SmartMusic 2010?
Should you update to SmartMusic® 2010, which came out in August 2009?
(I’ll simply call SmartMusic® “SM”, to save time and space).
If you are using SM in a school system, to play assignments from method books, band or orchestra literature - then the answer is yes!
However, if you only use SM to play Solo literature and technical exercises DO NOT UPDATE to SmartMusic® 2010!
While vast amounts of music have been added to the ensemble list, band and orchestra, absolutely nothing has been added to the solo literature since 2005.
In addition, there have been several changes in SM 2010, which are neither helpful nor useful. For example
- the “Home” page now covers the entire screen, and cannot been “closed” (even if you reduce the size, it returns, full screen, when you click “done” after playing an smp file)
- reverb is set - you can no longer control the level or totally eliminate reverb (the controls have been removed)
- there are other changes, but the most drastic is that the display system has been “improved” (i.e., changed) in SM 2010 - for better & faster display of the new band & orchestra pieces - unfortunately this means that
SM 2010 will not open many older “user made” smp Files.
Already updated to SM 2010
If you have already updated to SM 2010, you have probably encountered many of these problems, however, not all is lost!
If you still have your SM 11 CD, it is possible to reload that version (at least on a Mac, and I assume a PC).
Each new version of SM is designed to remove older versions of the program from your computer but not newer ones! SM 11 (and perhaps earlier versions) will load in and set up the program but not alter SM 2010.
You will need to open SM 11 (with SM 2010 closed) before you try to open any smp Files.
SM 2010 will still remain the “default” version, so that if the SM program is not open and you open an smp File, SM 2010 will automatically open.
Also, do not have both versions of the program open at the same time!
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