NoteScan Music Scanning Software is an exciting new music scanning utility which brings enhanced power to Nightingale Notation/Composition/Engraving Software. NoteScan is the first computer program which uses Optical Music Character Recognition to read a printed sheet of music directly into a music notation program. This allows the scanned score to be edited, played back, transposed, rearranged and republished, all within the single environment of the Nightingale music notation application.
NoteScan is a completely new approach to the concept of scanning music. Early introductions of music scanning software yielded only a string of MIDI data, which first had to be edited for mistakes, and then imported into a MIDI/Music application for further and often extensive work to produce a finished score. Because of the built-in power, ease-of-use, and sophistication of Nightingale, TAP has chosen to have NoteScan import scanned music files directly into Nightingale, without the user doing ANY prior editing. This eliminates one entire level of editing tasks, saving time and effort for the user.
• How to use NoteScan - Quick Overview
1. Use a flatbed, sheet-feed, or a hand-held scanner to create a TIFF file (200 or 300 DPI recommended)
2. Launch the NoteScan utility and use it to "read" the TIFF file, and save it as a "NoteScan file."
3. Launch Nightingale and Import the newly-created NoteScan file.
• NoteScan’s Capabilities and Limitations
It is important to note that NoteScan creates far more than merely MIDI note and rest data. It gathers information for score layout, staff positioning, staff size, page size, measure layout, note positioning, note beaming, note accidentals, clef changes, and key changes. NoteScan also determines if there are hidden/optimized staves in the score. NoteScan automatically ignores titles, rehearsal letters, articulation markings, text, performance instructions, and even the occasional pencil mark on the score.
NoteScan currently does not recognize several types of symbols in standard music scores; these include slurs, phrase marks, ties, dynamics, time signatures, articulations, repeat barlines, double barlines, and ending brackets (such as a 1st ending). Inclusion of all of these symbols into NoteScan's capabilities is planned for future releases.
Recognition of text such as lyrics or titles is also not currently included in NoteScan’s capabilities. However, processing the original TIFF file using a separate Optical Character Recognition application designed for text scanning will yield a text document which can be imported into Nightingale’s “Flow in Text/Lyrics” dialog. The scanned body of text can then be entered into the score as lyrics, or individual lines of text can be copied from the text document, and then pasted into the dialog of the Text Tool for placement as a title or performance instruction.
• Disclaimer
Optical Music Character Recognition is a brand new technology which brings exciting new possibilities to the use of computers for composition, arranging, and desktop publishing of music. The technology used in NoteScan is a pioneering effort within this complex new field, a field which shows great future promise in the working efficiency of teachers, publishers and writers. However, the technology of optical character recognition is a very new science, with a very long way to go before the user can expect to simply scan score from any publisher, and find no mistakes in a ready-to-play finished product. For instance, because various music publishers use widely differing types of quarter rests, NoteScan will often fail to correctly “see” them. Likewise, since the appearance of clefs and left-hand system brackets are treated differently in European publications than in North American publications, system breaks may be incorrectly recognized by NoteScan.
In the coming years NoteScan’s developers plan to bring to this software enough power and flexibility, and recognition of enough various publishers’ works, to let the scanner literally replace the human eye for the performance and reproduction of music scores. We hope that users of the current NoteScan application will find it a useful tool, despite the need for greater power in the future.
• The Nightingale/NoteScan Combination
When NoteScan has finished processing the original TIFF file, it saves a NoteScan file containing all the score information it has taken from the original score. You can then launch the Nightingale music notation application, and immediately open the newly-created NoteScan file.
Using Nightingale's powerful editing capabilities, you can quickly make changes to the new score, change instrument assignments, and add new instruments right on the computer screen. Of course, since Nightingale is fully MIDI capable, your score can be played back directly from the notation displayed on the screen, and can be saved as a standard MIDI file for export to any other MIDI-compatible program.
In order to use NoteScan satisfactorily, you must have a thorough knowledge of Nightingale's commands and functions. Familiarity with the following Nightingale commands/functions is especially recommended:
• Respace Bars
• Remove Gaps in Voices
• Master Page (and all commands which appear under the Master Page menu)
• Work on Page Format (and all the commands which appear under the Format menu)
• Set Duration
• Look at One Voice
• MultiVoice Notation
• Use of the dragging tool to edit pitches
• System Requirements:
- Both Nightingale and NoteScan operate under System 6.0.5 or higher, and using a Mac Plus or higher (minimum 2.5 MB RAM).
