Reviews

Great pedal, preferred over AirTurn DUO
By Elena Ross on November 16, 2020

So happy with this pedal! I’m a musician and use it to turn pages using the forScore app on my iPad Pro. I was debating between this one and the AirTurn DUO, but went with this one for a few reasons: the AirTurn DUO is only powered by a built-in rechargeable battery, so if I happen to be on a gig and it dies then I have to charge it, whereas with the PageFlip Firefly I can either just carry around extra batteries and only have to plug it in if I forget those (FYI both pedals do have a warning light for low battery); I also like that the Firefly has dim lights you can turn on for each pedal in case it’s dark; and I wasn’t a fan of the constant bright blue blinking light that the AirTurn has.

Wireless, sturdy, and customizable pedals!
By Christopher Bøe on September 29, 2020

Got the PageFlip Dragonfly pedal about a week ago, setup was a breeze and it worked like a charm out of the box! Having owned cheap USB pedals in the past i was a bit on the fence but decided to give them a try and i'm glad i did! These can take a beating and i find them to be very reliable. The pedals are Bluetooth only so make sure your desktop computer has Bluetooth, if not you need a Bluetooth dongle, this is probably my only gripe with the product as i had to learn that the hard way, ultimately thats my bad as they clearly state this on their website. After some tinkering I decided to make more use of it outside of flipping note sheets, i wanted to make use of more unknown keys such as F13 - F24 (Yeah, they "exist" ) but the software did not allow me to map those keys. I sent the company an email asking if this is something they could add functionality for through a software update and sure enough, less than one day later i got a response and they updated the software to support the keys!!

Godsend
By CC on July 30, 2019

The PageFlip Firefly BT pedal is a godsend to musicians using digital score readers. It makes page-turning an absolute breeze, almost like the score’s pages are effortlessly turning themselves. This pedal has removed much of my stress during public piano performances. I find it superior to the AirTurn pedal in several ways.

As a classical pianist who practices several hours a day, I had been using the AirTurn pedal for about two years. I switched to the PageFlip Firefly about six months ago. I’ve used both pedals with the forScore and Newzik score-reading apps.

Advantages, in no particular order, of the PageFlip Firefly over the AirTurn:

The PageFlip Firefly is less finicky than the AirTurn. I no longer have to worry about inadvertently turning two pages at once;

The PageFlip is easier to find with my foot. The shape of the pedal matches the shape and angle of my foot on the floor. The lightly-corrugated, rather than slick, surface feels more secure;

The PageFlip BT pairing mechanism is simple, straightforward, and immediate, whereas the AirTurn is more complex and can be very frustrating to attempt to pair;

The PageFlip is more substantial, seems better-made, and seems not to slide on the floor so much;

My experience with customer support for the PageFlip (when I wanted to re-program certain pedal functions) was outstanding. My experience with AirTurn’s customer service (when I had trouble pairing with my iPad a couple of times, and once when the pedal failed) varied from excellent to horrible, depending on whom I reached.

In the past several months, several of my amateur and professional friends, colleagues, and musical partners have upgraded from the AirTurn to the PageFlip Firefly; they express general agreement about superior functionality.

Usage TIP:
You can make the process almost effortless—and avoid unnecessary movement, stress, and musical disruption—by resting your foot on the PageFlip pedal itself, rather than on the u.c. (pianists), the floor, or perched at an angle above the pedal.

Before you start playing the piece, rest your foot (all the way down) on the Firefly pedal, it turns the score to p.2. Don’t move your foot, and use your finger to tap the iPad to turn back to p. 1. Keep your foot down as you start playing. To turn each page, lift your foot up a bit, then lower it all the way to rest on the pedal again until the next page turn.

(Note: For this to work, the Repeat switch on the pedal must be in the off position.)

Completely solved my problem!
By Randy Waldman on February 9, 2018

When I’m playing the piano and my hands have to leave the keys to turn the music page, a few notes of the music drops out! There’s no way around that…or is there? The PageFlip Firefly combined with the Forscore app on my iPad completely solved the problem! The PageFlip Firefly couldn’t have been easier to set up…one button, and voila’, it worked perfectly! It’s easy to see with the LED’s, and instantly flips pages forwards or backwards at the tap of my foot.

As pianist and music director for Barbra Streisand, George Benson, Josh Groban and others, I use piano/conductor scores, which are many many pages long. My book of music is about 7 to 8 inches thick. It is not only unwieldy to deal with on stage, but usually puts my suitcase over weight. Never again! One thin iPad and the PageFlip, and I’m ready for the show.

PageFlip Works Great!
By Michael Brown on February 3, 2018

I've been using the PageFlip Firefly for the last few years with an iPad and the ForScore app. It's been an amazingly essential companion for me all over the world on concert stages from San Francisco to Zurich. It goes with me everywhere I go, and I can't leave home without it! It's the only Bluetooth pedal I will use, and it's been incredibly reliable for me.

