Hi Eugenio:
Take a look at
www.dancingdots.com
I can't speak to using a Braille PDA with there product because I don't have
first hand experience with that. I did read and use Braille music in
earlier years and I do know a good deal about Braille technology so if you
look at the dancing dots page and find that you have very specific questions
about using a Braille Note with the dancing dots program I'd be willing to
discuss it. Remember though that this discussion will become extremely
geaky and will require very specific questions. For example, are you trying
to write in Braille and then produce print music or are you trying to just
create Braille music for an embosser?
I took a very quick look at the dancing dots page and it looks like they
have a program to turn Braille music in to print notation; or at least a way
for blind musicians to create print music.
A good first start though will be to take a hard look at that dancing dots
page and then define a very specific task that you want to achieve. I don't
think reading Braille music notation on a bn is going to be a good idea, but
writing Braille music on a bn to be embossed on paper might be a very good
idea.
Hope something here helps.
alan
----- Original Message -----
From: "Eugene Manfrini" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Braillenote List" <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, December 06, 2006 7:47 AM
Subject: Re: [Braillenote] Reading/Transferring Word and Duxbury Files
Hi Alan,
You have really gotten me very excited and interested when you discussed
writing Braille Music on the BrailleNote. In the past when I was
using an MSDOS computer I tried severl Music writing programs and they
were so complicated that I finally gave them up. Where would I go to find
out more about this subject. I would be indebted to you for any
information of this type.
Eugenio
----- Original Message -----
From: "FunGuy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: "Braillenote List" <[email protected]
Date: Tue, 5 Dec 2006 21:48:54 -0800
Subject: Re: [Braillenote] Reading/Transferring Word and Duxbury Files
Eugene:
If you want to create Braille Music for embossing on a Braille printer,
it's
a simple matter of writing in grade 0 or ASCII Braille. If you want to
convert Braille music to print you can still create it on the Braille Note
but then send it to a program like Dancing Dots on a PC. I don't know if
Dancing Dots has Braille music to print music translator, but that's
beyond
the point of this message.
When Richard mentioned using a Braille Note and formatting and Duxbury I
think the issue was that there were to many elements in the equation so to
speak.
I don't mean to split hairs or start an argument here, but Duxbury was not
designed for music at all and shouldn't even be raised in a discussion of
Braille music notation.
If you want to write song lyrics in grade 2, back translate them and use
the
block command to paste them in to the ASCII Braille file.
The formatter in the Braille Note may seem unpredictable, but you can
easily
tame it if you will take the time and energy to master it; if you are
sending Braille music notation to a Braille embosser it's really just a
matter of trial and error. If you want to convert Braille music to print
notation I'd suggest that the PC is the only platform that should even be
considered for that task.
The Braille Note software is an excellent tool, but you cant screw a screw
in with a hammer. I think this is a case of needing to think clearly
about
the task and the tools available. This is a case of mastering the little
bitty details; if you don't want to go to all that effort I don't blame
you-but perhaps this post will help you break the task in to achievable
baby
steppes.
Alan Holst
----- Original Message -----
From: "Eugene Manfrini" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: "Braillenote List" <[email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, December 05, 2006 4:52 PM
Subject: Re: [Braillenote] Reading/Transferring Word and Duxbury Files
Hi Terri,
I'm very curious to know since I am a musician and composer; you or
someone couldn't have created the music you mentioned from the
BrailleNote, am I right? If you did that would be fantastic.
Eugenio
----- Original Message -----
From: "Terri Pannett" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: "Braillenote List" <[email protected]
Date: Tue, 5 Dec 2006 13:21:20 -0800
Subject: Re: [Braillenote] Reading/Transferring Word and Duxbury Files
I have heard that this problem occurs with all notetakers, not just the
BN.
The reason is the work processors in the notetakers don't generate hard
line
returns which can be read by other programs. To get around this, a
person
must put the hard returns in manually.
If your file has both music and words in it with a line of words
followed
by
a line of music, then the file should import into DBT correctly, because
there are manual hard returns in the file.