- A flatbed, sheet-feed or hand-held scanner with imaging software to create a TIFF file at 200 or 300 dots per inch (DPI). NoteScan can accept DPI settings between 100-400, but not all settings have been tested.
• Detailed Description of Use
Create a TIFF file
The first step in scanning is to create a TIFF file from a printed page of music using a flatbed scanner, sheet-feed scanner, or a hand-held scanner (it is recommended that a guide tray be used when working with a hand-held scanner to assure straight alignment of the page, and to minimize errors caused by jerky hand movement). All scanning hardware is sold with standard scanning software capable of saving a scanned image as a TIFF file in a variety of resolution settings.
The normal, recommended TIFF resolution used by NoteScan is 200 DPI, which is suitable for most scores. This means that a scanned TIFF file will usually be around 400K in size, and will easily fit onto a diskette for transfer between computers. In the case of a score with small staff size, such as a miniature score or a conductors score, 300 DPI is recommended for greater accuracy. Any DPI resolution ranging between 100-400 is possible for NoteScan to interpret (though testing has not been completed with every resolution setting).
• Basic Use of NoteScan
Once you have saved the TIFF file, you can find the icon of the NoteScan application on your computer, and then double-click on it to launch NoteScan. This displays a “credits panel” on your screen:
Click one time on this credits panel to close it, and then move the mouse to the File menu and select Open (or type Command-O). An “Open dialog” is displayed on your screen
Click on the title of TIFF file you wish NoteScan to process. If the desired TIFF file does not lie in the exact same folder as the NoteScan application, you may need to move backward or forward into other folders on your computer in order to find the desired TIFF file. As with all Macintosh applications, clicking the mouse on the top-most popup menu (above the left-hand column) will display a list of the various layers of folders which you can choose to move to, in order to search around on your computer when locating files in other folders. Notice that the size, creation date, and associated label of the selected TIFF file are displayed at the bottom of the Open dialog. As with all Macintosh programs, you can click on the name of the hard drive displayed in the upper right corner of this dialog to have the list jump back to display all items on the computer’s desktop.
If you wish to open and process multiple TIFF files at one time, you can use the “Open List” command (under the File menu) in lieu of the Open command. Please refer to the section below titled “NoteScan User Options: Opening and Processing Multiple TIFF Files”.
Once a TIFF file has been located and selected, click on the [Open] button in the Open dialog. NoteScan will immediately display the original scanned TIFF image on the screen.
NoteScan will quickly and automatically read the TIFF image of the scanned score, adjusting automatically for slight skewing of the page, and for the DPI resolution you have used. NoteScan automatically ignores titles, rehearsal letters, articulation markings, text, performance instructions, and pencil marks on the score. No adjusting of the score, editing or erasing is necessary until after the file has been converted into a Nightingale score.
NoteScan will move through the score, displaying each portion of the score as it is being processed, and highlighting each music symbol it has recognized in the TIFF image (Note: though beams are included in the recognition process, they are NOT highlighted during the scanning function).
As NoteScan completes its processing of the TIFF image, it will save a new “NoteScan” version of the score.
The newly-saved NoteScan file is given the exact same name as the original TIFF file, with an additional “.NScn” suffix attached to the end. Note: While the original TIFF file may be 400K in size (or larger), the corresponding “NScn” file will usually be around 10K in size.
• Viewing a NoteScan Score in Nightingale
The newly-created NoteScan score can be opened using Nightingale. To do this, find the icon of the Nightingale application, and double-click on it to launch the program. As the “Open dialog” for Nightingale is displayed, click on the [Cancel] button (since you intend to open a NoteScan file, not a Nightingale file). Now move to the File menu and select the “Open NoteScan File” command. You can now choose the newly-created NoteScan file from the list displayed in the Open NoteScan File dialog. As before, use the popup menu at the top of the left-hand column to move backward/forward to any desired folder on your computer.
Once you have selected the NoteScan file, click on the [Open] button, and Nightingale will display an “override clefs/key signatures” dialog.
Click on the [OK] button, and will the newly-scanned score will be displayed on the screen as a Nightingale score. Since page layout and measure placement is closely adhered to from the original score, you can compare the new score on the screen to the original sheet of printed score, in order to discover and repair any “mistakes” (such as a missed note or an omitted beam) in the new score.
• Correcting the NoteScan score in Nightingale
(See also Nightingale Help files accessed through the Nightingale application-go to the Apple menu and choose the Nightingale Help command, then select the topic "Open Note Scan File".)
