The Finale published by Coda Music has been the standard software notation program in the music software industry since 1987. Finale is the ultimate music notation program giving the user complete control over every aspect of the printed page while providing powerful control over MIDI input and output with nearly no limits. Finale is used by more publishers than any other notation program because it has no roadblocks. That doesn't make it the program for everybody. But if the user wants a program that will grow with them, Finale is the one. But what is important is that Coda Music is the only software manufacturer that produces three different levels notation software programs for music educators and professional musicians/composers/arrangers with Finale 98 (professional level), Finale Allegro (intermediate level) and now Finale PrintMusic! (Entry level). All three products are priced right from Finale -98 - $540 (retail) and $275, Finale Allegro - (educator) at $199 and PrintMusic! at $69.95, respectively. What is astounding, that both Finale Allegro and Finale PrintMusic! are outstanding products in their own right and yet have the capabilities to open files from all three Finale notation products. "If you don't need the advanced features of Finale 98, then it may be more economically feasible to purchase PrintMusic!, and then upgrade later to Finale Allegro or Finale 98. Educators who know they will ultimately want Finale 98 will get the best deal by buying Finale 98 right away; however, if you buy PrintMusic! first, you can get Allegro or Finale later for less than the "new price" by contacting Coda.
Before purchasing, first consider product features before purchasing a notation product. Do you need to print out parts to scores? Do you need multiple/third-party music fonts? Do you need to import any TIFF & EPS, WMF or PCT files? Do you need to take advantage of over 30 plug-ins that save time like automatic tablature, range checking, etc? Do you need to go beyond 24 or 32 staves in your full scores? If so, then Finale 98 really is ideal for you. Finale Allegro can handle up to 32 music staves in a full score but it basically is an intermediate level product. For example, Finale Allegro is a lower cost alternative at $199 giving everyday musicians all the MIDI and notation tools they need to create publisher quality scores, while leaving out the detailed engraving options found in Allegro's "parent", Finale. For users who want better notation capabilities than their sequencing programs offer, Finale Allegro offers better notation capabilities than any of the sequencing programs on the market in its price range.
The focus of this review is on Finale PrintMusic! PrintMusic! is entry level notation software, for the less demanding user, that's easy to use and fun to learn. No other notation software provides output of such exceptional quality for the low price of $69.95. And at that price, it offers an incredible amount of product features that than any of its competitors in this price market by offering publisher-quality sheet music, video tips that teach you right on your screen, more staves capability, more pre-designed templates, multiple undo, unlimited open files feature, page view and scroll view, automatic rhythmic/slash notation, more flexible page layout, resizing of music on the page, multi-measure rests, and very important, and very important, PrintMusic! is based on Finale 98, which means that everything you learn in PrintMusic! will transfer directly to using Allegro or Finale, and you can easily exchange files between any of these programs." Hard to believe that this product alone can offer those essential features in its $69.95 price range!
Finale PrintMusic! by CodaMusic, $69.95. System requirements: Windows 95/98/NT 4.0 or higher with 16 MB RAM, 20 MB hard drive space plus optional MIDI interface, MIDI input and/or playback device and printer. At $69.95, Finale PrintMusic! represents a powerful integrated program for music transcription, notation, playback, and publishing. It incorporates elements of a word processor, a sequencer, and a page-layout program, all available to you at the click of a mouse. Not only is it priced right but it offers easy, fast ways to create and print attractive sheet music. CodaMusic, the maker of Finale, has recently released this is a rather slick, innovative software program to create music from simple songs to full orchestrations up to 24 staves. You can see and hear your creations. Print quality is rather professional looking just like the world's leading music publishers. There are 100+ sample titles to view, play and print that come with the software that include a variety of popular holiday, folk, gospel, traditional, religious, ethnic and children's songs. Imagine being able to download 1000's of free Internet files and turn them into sheet music instantly by making any changes you want as well as printing them out with professional quality music.
There are a number of features that enhance the use of this software application. PrintMusic! automatically write notes as you play with any MIDI keyboard and the exclusive EasyScribe feature. Need a guitar chart quickly? Type in chords or play them on your MIDI guitar or keyboard. Notes turn into slashes instantly. You can create simple songs with lyrics and guitar symbols as well as hymns or music for choir and handbells. Perhaps the best feature for educators is that you can create assignments for students to do as homework and check it by listening. I particularly like how you can hear it like you see it. Just click the play icon and the music scrolls as it plays. Parts too high for the singer? Transpose everything instantly, even hard symbols. Placing lyrics is easy as it fits the text under the notes. Entering notes is ultra simple. Pick a note and place it (double whole note through 128th note) on the staff. It's that simple.
While Simple Entry is useful for quick editing and withing without a MIDI keyboard, a far faster and more efficient method of music entry is PrintMusic!'s Speedy Entry Tool, particularly when used in conjunction with a MIDI keyboard. With this tool, you can enter music very quickly, with one hand on the MIDI keyboard and the other on the numeric keypad. It is also easy to produce a lead sheet with melody, lyrics and/or chord symbols as well. But sets this introduction notation software product is its professional spacing and lay out capabilities. Another high-level capability is its ability to transcribe a live performance in real time by notating your MIDI performance almost as fast as you can play it. Editing scores is likewise a dream come through for a $69.95 product. You have full capabilities for articulations, clef, key signatures, , dynamics, , transposing, numbering measures, slur markings, grace notes, trills, crescendos/decrescendos, 8va, tuplets, viewing parts between 50% to 400%, and much more.
There is a definitive market for three different levels of notation software programs. PrintMusic! is ideal for the elementary music teacher who is doing simple charts or lead sheets and, maybe, just needs to transpose the key or write in traditional 19th century western tonality or simple band/choral charts without a lot special needs.