Music Notation Software Recommendations
- Thread starter sondance
- Start date
Marek Michalak
New member
Hi,
Lilypond (http://www.lilypond.org/web/) seems to be quite powerful but it's a bit more difficult to use it rather than just click and print. It's more like a programming language to code the notes, musiccal symbols and page layouts into a text file which then be compiled into a PDF file. But the various printouts and PDF files I've seen looked very convincing. It also has the option to create midi files.
The only other notation software I know a bit is Noteworthy Composer (NWC). It's easier to use for sure but I found the designing features for the look of the scores where limited and the scores didn't look the nicest on paper. But I've not used it really much, so maybe I just missed out on a set of options and settings.
The software supports creating midi files and you can assign midi channels/instruments and work with some other midi options within the scores.
Lilypond (http://www.lilypond.org/web/) seems to be quite powerful but it's a bit more difficult to use it rather than just click and print. It's more like a programming language to code the notes, musiccal symbols and page layouts into a text file which then be compiled into a PDF file. But the various printouts and PDF files I've seen looked very convincing. It also has the option to create midi files.
The only other notation software I know a bit is Noteworthy Composer (NWC). It's easier to use for sure but I found the designing features for the look of the scores where limited and the scores didn't look the nicest on paper. But I've not used it really much, so maybe I just missed out on a set of options and settings.
The software supports creating midi files and you can assign midi channels/instruments and work with some other midi options within the scores.
sondance
Member
Thanks Marek. So far I've looked at Lillypond, NWC, Scorewriter, Virtuoso and others. From the demos I would pick NWC but also have same concerns about print quality. Hoping someone has found the perfect alternative to pen and ink or my Excel spreadsheets using characters I made with the "draw" toolbar.
Ken
Ken
Well... it all depends on what you require and how much time (the learning curb on some programs are fairly high) and money you want to spend on it.
Professional programs like Sibelius and Finale can do just about everything and produce print quality suitable for publications (if used right).
Sequencers like Cubase for PC and Mac and Logic for Mac also have a decent print quality, but they are not designed for publishing sheetmusic.
Then there's Musicator, which also produces a fair print quality.
You should be able to search for sites by googling the names.
Professional programs like Sibelius and Finale can do just about everything and produce print quality suitable for publications (if used right).
Sequencers like Cubase for PC and Mac and Logic for Mac also have a decent print quality, but they are not designed for publishing sheetmusic.
Then there's Musicator, which also produces a fair print quality.
You should be able to search for sites by googling the names.