matt m - Posted - 09/30/2010:  09:15:03

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Hi folks

I've recently downloaded Tabledit. Can't say the manual is the most intuitive I've ever read. I was wondering if anyone out there could answer these questions.

1. How can I export a graphic version of my tabs? I don't want a MIDI file, an ABC file or whatever. I want a .jpeg or PDF – or anything I can then use in the book I'm editing. I just downloaded Lilypad and that seems to be able to convert tabledit tabs into PDFs. But in doing so it rides roughshod over the fonts etc I've selected in tabledit. It's infuriating! Surely there's some way of getting a .tef into graphic form (other than printing out hard copies and scanning them, which seems a bit perverse).

2. Tabledit keeps making certain notes red, to indicate that there's a mistake, when there is none. (And there really isn't: the audio plays fine, and I've had them checked by music tutor mates.) This doesn't bother me too much, but I just wonder if anyone else has had this problem.

3. Text editing. I've had no problems entering chord symbols in, but I had a go at entering lyrics, and it was really laborious. It also seemed to have a very low limit on the amount of text it would allow. I gave up after a while. I wanted to add this: "Are you go–ing to Scar–bo–rough Fair? Par– sley, sage, rose– mar– y and thyme. Re– mem– ber me to one who lives there, For she once was a true love of mine". It took ages to do that, one word (or syllable) at a time, and then, somewhere around "to one who" it wouldn't let me add any more words. Grrrrrrrrr.

I'd really really appreciate it if anyone could answer these questions. I need to produce about 20 tabs this coming weekend for a book....

banjotom2 - Posted - 09/30/2010:  09:51:39

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Hi folks

I've recently downloaded Tabledit. Can't say the manual is the most intuitive I've ever read. I was wondering if anyone out there could answer these questions.

1. How can I export a graphic version of my tabs?

"Print to a PDF file", I use a FREE version I just found and it does a great job on my Tabledited arrangements...

Try this PDF converter (FREE):

soft32.com/download_208629.html


I don't want a MIDI file, an ABC file or whatever. I want a .jpeg or PDF – or anything I can then use in the book I'm editing.

I just downloaded Lilypad and that seems to be able to convert tabledit tabs into PDFs. But in doing so it rides roughshod over the fonts etc I've selected in tabledit. It's infuriating! Surely there's some way of getting a .tef into graphic form

If you go to you Control Panel, and look up "Printers", you can right-click on the PDF printer icon and get to the 'properties' section of that device... I found a "Font Substitution" table there that would allow adjustments... try that.

2. Tabledit keeps making certain notes red, to indicate that there's a mistake, when there is none. (And there really isn't: the audio plays fine, and I've had them checked by music tutor mates.)

The red notes are notes that usually have 'timing issues'... i.e., typically, the last note of every measure I do in eighth notes for the banjo turned red... I select the note, hit 'F7' (eighth note) and it goes back to black.

I deal with this every day... That's a solution that works for me...

3. Text editing. I've had no problems entering chord symbols in, but I had a go at entering lyrics, and it was really laborious. It also seemed to have a very low limit on the amount of text it would allow. I gave up after a while. I wanted to add this: "Are you go–ing to Scar–bo–rough Fair? Par– sley, sage, rose– mar– y and thyme. Re– mem– ber me to one who lives there, For she once was a true love of mine". It took ages to do that, one word (or syllable) at a time, and then, somewhere around "to one who" it wouldn't let me add any more words. Grrrrrrrrr.

Are you using the 'paid-for' version of Tabledit? It should allow any number of words...

I recently did an arrangement that had 255 words in it... 255 was all that the paid-for version of Tabledit would allow, so I lucked out... You however, should have had no issue whatsoever..

I typically enter one word at a time... but I will enter the entire sentence at once....place the words individually under the notes I want them under...when finished with entering the words under the tab notes.... I enter the next entire sentence...one word at a time... I haven't found a better, or more efficient way to do it than that... It definitely requires perserverance on your part... but you'll become a master with time and effort...

I'd really really appreciate it if anyone could answer these questions. I need to produce about 20 tabs this coming weekend for a book....

Lastly, if you just need to shortcut around some of these issues and are in a time bind... e-mail me the Tabledited files...I'll correct the issues quickly, convert them to useable PDF files and fire them back to you.

