GOODFEEL System Requirements

Statement on Special Considerations for Windows Vista

GOODFEEL works without limitation under Windows98, ME, 2000, XP and Vista.

• In order to access GOODFEEL's online Help, you must download and install a special utility available from Microsoft. GOODFEEL's installation program will bring you to their webpage. This same help information is available in an MS Word file installed with the software.
• After running our installation program, in order to set up proper Windows file associations, the Lime notation software must be run once under a user profile with full administrative privileges.

The following information will help you to configure a system to use the GOODFEEL® Braille Music Translator to transcribe printed music and/or computer music files to music braille. There are two examples given. Choose the example that suits your situation to help you determine your software and hardware needs.

The information below should help you determine what hardware and software you'll need to acquire. For a detailed outline describing how to use all of the following components, click here.

System Configurations

All software listed runs on IBM PC-compatible machines under Windows 95, 98, Millennium, NT, 2000, XP or Vista. We recommend a minimum of 128 megabytes of RAM, although all software listed will perform on systems with less than 128 megabytes of RAM. Lime also can run on a Macintosh. Some customers prepare the Lime files on these other operating systems, send them to a PC via CD or network and transcribe them using GOODFEEL® on a Windows machine. SharpEye will not work with a Macintosh running a Windows emulator.

Scanners and SharpEye

Summary of Process to Produce Braille Scores with GOODFEEL®

There are two steps in producing a braille score. The first step is to create a music file. The second step is to transcribe that music file with GOODFEEL. Sighted users generally use SharpEye and Lime to create a Lime music file for GOODFEEL to transcribe. Blind users use SONAR or other sequencers to create a format 1 MIDI music file for GOODFEEL to braille.

What is Lime?

The Lime notation editor transforms your computer into a blank sheet of music staff paper. The five-line musical staff appears on the screen and notes and other annotations such as lyrics or dynamic markings can be placed onto the staff with the mouse, PC keyboard or a MIDI musical keyboard (piano-style). The Lime file is saved and passed to GOODFEEL for transcription.

What is SONAR?

SONAR converts your PC into a multi-track recording studio. Individual instrumental parts can be recorded onto separate tracks via a MIDI keyboard (piano-style) and played back by SONAR through the PC sound card (or any MIDI sound module). With the aid of a screen reader and/or braille display, the blind user can record, review and edit his compositions with SONAR's Track View and Event View. Once the user is satisfied with the composition it can be saved as a format 1 MIDI file and loaded into GOODFEEL for transcription. One can use SONAR's Staff View to print the composition in standard staff notation on a desktop printer. However, the Staff View is most unfriendly to screen readers, etc. Nonetheless, blind users can enter many graphic elements of the score by using SONAR's Event List View and taking default layouts for printing from the Staff View. For users of the JAWS for Windows screen reader, CakeTalking simplifies and extends Cakewalk SONAR's notation features.

Overview of Sample Systems

We have configured two sample systems and include component prices to help you determine the cost of setting up a system to use GOODFEEL.

The first sample system is ideal for a sighted user who needs to prepare braille music scores. This user need not be at all familiar with music braille. However, the user must be comfortable with using a PC under Windows and should be familiar with conventional, staff notation, that is, the five-line, music staff. The first example, which is best for a sighted user, describes a system to scan sheet music, edit the results with Lime and transcribe with GOODFEEL.

The second system is ideal for a blind user who wants to prepare braille scores of original arrangements and compositions or for transcribing MIDI files prepared by others. SONAR allows a format 1 MIDI file to be prepared for brailling by GOODFEEL. SONAR's editor permits these same arrangements to be printed on a standard, desktop printer. This set up is ideal for the blind user of Windows who uses a screen reader like JAWS and/or a braille display. With this system, the user prepares MIDI format 1 files with SONAR for GOODFEEL to transcribe. JAWS users will benefit greatly from CakeTalking, a comprehensive tutorial and JAWS script package for the blind user of SONAR.

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