LeesKeys Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 All,I'm interested in purchasing some version of this product to help me get my musical ideas from the keyboard to sheet music. There are several different versions of this software, including the "does everything" version for $600. That is way out of my budget, but I was wondering who's had experience with this software and would appreciate your comments about which version might meet my needs (which are pretty basic) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davyyd Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I went with Allegro in 2007, and now Make Music has elected to not update that one at all They will not support it under Windows 7, but it has worked for me so far. You can compare the versions here: clonk The only thing I have missed (besides supported updates) in Allegro was multi-page viewing and editing. I believe you only get this with the top tier version. davyyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus64 Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 They have demos, download em all and find out what suits your needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 which version might meet my needs (which are pretty basic) How basic? Will the number of staves and staff lines available in each version determine what meets your needs? Also, I *think* that you can upgrade to the next level for simply the original price difference, so there should not be an issue with starting small and moving up if you need to. "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoodyBluesKeys Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Depends on how complex the music is that you want to be able to do in Finale (or Sibelius, the other major notation program). Craven Comm. College uses Finale in their music theory classes. So, while Wini and I were officially students taking music theory, I bought Finale 2008 legally at the educational price. Program CD comes with both Windows & Mac versions, and you can register the system on two computers. They do updates (free if you have the program) about once each year, then replace the program with the next year's version annually - I did buy the 2009 update, but have not updated since. There is a fairly steep learning curve. Sibelius and Finale also have cross-grade pricing if you get one and want to switch to the other. The lowest version "Notepad" used to be free, but now they charge about $10 for it. Nice thing is that it can read the files created on the higher versions (same year or earlier) and it can be installed on multiple machines. I haven't used the in-between versions. Don't use the main version often enough - always have to go back to the help section to figure out how something is done. Howard Grand|Hamm SK1-73|Kurz PC2|PC2X|PC3|PC3X|PC361; QSC K10's HP DAW|Epi Les Paul & LP 5-str bass|iPad mini2 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus64 Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 "does everything" version for $600.' It's $449 online BTW. There are also some free/shareware options out there. Noteworthy composer is one. clonk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timwat Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Having worked in Finale 5 for a couple years at a church, when it was time for personal purchase I decided to go with the Sibelius 6 version of Finale. WAY more intuitive and user-friendly, IMHO. If you aren't already committed to some flavor of Finale, I'd recommend you check it out. And if you qualify for academic pricing for either program, go hook up at a local college bookstore. In my experience there are times brick-and-mortar campus bookstores have WAY better pricing than online channels. .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoKen Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 When they started charging for Finale Notepad, I switched to Forte. Depending on your need, it may be enough. http://www.forte-notation.eu/en/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clpete Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Check out the compare page. One thing you don't want do do is down load a version, do some manuscripts with it then buy a cheaper version that won't open your files. COMPARE VERSIONS Just noticed that the link is posted above..dah We play for free. We get paid to set up and tear down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sven Golly Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 when it was time for personal purchase I decided to go with the Sibelius 6 version of Finale. Ummmm.... something tells me there's a bad edit in there somewhere... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobadohshe Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 No such thing as Finale 5. It's by year. You must mean Sibelius 5. The $99 version does an awful lot. DON'T get the one below it which doesn't have speedy entry. Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37 My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeesKeys Posted May 10, 2011 Author Share Posted May 10, 2011 Hmmm. I don't see a $99 version. PrintMusic is $119. Allegro is $199. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus64 Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Hmmm. I don't see a $99 version. PrintMusic is $119. It's $99 at Amazon. I'd be leary of Allegro since it seems that it's no longer supported. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus64 Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Hmmm. I don't see a $99 version. PrintMusic is $119. Allegro is $199. Sweetwater has Printmusic for $89 and Allegro for $149. clonk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 When I visited my sister last weekend, she gave me her copy of Sibelius 4 that she never used. I can't install it under Snow Leopard. I can either upgrade it to the current version for $129, or crossgrade to Finale for $199 (both the full versions). While the crossgrade is a little more, I'm leaning towards it because several people I know including my piano teacher use Finale. Does anyone think I should go with Sibelius instead? (I know Sibelius vs. Finale is like Mac vs. PC, Ford vs. Chevy, etc. I'm hoping to avoid that. I have not used either.) "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanker. Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Sibelius, IMO, is a much more user friendly piece of software A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus64 Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 When I visited my sister last weekend, she gave me her copy of Sibelius 4 that she never used. I can't install it under Snow Leopard. I can either upgrade it to the current version for $129, or crossgrade to Finale for $199 (both the full versions). While the crossgrade is a little more, I'm leaning towards it because several people I know including my piano teacher use Finale. Does anyone think I should go with Sibelius instead? (I know Sibelius vs. Finale is like Mac vs. PC, Ford vs. Chevy, etc. I'm hoping to avoid that. I have not used either.) Sibelius 6 is really impressive. I wasn't happy with 5 and almost jumped ship, but 6 has more than met my expectations. 6 has this thing called "magnetic layout" that is one of those things that once you have it, you could never go back. It moves all the stuff below and above staffs (dynamics, hairpins, expressions etc) and not only takes care of conflicts but it lines everything up neatly. It has saved me countless hours. I would suggest downloading the 6 demo and playing with it. 6 also has new slurs, which was a weakness for them in the past. If you want to see a full score I did in 6 let me know and I'll email it to you, it looks really good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sven Golly Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Does anyone think I should go with Sibelius instead? (I know Sibelius vs. Finale is like Mac vs. PC, Ford vs. Chevy, etc. I'm hoping to avoid that. I have not used either.) Finale is firmly entrenched in the academic world, Sibelius is more user-friendly (as has been stated). I prefer the latter, but if you're working with college musos, you might find the former more convenient. If it's just for you, stay with Sib. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave E Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 If you end up getting Finale, Joe, I'll help you if you get stuck. I do informal tech support for several friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timwat Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Sibelius. That's what I meant in my earlier post - "the Sibelius 6 version of Finale" (was trying to be clever and just ended up being obtuse) - I had been using Finale 4 (I stand corrected, Bobby), and that's what led me to go Sibelius 6 when it was time to pay for it out of my own pocket. I understand if you have to collaborate with a bunch of Finale users, but FWIW, the jazz department at Cal State is Sibelius friendly. .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Another long-term happy Sibelius user here. I looked at both the major programs when Sibelius was at v2. I don't recall what the comparable Finale version was then but one look at it was enough to send me scuttling gratefully towards Sibelius. Now on v6 and as Cygnus64 says, the magnetic layout feature is a real boon and timesaver. Download the demo before you make up your mind, anyway. Yamaha: P515, CP88, Genos 1, HX1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeesKeys Posted May 11, 2011 Author Share Posted May 11, 2011 I'm all for user-friendly. Is there a cheapo version of Sibelius (i.e. around $100)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus64 Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 I'm all for user-friendly. Is there a cheapo version of Sibelius (i.e. around $100)? $99. clonk Be sure and download the respective Finale and Sibelius versions and try the demos. Both are amazing programs, you might prefer one over the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeesKeys Posted May 11, 2011 Author Share Posted May 11, 2011 Haven't tried either demo yet, but I will say that the web interface and information available online is more user-friendly on the Sibelius site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sven Golly Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Sibelius. That's what I meant in my earlier post - "the Sibelius 6 version of Finale" (was trying to be clever and just ended up being obtuse) Ahhh. See, I considered that, but there was no sly, winking smiley to indicate you were trying to be clever, so all I got was confused. <--- case in point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobadohshe Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 For the record I've used Finale for almost 10 years. I currently have 2009. I know my way around it and am pretty handy at getting things done quickly, but even to me it seems that there are a lot of things that are much harder than they need to be. I heard that 2011 was a big improvement for several reasons, but I don't know what those might be. If I was starting from scratch I'd probably look at Sibelius myself. Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37 My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus64 Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Haven't tried either demo yet, but I will say that the web interface and information available online is more user-friendly on the Sibelius site. Part of it depends on your workflow and what you're used to. Finale is tool-based i.e. you click icons etc. Sibelius is text based, so you have to use the menus at top (or preferably memorize short cuts). I don't find Finale any less or more easy to learn, both have steep learning curves for the fancypants stuff. The good news is that both are amazing programs so you can't go wrong with either choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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