Special Tip: Once you have selected and opened a NoteScan file, you may want to immediately click on the zoom box (in the upper right-hand corner of the score window) in order to have the score fill up the entire screen.
• Overriding Mistaken Clefs
If a piece is opened displaying the wrong clefs, you can either repair the mistakes by inserting a proper clef using the clef tool (from the Tool Palette), or you can close the file and then reopen it, this time choosing the "override clefs" option before clicking [OK].
A dialog will be displayed for each of the parts in the newly-opened score.
The clef indicated in the left-hand column is the one currently understood by Nightingale to be the beginning clef for this part in the score. If necessary, click on the appropriate button to change the choice for initial clef of this part. If you are certain this part has no changes of clef anywhere on the entire page, then you will want to leave unchecked any options in the right-hand column for “Allow changes to”. If you know there is a clef change in this part on the original printed score, then check the appropriate box(es) to allow changes midway through the score for this part.
Remember that clef choices you make in this dialog will apply to music of the specified part, and on this page only.
Click [OK] to move onto the next “Override Clefs” dialog for the part in the score.
When you have determined the desired clefs for each part in the score, the score will be displayed on the screen as a newly-opened Nightingale score.
• Overriding Mistaken Key Signatures
As with mistaken clefs in the score, if a piece is opened displaying the wrong key signatures, you can add in the proper key signatures using the key signature tool (from the Tool Palette), or close the file and reopen it engaging the "override key signatures" option.
A dialog will be displayed for each of the parts in the newly-opened score. The key signature indicated in the left-hand column is the one currently understood by Nightingale to be the beginning key for this part (in the case shown, it is for staff 1). Click on the up or down arrows in the dialog (or press the up/down arrows on the Mac keyboard) to add a sharp or flat to the key signature, respectively. If you are certain that there are no key changes on the entire page for this part, then you will want to leave unchecked the option for “Allow changes”. If you see a key change in this part on the original printed score, then leave the appropriate box checked to allow changes midway through the score for this part.
As with the Override Clefs command, the Override Key Signatures dialog affects only the part indicated, and affects only the music on the single scanned page of being opened.
Click [OK] to move onto the next part in the score.
Once new key signature and/or clef assignments have been made for each part in the score, the NoteScan file will be opened and displayed on the screen as a new Nightingale score. Any further clef or key signature corrections can be made using Nightingale’s clef/key signature tools (found in the Tool Palette).
Special Reminder: As a courtesy to performers, Nightingale requires that Clef and Key Signatures occurring midway in the score must be placed so as to become active before the beginning of a new system or page (avoiding “surprise” changes). You may need to insert additional clef/key changes at the end of a preceding system to see a change become active in your score.
• NoteScan User Options
Opening and Processing Multiple TIFF Files
If you have created multiple TIFF files, and wish to let NoteScan process them all at one time, you can do so by building a list of TIFF files to be scanned using the “Open List” command (under the File menu) in lieu of the Open command. This useful “set it and leave it” option makes it possible for you have NoteScan working on numerous files without you remaining at the computer. In this way, large amounts of scanning work can be done while you rest, eat a meal, or make telephone calls.
To build a list of TIFF files to be processed, move to the File menu and select “Open List.”
Click in the upper list on the title of one TIFF file at a time to select it, and then click on the [Add] button to “add” it into the lower list of files to be scanned. In this manner, you may continue selecting as many TIFF files as you like to go into the lower list. If you click on a folder in the upper list, the [Add] button automatically changes to an [Open] button, which, when pressed, will display the contents of the selected folder. If you need to back up to see the contents of a folder at a lower level on the hard drive, click on the [Back Up One Level] button as many times as needed until the desired directory/folder is displayed in the upper list. As with “open dialogs” in all Macintosh programs, you can click on the name of the hard drive displayed to the right of the upper list in this dialog to have the list jump back to display all items on the computer’s desktop.
Allow Mid-System Clef Changes
At any time during the process of scanning a TIFF file with NoteScan, you have the option to tell NoteScan to “Allow Mid-System Clef Changes” (choose the command under the Options menu to see it become “checked”). This option, which is normally left off or “unchecked” by default, tells NoteScan that it should expect to find clef changes at places in the score other than the beginnings or ends of systems.