Also, when you open a file which has both music and words in it like I
described above, be sure to open the file in line format and save it in
line
format when you close the file.
Terri Amateur Radio call sign KF6CA. Army MARS call sign AAT9PX
----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Ring" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: "Braillenote List" <[email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, December 05, 2006 12:26 PM
Subject: RE: [Braillenote] Reading/Transferring Word and Duxbury Files
The question you should be asking is this:
How do files created using Duxbury work on the Braillenote? And, how
do
files created using a Braillenote work when using Duxbury.
The translator is not the issue. The issue is Keyword. If you create
a
.brf file using Duxbury, you will be able to read it just fine using
the
Braillenote. However, if you create a .brf file using the Braillenote
and import it into Duxbury, your results can be quite frightening.
One
of my co-workers used the Braillenote to transcribe some music into
Braille. When she brought it into Duxbury, it was a disaster. She
described it to me like this: "it was a 20 page word!" no line
breaks,
no indication as to where anything began or ended.
I am not advocating any note taker over another, but if the primary
purpose for purchasing a note taker is that you are going to use it to
create files which can subsequently be embossed using Duxbury you will
have your work cut out for you.
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of FunGuy
Sent: Tuesday, December 05, 2006 8:10 AM
To: Braillenote List
Subject: Re: [Braillenote] Reading/Transferring Word and Duxbury Files
Hi Rick:
Terrific question! Let me start by saying that my bias is toward a
member of
the Braille Note family for your school district. There are several
good
reasons which I will list and I will also suggest some questions you
might
pose to vendors and others knowledgeable in the field.
First, at this time, the Braille Note family has the largest installed
base
by far! That matters because bug fixes and good support are dependant
on
the size of the population a company like this serves.
Second, I believe you will find that the Braille translator used in
the
Braille Note family is Duxbury. I know that this is not the
Translator
used
in the PacMate. In fact, this would be a serious concern were I
making
this
purchase for school children. Why the PacMate uses a different
translator
is beyond the scope of this message, but as a pure bases of
comparison,
this
may be enough of a concern to rule out the PacMate.
Third, the premise of the PacMate is using commercial software. What
Freedom Scientific doesn't address well is who will pay for the cost
of
developing the set files(scripts) for the commercial software.
Believe
me,
that is no small matter so that piece of the argument in favor of the
PacMate is mute to say the least and disingenuous to say the most. If
you
accept this point, I would once again remind you of my first point
about
the
size of the installed base.
Fourth, the Braille Note family uses a token system to indicate print
formatting. As a life time Braille reader, I can tell you that this
is
by
far the best system for relating to print formatting.
Now for some questions you might ask to further clarify the issues.
Rather
then asking if the files can be transferred (I'm sure they can with
all
3) I'd
ask how the print format information is conveyed to the Braille
reader.
I
think you will find that the token system in the Braille Note family
is
the
best by far.
Hardware is a big deal! It is also a matter of personal taste. I
hope
you
are buying units with a Braille display. If so, you might just want
to
ask
a few of the potential users which display seems most natural and
comfortable. I would caution you in that regard that a display that
is
refreshed by pressing router buttons in a location where they can
easily
be
confused with other buttons is a recipe for trouble. It will slow
down
Braille reading particularly in young people.
Finally, I would look at the history of manufacturers in terms of
cannibalizing there own products by forcing customers to buy new
hardware by
unnecessarily obsoleteing the old hardware. This will hurt your
district
in the long run. I trust something here is helpful.
Alan Holst
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rick Boggess" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: "'Braillenote List'" <[email protected]
Sent: Saturday, December 02, 2006 4:54 PM
Subject: [Braillenote] Reading/Transferring Word and Duxbury Files
I am sorry for the earlier message which I forgot to edit to reflect
the
appropriate product name. The message should have read as follows;
I'm looking at notetakers for our school system. I would appreciate
hearing
from those with experience transferring Word and Duxbury files to and
from
the BrailleNote. Is this possibel? Does formatting remain in tact?
Rick Boggess
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