Topic by oshogg

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Topic: Android/iOS app to control PianoTeq app on headless PC box

Hi,

I am thinking of building a headless PC box with a high quality PCI-E sound card for the primary purpose of playing Pianoteq. It will have no PC/keyboard/mouse - just a box sitting below/behind. It would be great if there was a 'PianoTeq app" on the mobile device that can talk to the PC via Wi-Fi and can control PianoTeq's basic and common user interface settings (e.g. loading presets, velocity curves etc.). It doesn't have to support fancier features such as note-by-note edit - but should support the most commonly used options.

Is there such an app? I would happily pay some money to get such a capability.

Another alternative would be to use VNC/remote desktop capability - but I have never done that from phone to PC and the UI might not be very good in that case. Has anyone tried such a thing?

Thanks,
Osho

Reply by EvilDragon

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Re: Android/iOS app to control PianoTeq app on headless PC box

Yeah I would say using something like TeamViewer is probably gonna be your best bet.

Hard work and guts!

Reply by scherbakov.al

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Re: Android/iOS app to control PianoTeq app on headless PC box

You can set the transmission of MIDI messages from the program on your phone to your computer by wifi. And thus manage the necessary functions of Pianoteq.

Reply by EvilDragon

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Re: Android/iOS app to control PianoTeq app on headless PC box

It's better to actually see what you're doing

Hard work and guts!

Reply by Groove On

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Re: Android/iOS app to control PianoTeq app on headless PC box

Use VNC - it's like running Pianoteq on an iPad!!!

Last edited by Groove On (18-09-2017 12:07)

Reply by jkanint

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Re: Android/iOS app to control PianoTeq app on headless PC box

which is better for this kind of of wireless connection, Bluetooth or WIFI? Plus, TunesBro Manager is a great app for file transfer between mobile device and PC.

Last edited by jkanint (13-12-2017 07:37)

Reply by EvilDragon

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Re: Android/iOS app to control PianoTeq app on headless PC box

WiFi.

Hard work and guts!

Reply by LuBa

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Re: Android/iOS app to control PianoTeq app on headless PC box

i also recommend you to use VNC! The whole screen acts exactly like a touchpad to move the mouse pointer around (very familiar if you ever used a laptop), plus you get complete access to the full interface + options (very familiar if you ever used pianoteq on a computer). Interface can be zoomed with two finger gestures, very convenient.

Additionally you can assign midi events to trigger certain pianoteq functions in the Options/Midi tab. I use my "E-Piano" and "Strings" buttons to select previous/next presets.

Reply by Fanksker

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Re: Android/iOS app to control PianoTeq app on headless PC box

jkanint wrote:

which is better for this kind of of wireless connection, Bluetooth or WIFI? Plus, TunesBro Manager is a great app for contacts transfer between mobile device and PC.

I am very curious , how did you do , the speed of data transfer is too slow by using Bluetooth or Wifi ,

Last edited by Fanksker (22-12-2017 04:01)

Reply by mcoll

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Re: Android/iOS app to control PianoTeq app on headless PC box

I haven't tried VNC Viewer, it seems to be well rated and should do the trick. Another app to consider, which I have used and worked very well is Splashtop 2 Remote Desktop.
And another would be using somthing like lenovo yoga, with the touchscreen, but then you'd have cables coming out of it.

Although not ideal, I think the Vnc/Splashtop are the best bet, since the market for the app you want is really small, and the app would also have to be maintained.

Reply by Erikkl

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Re: Android/iOS app to control PianoTeq app on headless PC box

Fanksker wrote:
jkanint wrote:

which is better for this kind of of wireless connection, Bluetooth or WIFI? Plus, TunesBro Manager is a great app for contacts transfer between mobile device and PC.

I am very curious , how did you do , the speed of data transfer is too slow by using Bluetooth or Wifi ,

I use airdroid, it supports to transfer files wirelessly.

Last edited by Erikkl (16-01-2018 09:17)

Reply by Jake Johnson

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Re: Android/iOS app to control PianoTeq app on headless PC box

EvilDragon wrote:

Yeah I would say using something like TeamViewer is probably gonna be your best bet.

Is there a tutorial about setting up TeamViewer so that an iPad can control a PC program--ie Pianoteq? I looked on their site, and the emphasis there seems to be more on sharing iPad screens on a PC. (For conference-call meetings, I suppose?)

Reply by EvilDragon

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Re: Android/iOS app to control PianoTeq app on headless PC box

It should be easy, really... You don't set up a conference, you set up remote control. On the PC, run TeamViewer, memorize the session ID and password, then from iPad, log on to that session with that password. Boom, you have remote control. You will, for this reason, need to have the PC connected to a monitor at least once.

Last edited by EvilDragon (15-01-2018 18:40)
Hard work and guts!

Reply by MrRoland

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Re: Android/iOS app to control PianoTeq app on headless PC box

I use an old phone with bvnc and USB tethering enabled.
I don't like wifi because it can cause latency problems.
When I need internet I just enable wifi on the phone, works like a charm.

Phone as display

Last edited by MrRoland (17-01-2018 23:00)

Reply by mattsplatt

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Re: Android/iOS app to control PianoTeq app on headless PC box

Another vote here for VNC.

I just got my Raspberry Pi Pianoteq box working (thank you Edgar and LuBa and others on the Raspi threads).

The RPi is headless (Ptq isn't headless; the RPi is running a full desktop, but with no screen) and I am using VNCViewer on an Android tablet. It works like a charm.

The RPi automatically logs in, launches PTq fullscreen and plays midi startup sound so I know it's up. There is no need to see it unless I want to change settings. I already had an Android tablet that lives on the music stand for video lessons, playing songs when learning, reading music etc. Now that tablet has the one additional task of being a viewport to Pianoteq when changing settings.  Perfect. :-)

Edited to add: The RPi is on WiFi, so VNC is communicating with it that way. The sound card is an external USB one for now, but I will add one of the DAC 'hats' to the RPi.

Last edited by mattsplatt (19-01-2018 04:24)