Best Tablet Music Stand Mount Holder for Reading Sheet Music & Chords Charts
Since the dawn of time, musicians have read sheet music and chord charts in paper form. During the era of the saber tooth tiger and woolly mammoth, it wasn’t really a problem in light of the rest of life’s difficulties.
Now, we’ve “evolved”...but don’t worry, this isn’t an article about creation vs. evolution. Rather, it’s a wake up call to the better options that have become available over time.
Now granted, if you’re visiting this site, you probably switched from paperless charts to using an iPad or Android tablet ages ago. Maybe you were tired of your paper charts blowing away in outdoor gigs. Or perhaps you were feeling a little silly having someone turn your page while performing in the orchestra.
As time continued you also upgraded your performance with a bluetooth page turner pedal...which makes life extremely easy for the gigging musician, and of course - which we make the best option for :)
And now, as all good musicians do, you’ve started noticing how awkward and clunky the old fashioned Manhasett style metal stands are. And this is where microphone stand mounts come into play. So to save you some valuable time, we’ve compiled our list of the best options available.
There are many types of tablet mounts and holders. Some clamp onto a microphone stand pole, while others screw on to threads on top. Ultimately they do the same thing – simplify how you read your music, and declutter your stage. Enabling your music to become the primary focus in all you do.
LyxPro Smartphone & Tablet Holder
The first tablet mount we’re recommending to you is LyxPro’s tablet holder. It features a smart design, 360-degree swivel action, tilt adjustment, and exceptionally durable build, which as you know from our truck video, is very important to us at Coda Music Tech.
First of all, LyxPro iPad’s frame mount is fully adjustable. Secondly, the support arms can safely cradle the vast majority of tablet models ranging all the way from 3 inches to 11.5 inches.
The swivel action allows you to easily change the orientation of your tablet; a serious pain point for anyone in a live performance or studio recording environment. What’s more, the tilt adjustment allows you to move the stand upwards, downwards, left, or right. Last but certainly not least, it can be mounted by screwing to the top of a microphone stand or attaching to the pole of any stand or tripod.
Pros:
- Affordable
- Multipurpose stand
- Thread or pole mount
- Lightweight and durable
- 360-degree swivel
- Fits tablets from 3-11.5”
Cons:
- Doesn't fit larger tablets such as iPad Pro or Surface Pro
String Swing Microphone Stand Mount
Next up in our list of the best Tablet music stand mounts is String Swing's magnetic microphone stand holder. We loved this tablet stand mount so much that we worked out a deal to distribute them on behalf of String Swing. It comes at a slightly higher price when compared to our previous pick but we believe it's well worth a few more Lincolns.
The first thing you’re going to love about this tablet stand is that it’s made of heavy-duty steel materials, and not that you'd ever need it, but there's also a lifetime warranty.
It is fully adjustable and boasts a “clamped” design, making it compatible with all sizes of tablets, smartphones, and e-readers. The tilt adjustment allows you to find your perfect angle of viewing, be it portrait or plain landscape viewing. The low-profile adhesive magnetic coupler should be attached onto the back of the device, gripping it tight...and I mean tight! It uses the strongest magnet I’ve ever seen outside 5th grade science class.
Pros:
- Heavy-duty steel construction
- Magnetic clamped design
- Fully adjustable
- Extreme grip
- Lifetime warranty on structural integrity of the stand
- Fits any size tablet
Cons:
- Moderately expensive
- Requires semi-permanent mounting of adhesive magnet to the back of your tablet or tablet case
Hercules DG300B Tablet Holder
They don’t call themselves Hercules because they’re fragile. Hercules has a long history of making exceptionally durable stands for most instruments. Their tablet mounts take the same durability, cleverness, and security into the world of tablet mounts.
The Hercules DG300B tablet mount quickly and securely mounts to any music stand. The tablet holder is adjustable to fit 7-10" tablets, which covers pretty much all of them.
The mount has two different pivot points to get your tablet in just the right spot no matter where you mount it. That means drummers, keys players, and guitarists can finally agree on something.
Pros
- Flexible mount holds most tablets
- Easy to mount to any stage hardware
- Extremely adjustable
- Incredibly durable
Cons
- It won’t hold most smart phones
- You may have to remove the tablet case to mount
Hercules DG305B Tablet Holder
The Hercules DG305B can discretely mount to pretty much any hardware you have on the stage. It mounts to the top of music stand bases or clips onto the stand.
If you don’t have any stage hardware handy you can utilize the optional (but included) suction cup. Just like mounting a phone in your car, you can mount your tablet to any flat, non-porous surface.
The gyroscopic pivot lets you position your tablet in the perfect position. Since it doesn’t have an arm extending out, it’s a bit more discrete and takes us less space on the stage. It fits tablets from 7-12”, which means it will fit basically anything labeled as a tablet.
Pros
- Versatile mount holds nearly all tablet sizes
- 3-point clamping mount securely keeps tablets in place
- Three different ways to attach to stage hardware
- Lightweight and durable
Cons
- The short extension makes this difficult for drummers to use
The Joy Factory MagConnect Stand Mount
For the serious musician, the obvious choice is The Joy Factory’s MagConnect stand mount - it compromises nothing between the spheres of performance, aesthetics, and durability.
This tablet stand is compatible with iPad Pro 1st and 2nd generations, standard tripods, and standard microphone stand connections.
Your smart devices will be secured in a hard shell snap-on holder – the magnet built into the stand will ensure that the tablet remains safely locked in the stand, regardless of its actual weight. MagConnect features carbon-fiber arms of premium-quality which are as durable as they are flexible. You will be able to swivel your mount stand up to 360 degrees, so searching for the perfect angle won’t be a problem. Seriously, if you’re a gigging musician, reading sheet music and chord charts just became a whole lot easier with MagConnect.
Pros:
- Outstanding build quality
- Compatible with most tablet sizes, tripods, and microphone stands
- Magnetic grip
- 360-degree swivel
Cons:
- A little spendy
If you still need another option, another tablet holder that’s a bit different from what we’ve seen so far is On-Stage’s MSA7011 clamp-on bookplate. This mount utilizes a U-mount clamp to hold all tablet sizes. It's basically a smaller version of your old Manhasset stand, mounted to your microphone stand. It’s solid metal and the clamp holds good and tight.
Pros:
- Very versatile
- Affordable
- U-mount clamp
- Highly durable construction
Cons:
- Doesn’t secure your tablet or device
Conclusion
LyxPro stand is the best budget stand we’ve come across, the Hercules tablet mounts are by far the best non-magnetic solution, and
StringSwing mount boasts the highest level of quality and reliability. The MSA7011 clamp-on stand is a great option for direct replacement of Manhasset stands, without the security of actually “mounting” your tablet or device.
This concludes our review of the best tablet stand mounts – we’ve seen some formidable models that offer a plethora of benefits, but we’re letting you decide which one you like the best.