In most situations, NoteScan is designed to find only occasional clef changes in a part. The default setting allows clef changes only at the beginning or end of a system of music. By using the default setting, the number of false or mistaken clef changes inserted by NoteScan during its processing of a TIFF file is kept to a minimum. Further, if a clef change is mistakenly inserted, the amount of music affected by a wrong clef is limited to at most one system before a new, correct clef sign is inserted by NoteScan.
It is possible that using the option for allowing mid-system clef changes will result in far too “vigorous” an attempt by NoteScan to find what it interprets to be new clef signs within the staff. This may mean that there will be several areas in the score which are affected by the presence of wrong clefs, thus requiring more corrective editing by the user.
Using “Allow Mid-System Clef Changes” in NoteScan in tandem with Nightingale’s options for “Override Clefs”
If you are scanning a file which is meant to contain clef changes, you can use a combination of techniques to successfully bring the scanned score into Nightingale with a minimum of clef errors, thereby greatly reducing your editing time. The following routine is recommended:
1) Launch the NoteScan application
2) Decide whether or not to turn on the option for “Allow Mid-System Clef Changes” depending on the presence of clef changes (in the original printed score) which occur midway in the systems.
3) Scan the TIFF file with NoteScan
4) Launch the Nightingale application, and choose “Open NoteScan File” from the File menu
5) Choose the option for “Override Clefs”, and specify that it should allow clef changes for the specific clefs used in each staff/part of the original printed score.
Remember that even if you make a wrong choice in any of the above steps, you always have the option, while working in the Nightingale application, for closing the newly-opened score, and reopening it with other options selected for overriding clefs. Since any area affected by a wrong clef is limited to a system at most, corrections of the score can be carried out very quickly by inserting the correct clef sign into the score, and using Nightingale’s Transpose Diatonic or Transpose Chromatic commands, to move the affected music to the correct pitches on the staff.
• Tips on Creating TIFF Files for Input to NoteScan
It is very important for the page of music to be scanned properly before you attempt to read it with NoteScan. NoteScan's accuracy depends more than anything else on scan quality (and/or the quality of the original print). Here are a few issues to consider when scanning music for input to NoteScan:
The Scanner
You can use a flatbed, sheet-feed or hand-held scanner. Because the original scanning of a new score may need to be redone a few times in order to discover the best scan settings, it is easier to produce a high quality scan with a flatbed or sheet-feed scanner than a hand-held scanner. This is because scanning a sheet of paper using a hand-held requires very careful use of a straight-edge guide to assure consistently straight lines in the scanned image. If you are using a hand-held scanner, we recommend the use of a guide tray to both hold the printed sheet in place and provide a straight edge for the scanner.
Scanning Resolution
NoteScan can accept TIFF files create at resolutions between 100 and 400 dots per inch (DPI). It is recommended that you scan at 200 DPI for printed music using a standard-size staff height, such as piano music or solo instrumental parts (or very large staff sizes). For smaller staff sizes, such as a conductor’s score, 300 DPI provides more accuracy.
Use a Line Art or Letter setting
Be sure to use the line art or letter setting instead of the photo setting, gray scale or dithering sittings. Very rough edges on the symbols as they appear in the scanned file could indicate that a gray scale setting was used, and the scan should be repeated without the gray scale.
Adjusting Brightness, Contrast and Threshold:
We recommend leaving these at a medium setting for initial attempts at scanning. Depending on the print quality of the original score being scanned, it may be necessary to adjust the brightness, contrast or threshold.
Scan Threshold Examples
Once you have done an initial scan of a page of music, you should view the scanned image on the screen to observe the quality of the scanned image. If your scanner software allows, zoom in to a very high magnification (sometimes called "show every pixel" mode) to observe the individual staff lines of the music score. A good scan is when staff lines are thin but have no gaps in them.
If the staff lines have gaps in them, scan the page again using a lower threshold setting. A few gaps in the staff line are acceptable, but gaps near the left end of the staff (near the clef region) can cause difficult problems for NoteScan as it tries to locate the positions of the staff lines.
If the staff lines are too thick and/or there are many extraneous dots, use a higher threshold to produce the cleanest possible scan with no gaps.
Save TIFF with “No Compression”
When the scan is completed, and the image shown in the window of the scanning software is satisfactory, save the newly scanned image as a TIFF file. Be sure to use the "No Compression" mode when saving. NoteScan will not read compressed TIFF files.
Create Single Page TIFF files
Do not attempt to store more than one page of music in a single TIFF file. (Some TIFF-writing software may allow multiple pages per file - do not use this feature.)
