Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: Looking for a Software that scans sheet music into the computer (Read 10357 times) previous topic - next topic

Looking for a Software that scans sheet music into the computer

Does anyone know if there is a software that will read sheet music into the computer by scanning and play it back?

Re: Looking for a Software that scans sheet music into the computer

Reply #1 –
This question is asked from time to time. I suggest using the forum's search capability for things like "OCR".

The short answer is: Programs exist, but I doubt if they would meet your needs.

Re: Looking for a Software that scans sheet music into the computer

Reply #2 –
My apologies if I am stating the obvious. This is an issue I have been trying to resolve myself, and I have a small nuance on the question posed by Osuh. The software that was provided with my flatbad scanner makes a perfectly excellent job of scanning sheet music into the computer, such that you can print fresh copies. The problem is that the result is in bitmap form. The missing software needs to be able to read the bitmap file and convert it into a form that Noteworthy (or any other music editing software) can import - similar to how Textbridge Classic converts a scanned text document into a form that makes it editable in Word. If such software does not exist it could be an opening for some enterprising and talented young software writer ... ?

Re: Looking for a Software that scans sheet music into the computer

Reply #3 –
Having now down a little research, checkout http://www.neuratron.com and have a look at photoscore. It might be what you are looking for.

Re: Looking for a Software that scans sheet music into the computer

Reply #4 –
Having tried out the demo versions of practically all the better knows music scanning programmes, I settled on Sharp Eye version 2.  You'll find the necessary info on http://www.visiv.co.uk/.  It's relatively cheap, easy to work with and practically error free on 4 part hymn scores.
Mistakes are easily found and corrected, although it sometimes takes a bit of intuition as to what Sharpeye considers to be wrong. Many modern European hymns are written without a time signature and measure bars, which causes quite e few errors - but there's an easy way around this problem by either inventing a rediculous measure like 98/4 or using any measure easy to apply to the score.  I've become quite adept at it.  The other pogrammes are not nearly as easy to manipulate.  Finally, a multi instrument or voices score written on two or more staffs is easily converted to separate staffs for each voice or instrument. The result is translated into a midi file which is easily imported into NWC.

Re: Looking for a Software that scans sheet music into the computer

Reply #5 –
From my past experiences, it is easy to import a midi song found on the net to NWC but the results are bad : note durations are strange (and not respected if you have also the .pdf version).
I have not tried sharpeye => midi => NWC. It may be better...

Re: Looking for a Software that scans sheet music into the computer

Reply #6 –
The original question was how to scan a musical score in such a way that you can _hear_ it.

To be true, imported midi files often look like a mess as far as the notation is concerned, but this is because the midifile author did not produce his midi file to produce an acceptable score when reading the notation in a programme like NWC. The problem is more often than not that the first measure is incomplete.  Imagine a 4/4 score starts with only an eighth note in the first measure.  When converting a good looking NWC score to midi, midi will begin with the eighth note and add as much of the next notes to come to a perfect 4/4 measure. As far as the sound is concerned it'll probably sound perfect, but the notation becomes a mess.

When you send musical stuff to a friend, an email list or a website, you'll have to send your midi file as well as a perfect notation as you have it in the NWC notation. (You can make midifile which shows a correct score by filling up your first incomplete measure with unvisable rests, but this creates problems on repeats in a midifile).

If you want to send a perfect notation as well, you'll produce a perfect score notation by preparing it for a printable score and by sending it to (printing) to PDF. The cheap way of doing this is by using PDF 995. You can download it free of charge from http://www.pdf995.com.  If you don't want the load of commercials coming along with it, pay a measely 20 U.S. and it works faster than any other printer.

Hope this helps.

Re: Looking for a Software that scans sheet music into the computer

Reply #7 –
If jan Hofland reads this, can he tell me when he tried sharp eye ?
When I did, the result was very poor for most of the scores and that was also the opinion of other members in the NWC forum;

I am sorry of writing that.

But I would very very very happy to find a sofware able to scan correctly a score.

It is almost incredible that today in my opinion such a software doe's not exist.

Help !

Re: Looking for a Software that scans sheet music into the computer

Reply #8 –
(1) Another reason MIDI does not always import at the durations shonw on sheet music: The MIDI notes themselves are not of the printed duration! If the MIDI was created by entry from a MIDI-compatible piano keyboard, using a sequencer, then you will get whatever timing was played, not what is written. Even if the MIDI was exported from music software, the creator may have intentionally made stylings that do not follow strict time.

(2) Several good reasons why music OCR software hasn't advanced as far as text OCR:
(a) Enormous difference in market potential (dollar value).
(b) Text can be checked against a dictionary and grammar. Music would be problematical.
(c) To a large extent, a text document can be subdivided into a few compartments in which the information is aligned in predictable fashion. That's true of music only insofar as the note-heads on staves is concerned.
(d) Imagine a newspaper, without photos, scanned as text into OCR. Easy enough! But the various articles are interrupted on one page, and continued on another. How would OCR be able to determine how the articles should be grouped for continuation? Now, imagine how much more difficult it is with music, whenever the number of staves changes.
(e) Printed music is often rather ratty-looking, as far as I can see.
(f) A 10% erore ratte in OCRR wood stll bi inttelagibble, morre or lees. Butt in mewsic, foregett it!