PageFlip better than Airturn because of much better power management, and better ergonomic hw and sw design
By Ron Paul on September 15, 2017

Previously bought the Airturn BT-106 over the PageFlip primarily because the Airturn is rechargeable. What a mistake. The Airturn is a clunky design adaptation. It doesn't automatically power down although the firmware could have easily supported this feature. What's worse, if you forget to physically power off device and it has no more charge left, it is bricked. Additionally, it doesn't provide any sort of gas-gauge to let you know recharge progress so I ended up doing frequent recharges... which wore out the mini-usb port... bricked anyway.

All because I didn't want a battery based system. PageFlip is superior because it features excellent power management firmware. It even powers the BT off when idle for 30 minutes. It keeps just enough power to sense the pedal and wakes up the processor and all drivers automatically and quickly. Result - even though it uses OTS batteries, the batteries last more than a year before needing replacing. Very happy with this purchase!

Simply the best!!
By Jesse Luke on May 15, 2016

As a professional pianist for 35+ years, averaging 500 to 700 shows / year at times, I highly recommend the PageFlip Firefly. I had tried all the available options and this was my final choice for several reasons:
- most dependable to actually turn the page at the exact moment needed.
- fantastic customer service.
- company responds quickly to technology changes, so I can trust going forward with this company.
- easy to set up - turn on, set on floor, and play.
- all-in-one, no cables to plug in, minimal chance of damaging during gig.
- LONG battery life ... & I use the light feature.
- multi-use options available - external foot pedals, programming, etc.
- quick & easy, 1 press, keyboard up button.
I can't recommend it enough!

Great aid for pianists
By L. Crosswell on May 10, 2016

I purchased this for a musical that I recently played. My score was roughly 450 pages long - that is a lot of page turning! The PageFlip Firefly was a life-saver. It synced to my iPad quickly and was perfect during the show, not missing a single page turn. I would buy it again in a heartbeat.

Outstanding product
By Abbott on February 2, 2016

Very substantial feel and weight to this pedal. Bright LEDs to guide you in the dark. Works flawlessly on my MAC both USB and Bluetooth.
Well done PageFlip!

Great device!
By Mark Freeman on May 18, 2015

Just used the Firefly at a gig for the first time -- worked great. iPad Air 2, ForScore app, using default switch 3 (up/down arrows).
Setup was simple: paired it with the iPad - quick and reliable. A few minutes to figure out that PgUp/PgDn does not work with ForScore (or the other apps I tried), but once I seleted either left/right arrows or up/down arrows I was set.
I'm a guitarist so I set it next to my pedalboard. Triggering with my foot was very reliable and predictable.
PageFlip has really thought through all the features and needs of musicians -- I like the intuitive easy setup, the option to plug in external switches, the selectable LED lights, simple on/off switch, and config switches 1 thru 5 for flexibility without needing to configure from a computer (but also giving you that option). All that, plus users' good experiences convinced me to buy the Firefly over the AirTurn units. Glad I did.

Love it! Durable
By Pastor H. on September 20, 2014

Love it! Durable, fast, cool looking, easy to see while playing (led's on pedals), easily configurable for different apps... I use with Songbook on a Samsung Tablet while playing worship music in church, and also with a teleprompter app for recording Bible teaching videos.

Beats the competition in every way. Don't consider any page turner product BUT this!
By John on August 22, 2014

I did a good bit of research on page turners before making this excellent purchase. I tried one of the other well-promoted products before discovering this newly improved Cicada design. There are a number of articles (and videos on youtube) which compare and contrast designs from the two major players for this type of product. I received a defective product from the competitor company, they made it good by swapping it, but it was awkward to turn on and off, harder to program and sync, and although silent - the pressure required to cause a page turn felt strange, stiff and unreliable. PageFlip has listened to the musicians who previously owned earlier models of these products and have designed the best of all of them (and then some) into their Firefly pedal. I have found it to be excellent in every way. It is easily programmed/synced, lightweight, small, has LED lights, a simple slide on switch, runs a LONG time on 2 AA batteries (other options possible), turns itself off after a period of non use, completely reliable (so far) in every way. It is a joy to use, revolutionizes playing music on an iPad vs paper sheets and books. I cannot imagine any way to improve this product and am happy to recommend it as being superior in every way.

Excellent product!
By Jonathan W. on May 16, 2014

The PageFlip Firefly is an excellent product! I used the MusicPad Pro for many years before it finally died. Since then, I have been using a tablet PC with the Airturn BT-105. I did not especially like the Airturn particularly because I found the pedals to give poor feedback and also because it was a pain to pair via Bluetooth. I ended up selling my Airturn in favor of a wired pedal system which worked better, but I still was hoping to find a wireless solution.

When I heard about the Firefly, I decided to give it a shot, and I have been very pleased with the result. I find it to be significantly superior to the Airturn for many reasons. 1) Turning the thing on and off couldn't be easier. I never was comfortable with the process of turning the Airturn on/off. 2) One can operate the Firefly both wirelessly or wired. Strange things happen with Bluetooth from time to time, so this is a nice little feature. 3) I got very accustomed to using my Roland keyboard pedals with the MusicPad Pro, and now I can use them again with the Firefly via external inputs.

I have already used the Firefly in performance, and I plan on doing so many times in the future!