Installing Practica Musica®
Installing doesn't take much: just run your Practica Musica installer and it will do the job. Be sure to use the "install via internet" option if you have an internet connection - this will ensure that you have all the latest files available. Almost everything you need to run Practica Musica will be placed in a folder called "Practica Musica Folder." The only other files to be installed will be the Sebastian font files, of which there are two, one for printing purposes and one for screen display. The installer places no other files on your computer: no extensions, no drivers, nothing that could interfere with other software.
On Windows computers the fonts will be placed in your fonts folder located in the Windows folder.
On Macintosh computers running OSX the fonts will go into the fonts folder located at [hard disk]/Library/fonts.
On Macintosh computers running OS9.1-2 the fonts will go into the fonts folder located in the System Folder.
If you start the program and find that nonsense symbols appear on the staff instead of the clefs and other musical symbols, you need to restart the computer to make it notice that a new font has arrived.
Minimum systems for Macintosh
Beginning with version 4.5 Practica Musica requires a minimum of OS 9.1 on the Macintosh. The CD contains separate versions for OS9.1-2 and for OSX. If your Mac OS is less than 9.1 you can still use Practica Musica 4.0-4.4, but some of the features described in this manual will not be applicable. On OSX be sure to use the installer specifically for OSX. That gives you a "native" application that takes full advantage of OSX. Note that if you are using the program on OS9 you will probably want to turn off "Virtual Memory" in the Memory control panel in order to obtain quicker keyboard response. This is not necessary on OSX.
Practica Musica for Windows can run on Win 95/98/ME/2000 or XP. A sound card is desirable for best keyboard response, though built-in software synthesizers can still be used for playback purposes. The installer will launch when you put the CD in the drive, if you have the Windows Autorun feature enabled. Otherwise use My Computer to open the disk and launch "InstallPractica.exe." Owners of older Windows systems might run into a warning that the computer needs to have "Direct X" 5 or later. Direct X is Microsoft software that is used for graphics and sound and is included in all current Windows computers. If your computer has a version of Direct X that is too old for this program you can obtain a current Direct X from Microsoft.com, however this should not be a problem for most people.
Differences between the Windows and Mac versions
We've kept the two very similar, so that the Windows version looks almost like it's running on a Macintosh. The commands are almost all the same, too, except that where the manual refers to a "Command key" Windows users should use the Ctrl key. Where the manual speaks of the Option key Windows users will interpret that as Alt.
For example, there is a way to force notes to be either flats or sharps as they are entered. Mac users force a flat by holding down Option, a sharp by holding down Command (the Apple key). Windows users will force a flat by holding down Alt, and a sharp by holding down the Crtl key.
Practica Musica for Windows can read student files, activity files, and music files created by the Macintosh version, and vice-versa: the files are the same. You can freely switch between a Mac and a Windows PC using the same student file - it will make no difference.
Macintosh computers have one-button mice. Where you read of 'clicking the mouse' that is always a reference to the left mouse button of a Windows computer or the single mouse button of a Macintosh.
Signing in
When you first start Practica Musica you'll be asked for your serial number and confirmation number, and the program will use the internet to "sign in" the program. If the program is unable to make the needed internet connection, or it can't get through a firewall, it will present a window with an alternate method of signing in: a number you can email (or phone) to Ars Nova together with your serial number. We'll reply with an offline registration number you can use to sign in.
Ars Nova frequently offers updates of Practica Musica. Current programs have a command in the File Menu that will check for updates. Also, you can at any time run your installer again and when you get to the choice of what to install, choose "Update Existing Practica Musica." Or click the following link to download a new installer.
Getting help
Should you have any questions about Practica Musica you can email to
help@ars-nova.com
(Don't forget the hyphen between "ars" and "nova"). If you don't get a reply within 24 hours be sure to check your email return address - sometimes we get messages from people whose return addresses are wrong and we can't send a reply.
Installing at Schools
For more information on installing Practica Musica at schools please click here.
