Fequently Asked Questions

Support FAQs

• If I miscalibrate the touch screen on the MusicPad accidentally, what can I do to force a recalibration?
• What is the purpose of the Zoom window in the annotation mode?
• Why are the files I place in the "User” directory of the MusicPad gone when I power cycle the system?
• When I connect my Ethernet to USB adapter between the MusicPad and the Computer, why is the light on the adapter amber versus green as stated in the Quickstart Guide?
• Do you have a user guide or owner’s manual and where can I get it?
• Why can’t I get my Mac to talk to the MusicPad while I am connected to an Apple Macintosh AirPort wireless network?
• The cord on my foot pedal is not long enough to use with my piano. Can I get a longer cord?
• When I go into the program manager on my PC and then to tools, then to File Manager to down load files, none of them are visible. But when I look in the folders area, my files will then appear. Why?
• While in File Manager, I was downloading music onto the MusicPad using an Ethernet cable when the pad and computer locked up. The top half of the window in File Manager was grayed out, how do I fix this?
• What brands of USB Flash Drives will work with the Music Pad?
• My USB connection sometimes gets dropped during file transfers. What do I do to reconnect?
• Why do some of the scores on my USB Flash Drive show up as corrupt when I try to open them on the Music Pad?
• How do I remove a corrupted score from my USB Flash Drive and get it working correctly with the Music Pad again?
• How do I work with my USB Flash Drive?
• What do the different battery indicator icons mean?
• Batteries for the Music Pad how long do they last and how long does it take to charge?
• I cannot get Music Pad Manager in File Manager to connect to my Music Pad through the USB cable (using Windows XP Service Pac 2).
• My Batteries Are Not Holding A Charge. What do I do?
• When I either disconnected the MusicPad from the USB cable, or power down the MusicPad, my PC immediately blue screens, shuts down and needs to be restarted, what should I do?
• How do I install the MusicPad Swivel Stand?
• I cannot download FreeHand Music to my Music Pad Manager to load on to my music pad. I get the ERROR 400 Bad Request.

Q) If I miscalibrate the touch screen on the MusicPad accidentally, what can I do to force a recalibration?
A) On the back of the MusicPad you will find a small hole, large enough to place a pin or bent paper clip into. You'll find it near the lower left hand corner about 2.5 inches from the left side and 3.75 inches from the bottom. While the unit is powered up, press a pin or similar object into the hole. Place it far enough into the hole and apply enough pressure the engage the reset button internally in the MusicPad. Once the button is pressed the calibration screen shall appear on the display. Touch the center of each cross hair carefully without placing any part of your hand on the touch screen. Once complete the re-calibration is done.

Q) What is the purpose of the Zoom window in the annotation mode?
A) The purpose of the zoom window is to provide a magnified view of a particular section of a page in a score to provide a way to accomplish fine and detailed note editing. In some instances when a lot of user annotations exist within the zoom window, overall screen performance can be somewhat sluggish.

Q) Why are the files I place in the “User” Directory of the MusicPad gone when I powercycle the system?
A) The user directory is reserved for the USB Flash Drive sub directory. If you are using the USB Flash Drive to import your music, a sub directory will appear in the "user directory". This is the path and location of the files on the Flash Drive. You should not use the user directory for anything else.

If you want to place your new files in a unique location on the MusicPad, create a new directory in your home directory. Don't use the user sub directory for this.

Q) When I connect my Ethernet to USB adapter between the MusicPad and the Computer, why is the light on the adapter amber versus green as stated in the Quickstart Guide?
A) We use several different vendors for the Ethernet to USB adapter. The Belkin model shows an amber light when communications are established between the MusicPad and Computer. This is a proper operation mode and whether the light is green or amber is of no concern.

Q) Do you have a user guide or owner’s manual and where can I get it?
A) Yes. For Windows PC users, on your computer, go to the Start Menu -> Programs, FreeHand Systems -> MusicPad Manager -> User’s Guide. For Macintosh users, simply locate and open the Application folder “MusicPad Manager” from where you installed the MusicPad Manager application software. Or, for either platform, you can download it (9.41MB, PDF) from our website.

Q) Why can’t I get my Macintosh to connect to the MusicPad while I am connected to an Apple AirPort wireless network?
A) When using a Macintosh with an AirPort network, turn off the AirPort network in your network control panel and then look up your IP address and subnet Mask. Set the same IP address in the MusicPad Manager “Advanced” options dialog by changing the last number in the IP address to a number slightly different. Then set this exact same number on the MusicPad along with the subnet Mask recorded off of your Mac. If you are connected directly to the MusicPad (i.e. not through an Ethernet hub or switch) be sure the Ethernet cable going from the Ethernet jack on the Macintosh to the adaptor is a crossover cable.

Q) The cord on my foot pedal is not long enough to use with my piano. Can I get a longer cord?
A) Yes. All you need to do is go to an electronics/ stereo store and get a 3.55mm phone plug 3 conductor headphone extension cable. Both ends of the cable must be 3.55mm (or 1/8”).

