It’s fair to say that the concept of music notation software is easy to understand. You write music on a computer, it shows up on your display, and you print it out. What could be so difficult about that? Well, as we all know, plenty.

Philip Rothman and David MacDonald remember beginning with zero knowledge about programs like Finale, Sibelius, and Dorico, and eventually progressing to the point where we can actually teach those programs to others trying to learn them. Along the way, we’ve discovered and refined approaches to learning that we share with each other, and with you, in the course of our discussion.

No, we won’t be reciting all 892 pages of the Sibelius reference or 1,605 pages of the Dorico manual, but we will relay some key philosophies so that you have more confidence when you work with the software you use to create music.

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Jason Loffredo returns to Scoring Notes to talk to Philip Rothman and David MacDonald to review Finale version 27, the latest release of MakeMusic’s flagship music notation software. Headlining the new features in v27 are deep support for the two open standards championed by the W3C Music Notation Community Group: Standard Music Font Layout (SMuFL), and MusicXML. Tighter SmartMusic integration, playback improvements, and user interface enhancements round out what’s new.

We cover it all, along with our take on what these new features mean for the future of Finale. We also offer our suggestions on what could be improved as Finale enters its fourth decade, and if you listen closely, you’ll get Jason’s step-by-step instructions on the “SMuFL shuffle” you’ll need to do to make the most of the new version.

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Jason Wick joins David MacDonald and Philip Rothman to talk all about the upcoming release of Finale version 27. Jason is MakeMusic’s senior manager for Finale, and he gives us an inside look into its development, the planning process, how new features are considered, and how they’re eventually incorporated into the software that we use. We hear about the brand-new support for the Standard Music Font Layout, or SMuFL, that’s included in Finale version 27, and how that will make it easier for users to switch between music fonts in their document.

Jason also talks about some of the other new features in Finale, like project sharing and MusicXML 4.0 support, which improve how people work with other tools in conjunction with Finale, and we learn what’s in store for future updates beyond this latest release.

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You want it when? That’s often the first question to ask when taking on a new assignment — and depending on how it’s asked and answered, it could make or break a project. Today, John Hinchey joins Philip Rothman and David MacDonald to help us take the stress out of working on a deadline, and make the end result better for everyone.

We discuss strategies for breaking a project into its component parts, organizing them and figuring out timelines for deliverables, all with the end goal of getting successful results. And when that deadline is looming and you think you might not make it, we’ve got some pointers for how to handle that, as well.

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Sponsored by Newzik

We dive into this aspect of music production that many of us will encounter at some point while working with notation software, and we uncover where to find these options in the various programs. Whether you sample this entire discussion or prefer to go bit-by-bit, you’ll feel more confident the next time you need to create the best-sounding demo in the right format.

More: “Sample rate, bit depth, bit rate, and you(r ears)” video by David MacDonald

Sponsored by Newzik

Philip Rothman and David MacDonald talk all about the developments in MuseScore, Finale, Sibelius, and Dorico that have taken place over the past year, and compare each of them in a special presentation that was recorded live at the 2021 MOLA Conference.

MOLA, formerly known as the Major Orchestra Librarians’ Association, and now known as An Association of Music Performance Librarians, kicked off their annual conference with our discussion, and we are so pleased to partner with them and to have answered questions as part of our interactive session. We take a particular angle on how orchestra librarians would best make use of the features in each of the music notation software programs, and we share our thoughts on where things are headed in the future.

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Daniel Ray returns to Scoring Notes to talk with Philip Rothman and David MacDonald about Muse Group. Daniel is the head of strategy for Muse Group, the company that originally started with Ultimate Guitar and later acquired MuseScore, the free and open source music notation software. Most recently, Muse Group acquired two more products: the widely-used audio editing software Audacity, and StaffPad, the pen-and-touch tablet-based composition app well-known to many Scoring Notes listeners already.

Daniel talks to us about these recent moves, and what they mean for his company, for users, and for the entire industry. We discuss how software can be free or open-source, and still be part of a viable business strategy for companies like Muse Group, and Daniel shares some plans they have to integrate aspects of its various products into each other in new ways. We also cover StaffPad’s recent announcement about audio staves and transcription, and what the future of that application looks like as part of the Muse Group portfolio.

Also: Last chance to register for the 2021 MOLA Conference, featuring the “Scoring Notes Live” presentation comparing the major music notation programs, on Monday, May 17, at 2:00 pm.

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You gotta get organized… with music notation files. To help, Philip Rothman and David MacDonald first cover the various types of backup options, how each method works, and why you would need more than one type of file backup system. Then, we discuss how to manage files when the music changes, how to keep consistency in the file naming process, and to indicate the presence of a new version within the score itself. This is especially important when collaborating with others. We also explore the different formats in which you can archive and share your files, to ensure they appear as you’d expect on another device, now or in the future.

You always want the right version of your music on the stands with the right players at the right time, and these are the steps to help make it happen.

Subscriptions are a fact of life. In return for making an ongoing, regular payment, we get something of value. But that’s also true when we make a one-time payment.

Software is sold both ways. So when we pay for music notation software, which method is better for the people that use it, and which method is better for the people that make it? Can there be a way to provide software so that works for everyone?

On this podcast episode, Philip Rothman and David MacDonald ask that very question. We take a look back to how notation software used to be sold and trace the recent history that led up to the current situation, and then offer our suggestions on how to change the business models that might make more people like — and subscribe — to future notation software upgrades.

Also: We announce “Scoring Notes Live”, a video presentation in partnership with our good friends at MOLA, the Association of Music Performance Librarians, for their 2021 conference. Join us on Monday, May 17, and register at the MOLA Conference web site.

Dave Metzger joins Philip Rothman and David MacDonald for the second part of a two-part interview. Dave is one of Hollywood and Broadway’s most accomplished orchestrators and arrangers, and if you haven’t heard the first part of our conversation, definitely check it out to learn more about his career path and approach to orchestration.

In today’s discussion, we learn more about Dave’s work on Frozen, and discover how a split second decision he made ended up setting the course for one of the show’s hit songs. Then, we cover how to get from a MIDI mockup in a sequencer like Cubase to a fully notated score in Sibelius via MusicXML, and get Dave’s thoughts on the state of the field and where the programs are headed. We also talk tech and get a tour of Dave’s setup, and explore everything from his hardware choices to software tricks he’s picked up over the years that help him work as effectively as possible.

More: Dave Metzger, part 1: Arranging and orchestrating