• Other Points to Consider
Scan Printed Scores Only
NoteScan is designed to work on printed music from any publisher, as long as the proportions of the symbols are standard. Do not expect it to work on handwritten music, even if it is very neat.
Skewing of the TIFF Image
Try to make the page as straight as possible. NoteScan can handle a slight skewing or tilting of the page in the TIFF file, but the more skewed the page is, the less accurate the results will be. Special Note: If the scanned image is skewed, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO STRAIGHTEN THE IMAGE USING YOUR IMAGING SOFTWARE’S “STRAIGHTEN” FUNCTION. The results acquired by allowing NoteScan to adjusting itself to skewing are far better than when skewing is adjusted using the original imaging software (i.e., using Ofoto’s “rotate” tool).
Cropping the TIFF Image
When creating the TIFF file in your imaging software, try to allow as much white space around the music on the page as possible when “cropping” the TIFF image. It is easiest for Nightingale to calculate the appropriate page length and width, and the staff height, when the entire page of the original score is included in the TIFF image. Of course, in some cases you may not wish to include the entire page of music in the material that is to be scanned. This is fine, and it does not present any problem for either NoteScan or Nightingale.
To trim off portions of the image on the screen, you can use the imaging software’s “cropping tool”. When you do this, however, be sure to include some white space on all four sides of the musical staves. A minimum of 1/2 inch of white region surrounding whatever music you wish to preserve on the page is recommended.
It is not necessary to crop off the title or other text from the page, as these are automatically ignored by NoteScan. For best results, crop off any dark border lines that might appear at the edge of the page.
Using Photocopy Originals
Photocopies of music can be used for input to the imaging software, if the quality is very good. If the original image on the photocopy the shows very many white “patches”, or if the staff lines have many gaps, the accuracy will suffer.
Settings for Ofoto Scanning Software (and other imaging programs)
If you have Ofoto scanning software (which comes with the Apple OneScanner), there are many choices for settings. The following instructions should help you set up the software to create a good TIFF file for use with NoteScan. (Note: There are some differences between Ofoto versions 1 and 2, which may not be notes here.)
1. In the Windows menu, make sure the Scan Controls window is showing.
2. In the Scan Controls dialog, use Calibration: Raw Data (in Ofoto 2.0 choose Raw Printer or Raw Monitor)
3. In the Scan Controls dialog, Turn off “Autodetect”, and choose “Line Art”.
4. Open the “Line Art” dialog (which is in the Options menu in Ofoto 2), and choose “Scan 1 Bit.”
5. You may choose to turn off options for AutoStraighten and AutoSharpen, since they can slow down the scanning operation. (These two items, plus Auto Highlight/Shadow appear under "Automatic Operations" in Ofoto 2)
6. In the Options menu, choose Expert Controls (in Ofoto 2, you must do this after having already completed step 3 above).
7. In the Expert Controls dialog, select the Manual button, and then set Scan Bits and Print Bits both to “1:T” (or “1: Threshold”). Set the Scan DPI equal to Print DPI (200 DPI is recommended for scores with normal staff size; 300 DPI for smaller staff sizes such as a conductor’s score).
• NoteScan Warning Messages
The following NoteScan messages indicate that there is a problem with the TIFF file that can probably be resolved if you use different settings while scanning the image or saving the TIFF file. Review “Tips on Creating TIFF Files for Input to NoteScan” before trying again.
W001: TIFF file problem: Unexpected Subfile Type.
Reduced resolution image or multi-page file.
Each TIFF file must represent only one page of music.
W002: TIFF file problem: Samples Per Pixel not 1.
Possible halftone or color image.
This probably refers to the dithering or gray scale setting.
Make sure you use the line art or letter setting.
W003: TIFF file problem: Bits Per Sample not 1.
Possible halftone or color image.
This probably refers to the dithering or gray scale setting.
Make sure you use the line art or letter setting.
W004: TIFF file problem: Use uncompressed TIFF file.
W005: TIFF file problem: Use line-art setting, not photo setting.
W006: TIFF file problem: Different X and Y Resolutions.
Use same horizontal and vertical proportions.
W007: TIFF file problem: Photometric Interp. not 0 or 1.
Possible color image.
Use a black and white setting.
• NoteScan Error Messages
If any of the following messages are produced by NoteScan, please report the problem by calling the Nightingale technical support department. Be prepared to do the following:
1) Describe which scanner and/or graphics software you used to save the TIFF file.
2) Send a copy of the problem TIFF file on disk for technical support to use when diagnosing the problem.
