So, what does the latest version of Finale have to offer to existing and new users? Are there enough new features and refinements to keep the loyalty of the current user base, and does the latest release offer that something extra that might encourage new adoptees? In With The New Sibelius itself has reached v8.5, PreSonus’s Notion is becoming an ever more attractive option at the mid-priced level, and Finale too continues to evolve.
Steinberg have obviously made a considerable investment in Dorico, so the professional notation software market would seem to have just got a whole lot more competitive.Īt the same time, though, Steinberg’s more established rivals are not standing still. Previewed in depth by Mark Wherry in SOS February 2017, this has been in development for a number of years and the team involved includes many of the original Sibelius developers. These two products were last reviewed in SOS in the July 2014 and December 2014 issues respectively, since when Steinberg have also released the hotly anticipated Dorico. While there are numerous software products that might appeal to the interested amateur (including some creditable iOS apps), two giants have, until recently, dominated the professional field: MakeMusic’s Finale and Avid’s Sibelius. Smash Up The Studio – Chilled Out Grooves: Down-Tempo, Up-Tempo Vol.As competition hots up in the world of notation software, does the latest version of MakeMusic’s long-established Finale have what it takes to stay in the race?Ĭreating printed scores and composing in musical notation are perhaps niche activities amongst the general music technology population, but to those who follow this path, notation software forms a central part of any computer setup.Diginoiz – Old School Rockin’ Live Drums (AIFF, MIDI, REFILL, REX, WAV) 22 views per day.
– New options in the Audio Setup dialog box (an Enabled check box and a Device Error Log button) allow users to enable or disable audio drivers and review any errors associated with those drivers (Windows only). – Horizontal Scrolling has been enabled with trackpads (Windows only). The Studio Orchestra template creates the look of a Hollywood film score, and was used to create the example seen above. Updates have also been made to the Drum Corps and Marching Band Letter templates. – Two new templates, Marching Band Tabloid and Studio Orchestra, have been added. This new option allows you to open any empty file (like a template) and import the MusicXML data into that file. The new file would have the same spacing, fonts, margin widths, etc. In the past, when importing a MusicXML file, the import process would place your MusicXML data into a new document.
– Use current document if empty has been added to the MusicXML Preferences dialog box. – A Measure Number Bar now appears along the top of the screen in Scroll and Studio View. This will allow C instruments that transpose by octave to maintain their transposition when Document> Display in Concert Pitch is selected. – Keep Octave Transposition in Concert Pitch has been added to the Document menu.