| miniMusic NotePad 1.1 release |
MINIMUSIC IMPROVES ITS LEADING HANDHELD MUSIC SOFTWARE
More power in your pocket to play, write and learn music.
| miniMusic NotePad 1.1 release |
Building on an already rich set of features, the new version can now notate much larger chords than ever before (previously limited to four notes at a time), and will now let notes be entered from any attached electronic musical instrument like a keyboard or an electronic wind instrument. This is in addition to all of the existing note entry options like the on-screen piano, interactive musical staff, the Graffiti handwriting recognition, or the "piano roll" grid where anything you draw becomes music!
NotePad 1.1 now takes advantage of the Infra-red port built into every Palm Powered(TM) computer to let you "beam" songs between different handhelds so that users can share songs and collaborate and teachers and students can exchange work instantly and wirelessly. The existing MIDI output feature has always let you play your music on enhanced sound hardware like the incredibly portable SG20 tone module from Swivel Systems, the Tsunamidi from Singapore Shinei Sangyo Pte. Ltd. or any other electronic musical instruments, but now full support has been added for the new Beat Plus Springboard module from Hagiwara Sys-Com that plugs into the slot on any Handspring(TM) Visor(TM) creating the most compact platform for miniMusic software yet available!
"We've been listening to how people are using our software and we've tried to make it more accessible and more powerful," says Chad Mealey, president and chief software engineer at miniMusic. "The new version runs faster than ever and has great new features, but we've also pushed ourselves to make the software as compact and efficient as possible; the entire application uses only 50k of memory! This is great for handheld computers where memory is restricted and it leaves room to store lots of music."
The new version continues to support miniMusic's export conduit that lets songs be transferred effortlessly to any desktop computer (both Mac and Windows are supported) and the miniAlarm utility that lets you write your own alarms for use with the Palm Date Book and other alarm software. By exporting music in the industry standard MIDI format, it is easy to use NotePad along with any other music software, or even to put music on the internet.
Other new features include: color support in the Grid View, improved real-time note entry for the on-screen staff, General MIDI instrument names in the Voice Preferences, improved volume control for playback, and the "Play Section" and "Stop in Place" commands are now available when using MIDI or the Beat Plus.
NotePad is just one of three applications currently available from miniMusic. BeatPad is a powerful pattern sequencer allowing the manipulation of musical patterns and loops as they are playing making it a great performance tool. BugBand is an educational game that helps drill the basics of reading musical notation and teaches sight reading for both piano and guitar. Both NotePad and BeatPad are included in miniMusic's Mobile Software Pack which also includes a Palm-to-MIDI interface and printed manual.
Pricing, Availability, and Distribution
The NotePad Upgrade will be free for all current owners of NotePad, or it can purchased for $29.95 from the miniMusic website, or as part of the new miniMusic Mobile Software Pack available for $59.95 on-line and from select retail outlets (Mobile Software Pack owners must register on our website or by mail to get the free upgrade). Free demos of all miniMusic software titles are currently available for download from the miniMusic web-site at www.minimusic.com and from other Palm OS software distributors such as PalmGear H.Q., Handango, and Smaller.com.
About miniMusic
Based in San Francisco, miniMusic's goal is to provide portable music tools for composition, education, performance, and entertainment so that musical ideas can be explored anywhere and anytime, giving individuals the freedom of musical expression on their own terms. Chad Mealey, the chief designer of the NotePad software, studied music composition at San Francisco State University and San Diego Mesa College. His computer background includes work at the Salk Institute, The Lawrence Livermoore National Laboratory, and Biosphere 2 in Arizona.
For more information please visit the miniMusic website at http://www.minimusic.com
miniMusic, miniMusic NotePad, BugBand and BeatPad are trademarks of miniMusic. Palm OS, Graffiti and HotSync are registered trademarks, and Palm and Palm Powered are trademarks of Palm, Inc. or its subsidiaries. All other brands and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.