Q) When I go into the program manager on my PC and then to tools, then to File Manager to down load files, none of them are visible. But when I look in the same folder using Windows Explorer, my files are there. Why?
A) Open the MusicPad Manager and go to the File manager. Put your mouse pointer in the upper left corner of the top line of the dialog box, just to the right of the computer picture. Press the left mouse button, hold it down and then drag to the right. Keep dragging until all the files show up in the window.

Q) While in File Manager, I was downloading music onto the MusicPad using an Ethernet cable when the pad and computer locked up. The top half of the window in File Manager was grayed out, how do I fix this?
A) Disconnect the Ethernet cable, turn off the MusicPad and then turn it back on. Reboot your computer and then reconnect the Ethernet cable. Go back into Music Pad Manager and open the File Manager dialog box. If no files show in the top of the file manager, put your mouse pointer, in the upper left corner of the top line of the box just to the right of the computer picture and press the left mouse button hold it down and drag to the right. Keep dragging until all the files appear.

Q) What brands USB Flash Drives will work with the Music Pad?
A) We have tested the following USB Flash Drives with the Music Pad Pro.  AVB 64MB, SanDisk Cruiser 1GB, SimpleTech 2.0 USB 256MB, and Kingston 64MB.

Q) My USB connection sometimes gets dropped during file transfers. What do I do to reconnect?
A) If you experience a “Connection Lost” error during a file transfer while using the File Manager dialog, first attempt to reconnect to your pad by simply clicking the “Reconnect” button located at the bottom of the dialog box. In rare cases when that does not correct the problem, you will need to unplug and then reconnect your USB cable from your pad and try the reconnect button again. If a connection still cannot be re-established, you may need to verify that the USB driver on your system is properly installed.

For Windows XP users, verify that the “Freehand USB LanLink” driver appears in the Network Adaptors list of the Windows Device Manager. To do this, right click on “My Computer” as seen on your desktop. Select “Properties” in the bottom of the pop up menu. The System Properties dialog will open. Select the Hardware tab and then click on the Device Manager button. The Device manager dialog will open. Expand the Network adaptors section by clicking the “+” and you should see the “Freehand USB LanLink” adaptor. If it does not appear or is flagged with an error, then the driver needs to be re-installed by running the MusicPad Manager software installer.

For Macintosh OS X users, you need to verify the USB driver; “Ethernet Adaptor (en1)” appears with a green dot beside it in the Network Status listing of the Network System Preferences control panel. If the driver appears with a yellow dot, then restart your system with the MusicPad powered on and connected with a USB cable to your Macintosh. If the driver does not appear at all, then it will need to be re-installed by running the MusicPad Manager installer.

Q) Why do some of the scores on my USB Flash Drive show up as corrupt when I try to open them on the Music Pad?
A) If you remove the Flash Drive from the Music Pad while you have an open score on it, this action may corrupt the scores. To prevent this, simply close any open score. You should see the screen the MusicPad boots into with the FreeHand Logo. Then it is safe to remove your USB Flash Drive.

Important Note: When you want to remove a USB Flash Drive. Please make sure the LED as found on your drive is not flashing quickly. If the LED is flashing quickly, that means there is some traffic going on between your Operating System or your MusicPad and the Flash Drive. When this is happening, don’t remove the Flash Drive, otherwise, it will cause some damage of the data or files on it.

Q) How do I remove a corrupted score from my USB Flash Drive and get it working correctly with the Music Pad again?
A) On a Windows PC, plug the Flash Drive into a USB port. If your PC reboots, allow it to finish rebooting completely with the Flash Drive plugged into the USB port. Next, in the lower right corner of the screen next to the eject icon, right click on the resizing icon, and select “UMSD”. Then select “Utility”. Click on Recover Disk, and then click OK, and follow the on screen instructions. Once this recovery process is complete, your Flash Drive should now work properly with the Music Pad. Macintosh users should not reformat their drives since it will render them incompatible with the MusicPad. If this problem occurs and your drive needs to be reformatted, then you will need to complete the recovery steps on a Windows PC only.

Q) How do I work with my USB Flash Drive?
A) With your computer turned on, you plug your USB Flash Drive into a free USB port (often these are located in the back of your Windows PC or Macintosh). Once attached, your computer should recognize the drive as a new volume mounted on your machine. If for some reason your computer does not find your Flash Drive after it has been plugged in for the first time, a system reboot may be required in order for it to be recognized. Thereafter it should mount and unmount almost instantly when you plug and unplug it. In rare instances, if your files do not appear on your USB Flash Drive after unplugging and plugging it back in, simply select the “Home” button located at the top of the Open file or File Manager dialog on your MusicPad and then navigate back to the drive. Your files should then appear.

