dobro
Well-known member
Anybody know any music notation software that doesn't need MIDI?
dafduc
New member
Whaddya mean "need"?
G-vox's Encore uses midi, but you can input notes on screen without it. I haven't used its midi features for a long time. But if you wanna hear what you put on "paper", you gotta have midi...
Is that what you meant?
Daf
G-vox's Encore uses midi, but you can input notes on screen without it. I haven't used its midi features for a long time. But if you wanna hear what you put on "paper", you gotta have midi...
Is that what you meant?
Daf
C
chupacabre
New member
yeah midi is the bomb its like the chezzy version of the actual song
for guitarists i would recomend
tabit.net & powertab
tabit you can do more stuff like add drums and other instruments but the setup is like a guitar tab. powertab you can only have guitar and bass but it gives you the sheet music of what your doing
for guitarists i would recomend
tabit.net & powertab
tabit you can do more stuff like add drums and other instruments but the setup is like a guitar tab. powertab you can only have guitar and bass but it gives you the sheet music of what your doing
Innovations
New member
frankly to my knowledge all music notion software will allow you to compose by dropping notes onto the page. In order to render that page into music, rather than just printing it, you will need some sort of software synthesyzer, and those all use midi as input.
dobro
Well-known member
No, I don't want to be able to hear what I've notated - I just want sheet music that I can print out. I took a quick look at notation software that's available, and a lot of them, or most of them mention MIDI. I didn't realize the MIDI was so that you can hear what you've written.
Okay, I'm happy now - I don't need to buy a synthesizer.
So, anybody know a good notation software for producing sheet music, which is easy to use and attractive to look at?
Okay, I'm happy now - I don't need to buy a synthesizer.
So, anybody know a good notation software for producing sheet music, which is easy to use and attractive to look at?
AlChuck
Well-known member
Finale and Sibelius.
dafduc
New member
If you want easy-to-use, go with Encore. Hands-down the best interface, though its Mac roots show around the edges. The cheap version, MusicTime, is pretty good too.
Of the market leaders, Sibelius is easier than Finale.
Opus also sounds interesting, but I don't know anyone who uses it. And I've bought arrangements from a guy who uses Cubase Score (a variation of cubase 5.0) - so that option's there if you already use Cubase/32, or wanna upgrade to Score from 5.0. I dunno if scoring features made it into SX, though.
I'm a very happy Encore user, but it hasn't had a facelift since 1997, when Passport went belly up. A 2002 upgrade made it W2K compatible (and XP?), I haven't bought that yet.
check it out at www.gvox.com ...
Daf
Of the market leaders, Sibelius is easier than Finale.
Opus also sounds interesting, but I don't know anyone who uses it. And I've bought arrangements from a guy who uses Cubase Score (a variation of cubase 5.0) - so that option's there if you already use Cubase/32, or wanna upgrade to Score from 5.0. I dunno if scoring features made it into SX, though.
I'm a very happy Encore user, but it hasn't had a facelift since 1997, when Passport went belly up. A 2002 upgrade made it W2K compatible (and XP?), I haven't bought that yet.
check it out at www.gvox.com ...
Daf
AlChuck
Well-known member
Encore is still alive! That's great. I really wish that Passport had hung in, they had good stuff... I started with MasterTracks Pro...
dafduc
New member
I started with MasterTracks PC, Pro's predecessor. 1986...
Daf
Daf
T
TimOBrien
New member
Be sure to check out Melody Assistant or Harmony Assitant at http://myriad-online.com
Demo on the website. $20 for MA and it's cross platform (I have a copy for my PCs and a copy for my Mac.)
Nice CHEAP program.
Demo on the website. $20 for MA and it's cross platform (I have a copy for my PCs and a copy for my Mac.)
Nice CHEAP program.
AlChuck
Well-known member
When I used MasterTracks it was on Mac only, must have been 1991 or 1992... only used it in a MIDI Sequencing class I took at Foothill College.
When I finally had my first PC a year or two later I couldn't get MasterTracks for PC 'cause it didn't exist yet... so I went with Cakewalk Pro 2 (for DOS!). I've been a Cakewalk person since...
When I finally had my first PC a year or two later I couldn't get MasterTracks for PC 'cause it didn't exist yet... so I went with Cakewalk Pro 2 (for DOS!). I've been a Cakewalk person since...
dobro
Well-known member
I downloaded Harmony Assistant, and although I like the look of what it prints out, the interface is ugly.
I also downloaded something called Music Ease, and despite its ugly name, the interface is completely rudimentary, completely nondescript. It's easier to use too.
I also downloaded something called Music Ease, and despite its ugly name, the interface is completely rudimentary, completely nondescript. It's easier to use too.