The output sounds are of three types: Synthesized (QuickTime on the Mac), MIDI, or "sampled" sounds represented by pictures of various instruments. If you've chosen the "SYNTH" (QT) or "MIDI" output instruments you can use any of the 128 standard instrument sounds found in the General MIDI specification: click on the instrument name at the left of each staff to change the instrument used for that staff (the on-screen piano and letter keys play the instrument of the active staff). If you choose one of the "sampled" instruments your choices are limited to the samples included with the program, such as Guitar, Pipe Organ, etc. Most people will stick to the SYNTH (QT) or MIDI instruments; the sampled ones are there mostly for cases in which you need a quicker keyboard response and have a computer that can't synthesize quickly enough, or if you want to experiment with temperaments (different tunings) or microtonal changes to specific notes.
The output instrument choices are listed at the right side of the on-screen piano. "QT" is the built-in synthesized QuickTime instruments on a Macintosh (SYNTH on Windows computers), MIDI is of course MIDI, and the various other insruments represented by pictures are all "sampled" instruments made from acoustic recordings. The output instrument applies to the live piano, but also affects the choices you see available at the left of each staff on the screen.
You can make effective use of Practica Musica without involving MIDI, but MIDI is handy for certain exercises such as Pitch-Rhythm Reading. In an exercise of that type you will play a melody in "real time" together with the metronome, and that's much easier to do on a real piano than it is on the letter keys or the screen piano. If you would like to input music from a "real" piano, MIDI setup is quite simple both for Windows and for Mac OSX; there's a little more to do for OS 91./9.2, which will be described below. In all cases once MIDI is set up on your computer input to Practica Musica will be automatic. You can choose to use MIDI output as well by clicking the MIDI instrument button at the right of the screen piano.
MIDI on Windows
On Windows computers you'll connect your MIDI cables to your sound card's game port using a MIDI cable adapter, and choose the desired MIDI input and output devices, if needed, in Practica Musica's Sound Options. Alternatively you can connect a USB MIDI device to your USB port and choose that device in the Sound Options. If using a USB device you would need first to install the appropriate driver from the company that made the device.
If you are using a pair of MIDI adapter cables to connect to a game port, note that these cables don't always have the "input" and "output" cables properly labeled. Normally you should connect your keyboard's "output" to the "input" of the computer and the keyboard's "input" to the "output" of the computer. But that doesn't work try switching the cables.
MIDI on Macintosh OSX
On Macintosh OSX you'll be using a USB connection. OSX, like Windows, has its MIDI software "built in" so all you need is the driver for the USB device, which will be available from the company that made the device. As with Windows, on OSX there is nothing for you to do but to install that driver and start the program with your device plugged in. Input is normally automatic if your device is turned on, but if you don't find it working open the Sound and MIDI Settings window in the Options menu. In that window is an option to turn off MIDI input, and also a way to choose among multiple output devices if you have more than one.
MIDI on Macintosh OS9.1-2
For Macs before OSX you will need to use OMS, which is still freely downloadable at www.opcode.com as of this writing. You will also need the driver or drivers that came with your MIDI device. You'll need to use the OMSSetup program that came with OMS to configure your system, and then use OMS's Test Studio menu command to make sure that input and output are working. If you can get OMS Test Studio to work, then Practica Musica will work. All you will need to do is to go to the Sound/MIDI Settings in OMS and choose your MIDI device for input and for output: choose the name of the device as you saw it in OMS Setup (don't choose the name of your interface, for example, don't choose "MIDISport;" choose "Yamaha MU-5" or whatever the name of the device is (if the device is not named it may appear simply as "Port 1" or "Port 2").
Microphone and other input methods
You can of course use MIDI as input, but you also can at the same time use the letter keys "piano," or click the screen piano's keys with the mouse, or even sing or play into a microphone. The microphone on/off button is on the left side of the screen piano: if it is on you'll see it highlighted. Note that to use a microphone as input you need not only to turn on this microphone button - you also need to make sure that you computer's sound input is set to the microphone. On the Mac you'll do this in the Sound control panel; on Windows it may be necessary to choose a sound input device in the Multimedia control panel or its equivalent. Microphone input is effective for activities that don't involve rhythm - for example, Pitch Reading. For activities that involve rhythm you need to use an input method with a quicker response, such as the letter keys of the computer or an external MIDI keyboard.