Use Windows Explorer or the Finder to move your FreeHand files to the USB Flash Drive. On Windows the USB Flash Drive will appear as an external drive with a different drive letter, just like a CD or a floppy disk. When you are done remove the USB Flash Drive from your computer.

WARNING: When you are ready to remove the USB Flash Drive be sure to first close any score that is open in the MusicPad Manager. Windows 2000 and XP users should use the disconnect icon that appears as a green arrow, located in the lower right hand side of the Windows Toolbar; “Unplug or Eject Hardware”. Click once, and then click OK. It is now safe to remove your USB Flash Drive. On the Macintosh, drag the Flash Drive icon to trash, to eject.

Turn on your MusicPad and wait for it to finish booting. Insert the Flash Drive into the MusicPad’s USB port. Tap on the open icon. Tap on the house. Then navigate to the user/sda1 directory. You will see the list of files and folders on the USB Flash Drive. You can now open the files as if they were in the internal flash of your MusicPad. If you want to save this file on the pad after opening tap on the FreeHand icon and then tap on Save As. Select the location you want it saved, and then tap on the Save button.

Q) What do the different battery indicator icons mean?
A) When working with your MusicPad, there are a series of icons which are displayed that are designed to tell the user the status of the battery charge and if the MusicPad is plugged in to a power outlet. The following is a complete list of all these battery related icons as displayed in the upper left hand corner of the MusicPad and what status they represent:

• Green Plug shaped Icon: this means that the batteries are fully charged and the MusicPad is plugged in to a power outlet.
• Yellow Plug shaped Icon: this means that the batteries are approximately at the half charged state, and the MusicPad is plugged in to a power outlet.
• Red Plug shaped Icon: this means that the batteries are nearly empty and the MusicPad is plugged into a power outlet.
• Red solid battery shaped Icon in 4.0.6 software. Green Battery shaped Icon in 3.1.5 software: this means that the batteries are fully charged and the MusicPad is not plugged in to a power outlet.
• Yellow half-full Battery shaped Icon: this means that the batteries are somewhere between approximately 20% charged and 80% charged and the MusicPad is not plugged in to a power outlet.
• Red outlined or "empty" Battery shaped Icon: this means that the batteries are less than 20% charge left and the MusicPad is not plugged in to a power outlet. In most cases, this indicates that the MusicPad has somewhere between 15 and 30 minutes of time left depending upon the exact temperature of the room, the Brightness setting of the touch-screen display and whether the MusicPad is a low or high resolution unit.

Q) Batteries for the Music Pad how long do they last and how long does it take to charge?
A) The batteries in the Music Pad + are not customer serviceable. The batteries are Nickel Hydride, bundled in 2 separate packs. The built in charger on the printed circuit board charges them. After a full charge the batteries will run the Music Pad set at .5 brightness for approximately 4 hrs. Recharging takes a couple or hours. For the first charge we recommend an 8 hr first charge. The power supply for the Music Pad is all that is needed to run and charge the Music Pad.

Q) I cannot get Music Pad Manager in File Manager to connect to my Music Pad through the USB cable (using Windows XP Service Pac 2).
A) Try turning off you firewall. Then go back to the File Manager and see if you can connect. If yes then go back to your fire wall and set it to allow all for FreeHand Systems. If no then with the Music Pad on and the USB cable connected. Re – load the Music Pad Manager software. This will load the USB driver correctly.

Windows Personal Firewal
Go to control panel, right click on the Network Connections, then left click on Properties, click on Advanced, uncheck Internet connection, firewall, turn off Yes.

Norton Firewall
You need to set Norton to allow all for the program Solero. Open Norton security, click on Personal Firewall, click on configure, click on programs, click on Add, then add Sunhawk, Solero, program, viewer, open then select permit click on OK.

Q) My Batteries Are Not Holding A Charge. What do I do?
A) There is a minor problem in the battery charging circuit that causes the Music Pad to believe that the batteries are not there when they are. To work around this problem and get the batteries charging again please follow the following procedure.

1. Plug in the power supply to an outlet and to the Music Pad, leaving the Music Pad powered off for 48hours. This will allow the batteries to trickle charge.

2. Unplug the power supply for 2 seconds then plug in the power supply again with the Music Pad turn off still, and leave for 2hours. This will recharge the batteries to full.

Q) When I either disconnected the MusicPad from the USB cable, or power down the MusicPad, my PC immediately blue screens, shuts down and needs to be restarted, what should I do?
A) To resolve this go to your task bar, selecting "safely remove hardware", and selecting the Freehand USB LAN Link and click "stop" service.

Q) How do I install the MusicPad Swivel Stand?
A) Download this PDF for photos and installation instructions.

Q) I cannot download FreeHand Music to my Music Pad Manager to load on to my music pad. I get the ERROR 400 Bad Request.
A) Open Music Pad Manager click on the tools, Music Manager Options, Click on Shopping, In the Store Configuration change the default to www.freehandmusic.com click on the ok.