave will be recorded on a separate MIDI channel. i.e. for a typical piano arrangement the treble and bass stave will become two MIDI channels, one for the treble clef and one for bass. It does not matter how many staves are on the printed music as long as the notes are printed clearly.

Step two: Scan looks at each individual note and musical symbol and compares them against the thousands stored in its own database. Recognised notes and symbols are stored as a file. All unrecognised notes and symbols are then marked as unknown. There are two reasons why a note or symbol has not been recognised, the first being that the printing is not clear (i.e. two notes closely joined together, or fragmented). The other reason is that the particular note or symbol is not in the database.

Step three: Correct joined up or fragmented parts of the picture with the eraser and pencil tools. This is not so easy to do when you first start, but you soon learn what parts need to be edited and find you can "get away" with very quick and easy edits. If a symbol is not recognised because it is not included in the database, you can "teach" Scan what the unidentified symbol is, and store it in the user database for future scans.

Step four: Listen to the music. By default all parts are played using a piano sound. Obviously this will sound as good (or bad) as the printed music would sound if played note perfect by a pianist. Drum or percussion parts will obviously not be present because they would not normally be part of the printed arrangement. Even if a drum part was printed, this would not be to the standard General MIDI drum map and so would not play the drum sounds correctly.

Step five: Save the analysed arrangement as a MIDI file for use on any MIDI sequencer program, or keyboard that can play GM MIDI files. If you use the saved MIDI file in MIDI Connections Light (included in the price of the Scan program), you can make your own edits and alterations to the song including: Changing the instrument sounds, effects, volumes, etc., You can add lyrics, analyse for chords and guitar tab. Transpose and even print the edited arrangement at a size that suits your needs (for personal use only).

MIDI Connections Scan can save you hours of laborious work over the conventional method of adding notes one at a time in a sequencer program, especially if you only want to transpose or scale the music, but don't take our word for this - download the free trial version and try Scan for yourself.

Minimum system requirements: Pentium class PC, PC-Twain flatbed scanner capable of 600 dpi, 32 Mbyte of RAM, Soundcard, 6 Mbyte of hard disk space, Windows 95/98/NT. Some problems have been reported when using 2000 Pro and ME, a fix will be available shortly.

Download a free demo version - please press HERE (LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS ACCESSING THIS)

Download a printable manual (requires Adobe Acrobat program) - please press HERE

The full Scan program including MIDI Connections Light is just 79.99 GBPounds (+ £3 postage & packing)

For customers living outside the UK, please add 5.00 GBP for air mail postage.

Why not choose your OWN midifiles - and hear them BEFORE you buy! - CLICK HERE!