Music notation software has changed a lot over the last few years and the number of programs and features available have multiplied. There are many types with many different pluses and minuses. Over the course of the next few weeks I will be taking a look at several different types of notation software for both Mac and PC and outlining the features of each of them. I will also be rating the software on various areas such as ease of use, cost, help/support, input/output capabilities and ease of entry.
To keep this series from growing out of control I have decided to limit it to 10 software programs although some programs should be counted as several. I’ve tried to choose a wide variety of programs to appeal to different users and different budgets. To begin with, I have created a chart with the platforms supported by each software and the cost of the software. Each week
for the next few weeks I will be reviewing a different program.
1. Finale
2. Sibelius
3. Pizzicato
4. Lime
5. Nightingale
6. QuickScore Elite
7. Notewothy Composer
8. Mozart
9. Encore
10. MusicTime Deluxe
Great idea! For some reason the chart has come out at an unreadably small size. I’d be curious to see it so would be great if you could find a way to enlarge it! Thanks, Jacob
I always liked Encore and still use it even though it’s out of date. In fact, I thought it went out of business but from your chart I see it was picked up by another company and continued. That’s very exciting, but when I took a look I saw that it’s only for Mac. Your chart says Encore uses both Mac and Windows, so you got my hopes up! I’m sure you’ll get to this when you review Encore.
Ed,
There were two versions for sale on the GVOX website one for Windows and one for Mac. Check out this link
http://www.gvox.com/buynow.php
Amy–thanks for pointing that out! It’s very exciting to think Encore is still available. I think the confusion came because the link you had in your original post took me to the Mac page, which doesn’t mention the Windows version being available. I should have hunted a little farther!
That was inspiring,
i have always used sibelius, and it is a mystery to me why it is ranked in second… its the best
Thanks