We talk all about that fundamental task that is essential to using music notation software: getting the notes into the program in the first place! There are actually lots of ways in, and it’s worth knowing about them all so that you can use the best method depending on the situation.

If you like to point-and-click your way around a staff, try the keyboard — and we mean both the computer and musical varieties. Step-time? Flexi-time? HyperScribe? Simple? Speedy? Pitch-before-duration? Duration-before pitch? What about importing MIDI and MusicXML files into your score? Even if you think you’ve mastered this basic element of working in notation software, we’re sure you’ll learn something from what we discuss, or at least “take note” of the many ways to fill your page with music.

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When preparing music, you always make sure what goes on the page is pitch-perfect. How about what goes on the bill? Should you charge hourly? By the bar? Some other way? Philip Rothman and David MacDonald break down the all the elements of a successful music preparation gig, from the initial conversations with the client, how to formulate the best approach to pricing the job, and finally, making sure everybody is happy with the end result.

It’s not always easy having that money talk, but we’re here to make some sense of it all — and hopefully a few dollars, euros, and pounds, as well.

An encore presentation of one of our most popular episodes, with an update at the end.

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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.