Re: Looking for a Software that scans sheet music into the computer

Reply #9 –
In reply to Joseph Jaffrès (reply 7),

I've been using SharpEye for the last two years or so.  I must admit that I've used it only oncasionally on complicated scores.  If you're not used to SharpEye, you'll get into trouble when a new system changes from say a four staff notation to a 6 staff notation.  But there's a way around this.

As far a a straight forward easy score, say a 4 part piece on two staffs with a time signature at the beginning, SharpEyes will usually read it 100% correct.  You can then save it as a midi file and import it into NCW and it your choice whether or not to separate the voices.  I usually do the latter in order to create a better stereo effect in NCW (from high to low: 127-84-42-1). The only thing is that the position on the staves is sometimes a bit mixed up, but with <staff> <move staff <up> in NWC this is easily corrected (though not really necessary for the sound).

Again, you'll have to make a choice whether you want the sound or the score.  For the sound SharpEye is Okay. That's all you can expect from any music OCR - that what it's for. For the score: why bother with a music OCR if you already have a good score?  Unless, of course, you just have the imported midi file and no score. By all means use SharpEye to get a music notation into NWC, but be prepared for a bit of a chore in order to get a correct score.  If you don't have at least a basic knowledge of music theory, forget it!

Jan
The Netherlands

Re: Looking for a Software that scans sheet music into the computer

Reply #10 –
to scan sheet music into midi,and get satisfactory results is possible, with piano scan. but doesn't always give good results. you can then export to NWC.

Re: Looking for a Software that scans sheet music into the computer

Reply #11 –
Having tested many OMR (Optical Music Recognition ;) programs, I've come to the following conclusion:
  • If you get reasonable (not (satisfactory) results, stcuk to that program. You'll get used to its defects, and you'll learn how to minimize them. The GUI (How touse the program) is VERY important here.
  • Sometimes, the image file (the bitmap after scanning, what you submit to your OMR) needs some preparation. Such as removing text, changing contrast, adding (by hand) time signatures, and so on. Do not hesitate to do it when you see it's worthy.
  • Sometimes, you may admit that you'll take less time to write it completely by hand within NWC (with or without MIDI keyboard), rather than by using your OMR, then generating MIDI, then importing MIDI into NWC, then correcting the imported MIDI file (because you will have forgotten a quarter in a measure, and so on)
Only experience will allow you to know by advance which kind of sheet music is better treated with solution 1, 2 or 3.
With MidiScan, I sometimes have luck with the 2nd solution.
But I've often found that the 3rd solution is the best...

P.S. IIRC, some OMR also do OCR, I mean they import lyrics. This may be a plus. But the image file has to be clean! Anyway, it's a need to obtain any good results.

HTH!
P.S. NEVER trust the bitmap files that are submitted with the demo versions. Use files you got yourself!
P.P.S. Don't neglect to have a look at what the software is prepared to. In particular, the specification of the image file: is it 256-black&white, 400DPI, contrast values, and so on. This may changer radically the results! but needs time BEFORE using the software.
It takes time to be quick ;)

Re: Looking for a Software that scans sheet music into the computer

Reply #12 –
To Marsu's reply, I would add: Some music OCR programs are optimized to work only with a particular kind of music (such as a piano score, or 4-voice score).

As for not relying on the program-supplied demo bitmaps: That's for sure. A couple of years ago I tried one program that workd fine with its own bitmaps. It also worked fine with uncluttered bitmaps from a music software program by the same supplier. Anything else, forget it! I don't really need an OMR program, but if I did, why would I want one that is only effective for images where I have the original music file?

Re: Looking for a Software that scans sheet music into the computer

Reply #13 –
I have been using PhotoScore Midi Lite with mixed results. I am scanning choir music with two piano staffs and 2 or three voice staffs.

I have had very mixed results. Some scores are almost error free and some are absolutely ridiculous.

It seems to me that going through the MIDI format is the problem. I have found that exporting a perfect .NWC piece from Noteworthy to a .MID then importing it back into Noteworthy sometimes results in many errors.

PhotoScore does a pretty good job of converting the bit map image to it's internal format. What is needed is software to convert the PhotoScore format directly to .nwc format
without going through the .mid file.

I have heard that PhotoScore can can output directly into the Sibelius format quite accurately. I haven't tried it because I am very happy with Noteworthy and I can't justify the high cost of Sibelius.

Re: Looking for a Software that scans sheet music into the computer

Reply #14 –
Here is my result of SharpEye2 vs PhotoScore3:
SharpEyePhotoScore

Biggest problem is bringing the results into NWC1.75b or NWC2 via MIDI is worthless.  PrintMusic seems to import MIDI much better and plays the MIDI better also.

After four years of being a dedicated NWC user, I think my next project is going to be done in PrintMusic.

When someone creates a MusicXML import to NWC2 I will have a reason to use NWC again.

Good Luck All