PDF converter - not creating a clean copy
I work with an all comers orchestra and need to create parts for instruments not usually in a traditional orchestra. If a piano accompaniment/part is available, I will work from that music to create a new part or take a cello part and turn it into a baritone sax part. I converted a piano part pdf into a .msz file and the measures weren't even; it's full of invisible markings and every file I have converted has a tempo marking at the beginning of the score of quarter note = 120. What is the simplest way to get a clean copy or clear all the little plus signs on the bars, etc. Thank you.
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Comments
Please post the original PDF. In some ways, if you used the MuseScore PDF converter, you're lucky it came out as well as it did.Th +signs mean the converter saw something it thought was a note or a rest that is extra. You can't just delete whatever it is. You have to correct the number of beats in each problem measure.
Please find the original pdf attached
In reply to Please find the original pdf… by Ravenscroft
"What is the simplest way to get a clean copy or clear all the little plus signs on the bars"
There's no magic/simplest way of correcting this PDF conversion. It's far from a foolproof method of obtaining a correct .mscz file.
From what I can see after converting the PDF, there are a lot of errors in the content of the measures and their duration, hence the little "+" signs.
For example, I see measures at 5/8 instead of 2/4. Returning to the nominal duration in the Measure Properties (right-click the measure ) may or may not work...
Because it can delete a useful note that should have been just a beat before. In short, what you need to do is scrupulously compare the PDF and the .mscz file, measure by measure.
And probably, in most cases, delete the content of the measure, check its duration in the Measure Properties an re-enter the notes manually (or Insert a new measure before the one to change, input the right notes and rests, and remove with Ctrl + Del, the "wrong" measure)
See (at this step, I have only make visible the rests): Hungarian Dance.mscz
In reply to There's no magic way of… by cadiz1
That is actually what I did. This is a simple piano part so it is not hard to transcribe. I have another piece I am creating parts for and inputting the music by hand will be onerous.
I tried PDFtoMusic Pro (free demo):
https://www.myriad-online.com/en/products/pdftomusicpro.htm
Here's the conversion:
Hungarian Dance 5 (parts) - Piano (Grade 4 5).mscz
Check the result. For example: Rehearsal marks are interpreted simply as staff text.
In reply to I tried PDFtoMusic Pro (free… by Jm6stringer
Ah, indeed, Myriad, on this score at least, does a much better job than Audiveris. But the trial version requires processing 1 page at a time :(
In reply to Ah, indeed, Myriad, on this… by cadiz1
It comes down to a simple equation: time vs. money. PDFtoMusic Pro demo is free, but you then have to combine the single pages into one score. If you want more efficiency, you need to spend the money.
I ran your file through SmartScore64 Pro, which I use regularly. Less than five minutes, absolutely no errors in recognition. When I brought it into MSS, it showed staff text; three clicks to delete it.
As in most things in life, you get what you pay for.
Hungarian Dance 5 (parts) - Piano (Grade 4 5).mscz
In reply to It comes down to a simple… by mikey12045
399$, that calls for some thought! 🤔😁
In reply to 399$, that calls for some… by cadiz1
No doubt about it! But:
How often would you use it?
How effective is it to your workflow?
Would one of the "daughter" versions work?
What's your time worth?
In reply to No doubt about it! But: How… by mikey12045
The question doesn't arise for me, because I have enough expertise in Musescore (since 10 years...) to do without this tool. But for others, it's conceivable, of course.
In reply to 399$, that calls for some… by cadiz1
My honorarium would not cover this and I would only be making parts for up to 8 pieces a year. I wish I posted the more complicated piano part 😏 with all the wonderful transcriptions that are happening.
In reply to I tried PDFtoMusic Pro (free… by Jm6stringer
This is not too bad! I will try it on my more complicated piano part. Thanks.
In reply to This is not too bad! I will… by Ravenscroft
Post the PDF, and I’ll give it a shot.
In reply to Post the PDF, and I’ll give… by mikey12045
Here it is! Thanks.
I haven't tried this on the Musescore PDF converter yet.
I have an old copy of PhotScore Lite. It also read this PDF quickly and without error. Being the Lite version, there was also no articulations or text.
Next I put it into Audiveris. The UI uses some very odd nomenclature, so it isn't easy to use. It came up with dozens of things that needed to be corrected. Doable but time consuming. Then I got to thinking about why there was so much that was not read.
So I took a screenshot of the first page of the PDF and saved it as a jpg. Then I opened that is a photo viewer and turned the contrast full blast. Then I used Cute PDFwriter to save it as a PDF.
I opened the new PDF in Audiveris and it read everything with no errors.
I put it into the MuseScore PDF import a few hours ago to see if is any good. So far, no result. We will see.
Even though the original PDF looked good, It needed more contrast.
Lots of steps? Sure. But much faster than waiting for the MuseScore converter.
And there are many of us for whom $400 is not even close to a possibility.
In reply to I have an old copy of… by bobjp
OK. The MuseScore importer read all but two measures of the page correctly. Easily fixed. Also, had to be reformatted. And for some reason it added a vocal line.
The point might be that it may well be worth wading through figuring out Audiveris. But make sure you have a really good PDF.
I converted a piano part PDF from the a known publisher and it turned out pretty good. The Hungarian Dance piano part was available for free from BBC (Children's BBC) from their 10 Pieces program for school orchestras.
In reply to I converted a piano part PDF… by Ravenscroft
I can't post the PDF because it is too big - 9.4MB. Maybe that has something to do with the quality of the conversion. The Musescore converter works best with bigger files.