SharpEye 2 Music Reader converts a scanned image of printed music into a MIDI file, a NIFF file, or (in version 2) a MusicXML file. SharpEye 2 allows direct scanning from TWAIN compatible scanners. (Most scanners are TWAIN compatible).

Used at its simplest, you drag an image file into a window, click on a button and wait for the conversion to take place. The output is shown in conventional music notation in another window. Click on another button to save the result as a MIDI file.

Usually there will be some errors in the output: SharpEye has a built in editor for correcting them. Almost all the editing can be done with the mouse and delete key. The input image window automatically scrolls to the right place in the image as you edit. SharpEye also shows warnings for each bar which doesn't make musical sense. This acts a bit like a spellchecker and directs your attention to likely errors.

SharpEye 2 exports MIDI files, NIFF files and MusicXML files. NIFF and MusicXML are formats for music notation, and where possible you should use a notation editor which imports one of these.

SharpEye also exports MIDI files which are imported by many music programs. If you use MIDI, you will lose some information about how the music is laid out. If you are mainly interested in the sound, this may not worry you, but if you intend printing the music again, it is not ideal ideal.

You need a computer with Windows 95/98/ME/NT4/2000 or XP. SharpEye does use a fair bit of memory and processor time. A Pentium II with 64MB RAM is a reasonable minimum. Memory is much more critical than processor speed. If you want to process large images such as orchestral scores or run other programs alongside SharpEye you'll probably need more than 64Mb RAM, or the system can become totally bogged down.

You will need a scanner to scan the printed music in.

Its not essential, but you will almost certainly want a music notation editor which imports one of the file formats that SharpEye exports (MIDI, NIFF, MusicXML, and its own format) or a MIDI sequencer, so that you can make use of the output from SharpEye. Windows/IE4 comes with a simple MIDI player so you can double click on the MIDI file saved from SharpEye and hear the result, but the music will all be played on a synthesised 'piano'.

Sharpeye

£ 89.99