TexRoadkill
Audio Bum
AlChuck said:
lol, I used Master Tracks and Vision over at DeAnza. I took some video classes at Foothill while in high school.
Dobro - The easiest notation program is a paper and pen
Chicks dig a guy that can freehand notation. Well they don't but damnit they should.
AlChuck
Well-known member
Yeah, I took a composition class in the spring and man was it a pain getting decent notation out of my MIDI apps. I should have done it by hand.
Of course if I spent some money I guess Finale would be flexible and give me solid, accurate, and readable output...
Of course if I spent some money I guess Finale would be flexible and give me solid, accurate, and readable output...
R
rickm4
New member
finale notepad....its free, just download it off the web.
DavidK
New member
Sibelius.
It's expensive, but it prints the best-looking sheet music on the planet.
It's expensive, but it prints the best-looking sheet music on the planet.
dobro
Well-known member
"No, I don't want to be able to hear what I've notated - I just want sheet music that I can print out."
I've changed my mind. After working with some software for an hour or two, I want to be able to hear what I'm notating. So it looks like I need MIDI. What's MIDI? Does it come in a box? Can you buy it by the pound?
It means buying a synthesizer, right, plus having a soundcard that can handle MIDI, right?
I've changed my mind. After working with some software for an hour or two, I want to be able to hear what I'm notating. So it looks like I need MIDI. What's MIDI? Does it come in a box? Can you buy it by the pound?
It means buying a synthesizer, right, plus having a soundcard that can handle MIDI, right?
DavidK
New member
Dobrother, you dont NEED midi to hear your music, just a soundcard. (i.e. the shit card that comes with a standard computer, not a recording soundcard)
The only thing midi will be good for is if you want to play a keyboard and have what you played show up as notation, and you have to play very clean for it to work properly.
I have Encore, Finale and Sibelius.
Encore is the easiest to learn, just click on a quarter note, click what line off the staff you want it on, and it's done. Click on a 8th note, etc.
Finale is the industry standard. It comes with 3-4 manuals that make War and Peace look like a short story.
Sibelius is absolutely beautiful. It's a bit quirky in the layout, and is more geared towards pianists ( or people who are playing a keyboard as opposed to using the mouse), but it looks killa. Actually, it looks the the stuff that you buy in a sheet music store.
Encore looks decent, but hardly pro.
Al Chuck, my first computer Sequencer was master tracks pro, great stuff. I had a Mac, and when I switched to PC, I bought Encore, and Master Tracks Pro was free with it, I really liked that program.
The only thing midi will be good for is if you want to play a keyboard and have what you played show up as notation, and you have to play very clean for it to work properly.
I have Encore, Finale and Sibelius.
Encore is the easiest to learn, just click on a quarter note, click what line off the staff you want it on, and it's done. Click on a 8th note, etc.
Finale is the industry standard. It comes with 3-4 manuals that make War and Peace look like a short story.
Sibelius is absolutely beautiful. It's a bit quirky in the layout, and is more geared towards pianists ( or people who are playing a keyboard as opposed to using the mouse), but it looks killa. Actually, it looks the the stuff that you buy in a sheet music store.
Encore looks decent, but hardly pro.
Al Chuck, my first computer Sequencer was master tracks pro, great stuff. I had a Mac, and when I switched to PC, I bought Encore, and Master Tracks Pro was free with it, I really liked that program.
dobro
Well-known member
Hey David, thanks for that - so now I don't have excuse for buying a $2K synth? LOL
I've tried three different softwares: Harmony Assistant, Music Ease, and Finale, and Finale's got my vote - fast and easy to use, nice look, and the free download saves and prints. Nice.
My problem at this point is that neither Finale nor Music Ease play what I've written. It plays on the screen, but not through the headphones. My soundcard disables Windows sounds, so I wonder if that's the reason.
Anybody have any ideas?
I've tried three different softwares: Harmony Assistant, Music Ease, and Finale, and Finale's got my vote - fast and easy to use, nice look, and the free download saves and prints. Nice.
My problem at this point is that neither Finale nor Music Ease play what I've written. It plays on the screen, but not through the headphones. My soundcard disables Windows sounds, so I wonder if that's the reason.
Anybody have any ideas?
DavidK
New member
dobro said:
What the heck does that mean?
If you have a soundcard in your Puter, you should be able to use just about any notation program and hear the notes via General Midi. If you, for some reason have turned off the soundcard, I guess you wont hear stuff, but that doesnt make any sense.
Download a midi file. If you can hear it, then your soundcard is working, and you should be able to hear notes in Finale or whatever.
Unless you are working with a 286 and Windows 3.0, it should be simple. Check the specs on the software, and for God's sake man, turn on the Speakers