I typically work on the weekends, but I'm always doing my Tabledit stuff during the day hours... I only work afternoons and evenings...

The Fee: A Pint of Guinness the next time I'm in London! (never been, but it would be fun!)

tomarri2@aol.com

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Edited by - banjotom2 on 09/30/2010 10:24:41

jcland - Posted - 09/30/2010:  09:54:09

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I can answer question #1 for you. I am assuming you are using a PC and not a MAC. The only way I know of is to get a program that installs a printer driver that prints directly to a PDF or Graphics file.

When you print your tab, you need to chose your PDF printer driver as your printer. A couple of choices are Print2pdf or Winpdf.


pdfdesk.com/winpdf.html

or

software602.com/products/print2pdf/

There are other choices out there besides these. Do a Google search and you will see.

JohnGP - Posted - 09/30/2010:  09:56:15

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I use the free version of CutePDF, anything you can print it will turn into a PDF file. cutepdf.com/products/

matt m - Posted - 09/30/2010:  10:34:34

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Ah, thanks guys! Really helpful. Like an idiot, I hadn't even noticed that "Print to PDF" option in the Print window. Haven't tried it yet, but it'll probably do the trick.

Tom: Yes, I'm using the paid-for version, so I don't quite understand what's going on there. I'll email the Tabledit guys. It's possible I'm just doing it wrong. For instance, when you say "I typically enter one word at a time... but I will enter the entire sentence at once...." I don't really understand how you can do that: when I tried to enter a whole sentence, using "Insert" from the Text menu, it simply placed the whole sentence in where I clicked it. Think I need to read the manual more carefully!

I may well end up contacting you, Tom, if I get desperate! I'll see how I do this weekend. The book has to be finished by next Wednesday. Basically, the person that was supposed to be doing it has let me down.

But I'm starting to speed up. It's for a beginner's guitar tuition book (not banjo - but I figured correctly I'd get the best quick response on here!) and thankfully most of the exercises are quite similar, so I can do a lot of cutting and pasting.

banjotom2 - Posted - 09/30/2010:  10:57:46

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Matt,

I used to do medical textbook typesetting and corrections on 'pre-typeset' medical textbook chapters for Mosby-Yearbook in St. Louis, using a very unfriendly non-WYSIWIG (what you see is what you get) program...

I frequently had to come up with 'odd keyboard moves' in order to work quickly in a fairly in-efficient system.

What I do in Tabledit is very similar...

1. I ALWAYS have the tab part complete before I add any text, whether it be lyrics OR chord symbols. That way it's all 'one-type-of-work-in-a-row', so to speak...before entering the next phase...

2. Entering 'lyrics'... If I have a sentence that goes...

"I hear that train a comin', a comin' round the bend..."... as in the Johnny Cash tune, "Folsom Prison"...

I will enter "I", "hear", "that", "train", "a" ... etc... individually, but continually until I have the entire sentence done...

I have found that when I'm in 'lyrics-enter mode', my pinky will hit 'enter' at the end of each entered word, immediately bringing up the next NEW WORD window... thereby saving me some keyboard work... I can enter many words in a row this way, especially if I have them memorized as I do on so many of the tunes I arrange...

It expediates the process immeasurably...

Also, a nice cold can of "Red Bull" also helps expediate the process.

Consume the Red Bull about 20 minutes before you start typing...

PS:

When entering chord symbols... (remembering I have finshed the entire tab entering process...including guitar and keyboard parts)...

I will enter G, C D chords in the first measure or two until all chord names have been used 'once'...

Then I go back and copy-paste ALL 'G's throughout the entire arrangement, followed by ALL 'C's, etc... It's another time saver... Copy-Paste automates and speeds up the entering of anything repetitive...

In 'lyrics enter mode', when I have a 'word' that keeps coming up line after line, paragraph after paragraph...

Instead of trying to 're-find' that word each time in the lyrics window... I put the cursor in the window of the text I've already entered, type just the first letter of that word, and the cursor jumps to that word....that saves an enormous amount of 'search' time...

Hope this helps...

Remember the RED BULL (energy drink)....

