USER MANUAL

Ver 1.2

September 2010

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Installing the PianoMaestro and using for first time

Install software

Connect the USB cable into the PianoMaestro device and your computer. Then insert the PianoMaestro CD. Click on setup (setup.exe) and follow the setup installer. If you do not have the .NET 3.5 framework installed on your computer, you will be prompted to install it from the internet. Click yes. This usually takes up to 10 minutes to load. Please be patient. PianoMaestro will not run without the .NET framework. The installer will install the PianoMaestro files in the C:\Windows\Program Files\PianoMaestro\PianoMaestro 48i directory. The installer will also install example MIDI files and this user manual onto your desktop.
Start the PianoMaestro Program

Click on Start->Programs->PianoMaestro version 1.2. The PianoMaestro screen will open.

Open a MIDI file

In the PianoMaestro screen, click on File->Open (3) on the top left corner. This will open the Open MIDI file window. Select the MIDI file you would like to play. MIDI files have a .mid extension. To play the example MIDI files, navigate to your desktop. The PianoMaestro will display the score of the song in the Score Window (1)

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Overview of the PianoMaestro

The key features to help you learn pieces quickly and efficiently are highlighted in bold.

Main screen overview: 1. Score window Displays the musical score of the MIDI file 2. Piano diagram Displays on the screen keys to be played. This information is also sent to the PianoMaestro device 3. File Dropdown menu 3.1. OPEN - to open MIDI files to play on the PianoMaestro.
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3.2. CLOSE Exit PianoMaestro. 4. Tracks Dropdown menu. Click on tracks that you want to be displayed on the score. The number of tracks is determined by the MIDI file 4.1. One staff per track use this selection for MIDI files with two tracks. These MIDI files were made for the piano and represent the left and right hand 4.2. Combine all tracks into two staffs use this for MIDI files that have 1 or 3+ tracks. The PianoMaestro will interpret the MIDI file and try to separate the notes into left and right 5. Help Dropdown menu. 6. Sliderbar for playback Move the slider to move to different parts of the song 7. STOP button Stops the playback. Resets the position of the player to the beginning of the song 8. PLAY / PAUSE button Play and pause the playback. Playback will resume at the most recent location in the song. 9. CUE / REVIEW Advance playback forward or backward at 4x speed 10. Repeat this function is helpful for repeating a few notes at a time until committed to memory 10.1. Repeat Check box turns on and off the repeat function 10.2.Start sets the start point of the repeat sequence. The time of this point is displayed below 10.3.Stop sets the end point of the repeat sequence. The time of this point is displayed below. When Stop is clicked, the repeat function is turned on. You can lengthen the time of the repeat sequence by holding down the stop button. The new stop point will be set when you release the Stop button. 10.4.Prev Moves the repeat sequence backwards in time. duration remains the same. The

10.5.Next Moves the repeat sequence forward in time. The duration remains the same. 11. Playback speed Slider bar. Controls the playback speed of the PianoMaestro. Use this to slow down the music to a speed where you can comfortably follow on the piano keyboard.
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12. Practice Shifts the orientation of the PianoMaestro on the piano keyboard one octave up or down. This enables you to practice pieces that have many high notes or many low notes. The PianoMaestro has 48 LEDs. With this feature, the PianoMaestro can cover 72 notes on the piano keyboard. 12.1. Low 12.2. Center 12.3. High 13. Hand selector Select audio and visual playback for left and right separately, or together. Note: This feature only works with MIDI files that are created for the piano (ie have 2 tracks) 13.1. Left 13.2.Right 14. Zoom control Redraws the screen to show more of the score 15. Connect Manually connects the PianoMaestro to the computer via the USB port. 16. Reset Clears the buffer of the PianoMaestro. Occasionally some LEDs might remain on. Clicking on Reset should clear all the LEDs

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Hot-Keys
The PianoMaestro has hot-keys as an alternative to navigating around the userinterface.

Key Esc F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 F8 F9 F10 F11 F12

Family Playback

Function Stop Play / Pause Review Cue

Repeat

Repeat on / off Prev Start Stop Next

Playback Speed

Slow Fast

Practice

Left Right

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Troubleshooting
The PianoMaestro does not install

Please make sure that your computer meets the minimum requirements. The most important parameters:

Windows XP or higher .NET 3.5 framework or higher (requires Windows XP2). If you are running an operating system that was released before November 2007, you will likely need to download this update. Soundcard. You will receive an error if PianoMaestro can not find an audio output Internet connection. You will need this to update the .NET framework, if necessary.

I have an older computer with Windows XP. I get an error message that I do not meet the minimum system requirements

PianoMaestro will work on most computers that have Windows XP SP2 or higher. It will not work with Windows 2000. If your computer has Windows XP, but it will not install, it may be because you have Windows XP SP1 (service pack 1). You can check your version this by clicking on Start->Control Panel->System. If you have Windows XP SP1, you can update it to Windows XP SP2. Go to www.microsoft.com and search for Windows XP SP2. Follow the instructions on how to install Windows XP SP2. As of August 2010, the link to install Windows XP SP2 can be found at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/875364 After installing Windows XP SP2, check to make sure that the install was successful by looking at Start->Control Panel->System. Then try again to install the PianoMaestro software.

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I get an error message when I try to load a MIDI file.

The PianoMaestro reads standard MIDI files. From time to time, you may run across a MIDI file that does not strictly conform to the standard. If this happens, please try to find another version of the MIDI file. One can often find multiple versions of a song on the internet. If you are still stuck, please email the MIDI file to support@thepianomaestro.com. We will try to get it to work for you.
The left and right hand function does not work

This function works only on MIDI files that have exactly two tracks and were designed for the piano. MIDI files that have 1 or 3 or more tracks can not be used the left and right hand function.

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Please email us at support@thepianomaestro.com if you have any difficulties. We want the PianoMaestro to be the best product as possible, and would be delighted to receive your feedback. Please note that we are based in Melbourne, Australia. We will try our best to respond to your enquiries within 48 hours, if not earlier. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.