Starting Out-notation Software/mac Configuration, as above Options

[jfitz]

Howdy,
I'm interested in notating music first off. Saving time in transposition and reworking tunes, mostly jazz oriented. I will want to play stuff in on a keyboard I expect. I want to set up a system that's got enough power/flexibility to do some live instrument recording ultimately, but my first need is the composition/notation thang. I've got about $1500 to spend and I have nothing now. I was thinking of getting a reconditioned mac configured for the aforemention tasks and some notation software, most of which comes w/ a bit of sequencing I hear.

Any ideas about this here plan would be appreciated.
Thanks

[kaboombahchuck]

When you get your mac, you might want to check out metro 6. It has everything you'll need for notation, midi sequencing, and audio sequencing... without having to be a brain surgeon.

[dixiechicken]

The one thing I DONT like about Digital Performer 4.1, is the notation part.

It is very cumbersome and primitive, if you compare it to.

Lets say Encore 4.5.4 from Gvox, or Finale from Coda or Sibelius.

If you want write/compose/transpose scores for music - ( any kind ) - I strongly recommend getting a
specialized note-writing/score program.

Cheers: Dixiechicken

[jfitz]

Thanks DC, I have heard of both those programs but thought they would be complex for my needs. Sounds like there not difficult to learn though so I will investigate further.
Got any suggestions about the mac itself? I will want to record eventually, but I'm still on a budget-$1500 USD.

Pax

[JeanB]

Finale has different user need levels. I think Sibelius does also. The cool thing about both those programs is that the files can be read by either Mac or PC.

There is a Guitar Finale (I think that is what it is called,) I am not sure if it has a midi in feature, but it does do guitar notation and can transpose and play back the notation. I think it is $69-70.

I don't know how good metro is but that too is an alternative.

The more powerful the notation program, the higher the learning curve. The good thing about either Sibelius
http://www.sibelius.com/ or Finale http://www.finalemusic.com/ is that you have a choice as to the level of the product you want to purchase. Both companies have good upgrade prices and both companies try to steal customers from eacn other by offering huge discounts if you want to switch to their product. (You have to turn in your old software though). I know for certain that Finale has special education/church discounted prices. Sibelius may also.

Naturally I like Finale because I know how to use it and since I have kept up with the upgrades can get the latest improvements for a good price.

Finale now allows you to have the softward on two computers at one, like one for work and one for home, and for $50 extra you can have both Mac and PC platforms.

I got the big program because I figured I would grow into it.
I did and it has been a life saver for me.

The thing about the more advanced notation programs is that you need to know something about notation to use them well.
Even if you play midi or import midi files, you still need to have at least a rudimentary knowledge of notation. If you do understand notation then I would suggest you download a trial version of any of the above mentioned programs to see how they compare. The new Finale 2004 demo is available for PC users but the new one is not available for Mac until December because they are still working the Panther bugs out for it.

Take care and let us know which you decide on and how you like it.


JeanB

[dixiechicken]

Encore is an outstanding easy to use notation software, works just like ms word or any other word-processor. Should be enough for most users - I like this one a lot.
Only problem is that GVox dont seem to update it very often.

Sibelius seems very slick once you get the hang of it, although I never really did. They seem to be aiming for Finale.

Finale is a bitch to learn, but there isnt really anything you CAN NOT do with it, including cooking your breakfast. This is the most expensive program, it's layout funktions rivals Pagemaker or Indesign.

Cheers: Dixiechicken

[JeanB]

Hi, Dixiechicken!

Like I said there are different user level programs. The 2003 version of Finale is much simpler to use than the old versions.
The old versions WERE really hard to learn. It now has a lot of improvements and new plug ins which make things a lot faster and easier. It isn't as hard to learn as it used to be. Also Finalemusic.com offers a free Notepad people can download to read and play the files you create.

Sibelius also has a free reader and has plug ins that will open Finale files.

Finale 2004 is also offering plugins to enable users to read Sibelius files. However the 2004 version is not ready yet and will be out around December as I mentioned before.

I don't know about Metro. I will need to check on that.

This post has been edited by JeanB: Fri 31 Oct 2003, 22:08