Tom

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Edited by - banjotom2 on 09/30/2010 11:01:49

SteveMcBill - Posted - 09/30/2010:  12:48:02

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Jack

You obviously have the program "CutePDF" installed on your machine and that is why it shows in the Print window as a choice. Personally, I use "PrimoPDF" to do the same thing and it is THAT which shows in my print dialogue window.

Most of these 'print-to-PDF' converter programs can be had in FREE versions including PrimoPDF.

Steve

matt m - Posted - 10/11/2010:  15:27:23

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I'm wondering - do you guys all use tabledit for PC?

Because I'm using it on Mac and I'm finding it pretty tortuous. Seems to have a lot of glitches. For instance, I'm about to give up on trying to insert triplets. They just simply don't work.

banjo_brad - Posted - 10/15/2010:  16:33:48

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matt m, Mac Tabledit works fine. To enter a triplet, first, change the "auto" note size to the length of the triplet (say, 1/8th note), then select the "triplet" on the same Note menu. Enter the first note of the triplet, then press TAB, the next note of the triplet, TAB again, then the third note of the triplet, then TAB once more.

Then, go back to the NOTE menu, deselect "triplet" and re-select the "Auto" length. You can then continue to enter your tab. Works fine for me. I think the secret is to remember to use the "tab" between each of the notes of the triplet and after the last one. If you are using HO's or PO's, be sure to type 'h' or 'p' before tabbing to the next note.

You might want to join the Tabledit Forum on Yahoo. The author and other principals are very quick and helpful.

-B-

oldwoodchuckb - Posted - 10/16/2010:  10:25:26

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You can enter words in full measures - not lines measures

Go to the Text Edit Box and use the > mark at the beginning of each measure ie:

>Wish I was a
>June Ap ple a
>Hang ing on a
>Tree

You must have a note over each word and have to have the note in the beat where you want the word to appear

In The example above the first Line "Wish I was a" has all the words on the beats - so if there are notes between the beats in your tab you have to leave an extra space. So if you have 8th notes thr9ough the measure it comes out looking like this:
>Wish I was a
Once you start doinf it, it gets easier.

JohnJ - Posted - 10/16/2010:  12:03:59

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Matt,

I suggest that you visit the following website for an excellent instructional video on TablEdit. stephenseifert.com/tabledit-tutorials.html I guarantee this will be worth your time....

JJ

matt m - Posted - 10/17/2010:  06:19:03

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quote:

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Originally posted by banjo_brad

matt m, Mac Tabledit works fine. To enter a triplet, first, change the "auto" note size to the length of the triplet (say, 1/8th note), then select the "triplet" on the same Note menu. Enter the first note of the triplet, then press TAB, the next note of the triplet, TAB again, then the third note of the triplet, then TAB once more.

Then, go back to the NOTE menu, deselect "triplet" and re-select the "Auto" length. You can then continue to enter your tab. Works fine for me. I think the secret is to remember to use the "tab" between each of the notes of the triplet and after the last one. If you are using HO's or PO's, be sure to type 'h' or 'p' before tabbing to the next note.

You might want to join the Tabledit Forum on Yahoo. The author and other principals are very quick and helpful.

-B-

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That's the thing. I do exactly what you've said above. Tabledit makes the last TWO notes triplets, and ties them together, but ignores the first one. Effectively it writes a triplet pair?! At which point I really want to smash my computer's screen in.

Sometimes, just sometimes, it writes a triplet correctly. But there doesn't seem to any logic to when it does (once in a blue moon) and when it doesn't.

I'm really despairing over tabledit. Kicking myself that I didn't buy sibelius for this project. I'll be staying up all night for the second night in a row trying to get this finished with this wretched piece of software.

Thanks for the note about the yahoo group though, and the links to the tutorials. They're helpful, to an extent. I increasingly get the impression tabledit is fine if you want to write out some simple tunes onto an A4 sheet. It's just it's not any good to me needing to write out 40+ bitty guitar exercises, of varying lengths, shapes and sizes.

EDIT: I should clarify. All three notes ARE triplets, according to the Notes palette. They just don't DISPLAY as a triplet group. ie the first note is solo, with a single stem - the last two are grouped with the three written beneath it. So it looks, to read, like you've got ONE standard eighth-note followed by TWO notes somehow played as 'triplets'. Aaaaaargh.

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Edited by - matt m on 10/17/2010 06:42:36