Music Scoring/Composing Programs

**ur_inner_child** · 5 Feb 2005, 5:42 PM

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Now what should I be looking at here...

Sibelius?

Cakewalk?

There's another one I forgot about but I had trouble trying to figure out how to DO anything.

I mostly write my music by hand. I suppose that SOMETIMES it can be the best way, but GOD does it take ages. If not, then cakewalk. I wanna try and get an idea of other music programs to get comfortable.

Does anyone know what the conservatorium encourages you to use?
I'm looking at your way Phanatical...

EDIT: A year on, now at the Con, now I know

Jazz Man Tim · 5 Feb 2005, 6:28 PM

im not Phanatical
but i use Sibelius.. its great

heaps of stuff u can do.... and i got it $1000 cheaper or something, student discount, not sure if that deal is still on tho.

i've never heard of cakewalk, is it pretty much the same as sib??

**ur_inner_child** · 5 Feb 2005, 6:33 PM

i actually haven't had a try of sibelius at all, but cakewalk is good, provided that you have a true tone keyboard... so you can record it onto cd as an mp3 and it sounds so close to the real thing.... is that with sibelius as well? Or is it more midi? I have not the slightest clue...

I love the fact you can write in or record your play in cakewalk... although it's pretty pathetic at the score-writing. I hear sibelius owns all other score-writing programs...

Yeah I heard about that discount... I couldn't provide any of that kind of money anyway so... lol.

thejosiekiller · 5 Feb 2005, 6:35 PM

guitar pro 4

but as u would guess its mainly focused around guitars and and some other instruments

great thing is u can have the tabs that u download from other places played in midi format

Jazz Man Tim · 5 Feb 2005, 6:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ur_inner_child

i actually haven't had a try of sibelius at all, but cakewalk is good, provided that you have a true tone keyboard... so you can record it onto cd as an mp3 and it sounds so close to the real thing.... is that with sibelius as well? Or is it more midi? I have not the slightest clue...

I love the fact you can write in or record your play in cakewalk... although it's pretty pathetic at the score-writing. I hear sibelius owns all other score-writing programs...

Yeah I heard about that discount... I couldn't provide any of that kind of money anyway so... lol.

hmm you can record stuf onto sib... but im not sure about recording cd quality, its more midi based i think. helps if you have a keyboard to record with of course...
but my composition teacher just sings onto it and it records his voice.. but hes a feak

so its ok lol.

sibelius does own all other score-writing programs... its very detalied, and somewhat easy to use lol... i say somewhat caus if u want to do some extended technique you do have to bring out the 600 page manual lol

but its good. has an amazing amount of functions and stuf. but im biased towards it

with student discount its only around $300 i think...

ujuphleg · 5 Feb 2005, 7:43 PM

I have Cakewalk at home and in my opinion it just does the job but it isn't all that great, in fact, its just average.

Sibelius is a really good software but you need to take the time out to familiarise yourself with it, as it can do a lot for you, if you know how to use it.

The other two options are Finale and Cubase.

Cubase is not so much for the serious composer but more for arranging. Things like rits and accels can't be done on Cubase - or couldn't be done on the version we had at school anyway. For those you'd need Sibelius or Finale.

I've never had experience with Finale, but by all accounts it is quite good.

You're going to the Con aren't you ur_inner_child? The best thing to do would be to check out what software they use at the Con and get that at student price (I work at at Music store so if you want a good deal, I can see what I can do) and familiarise yourself with it. That way you can transfer your work between home and uni without hassle. I had a big problem last year with transfering work between school and home because MIDI isn't the easiest of files to convert.

Good Luck!

EDIT: Oh and you can record from keyboard straight into any of those programs. The quantizing functions on Sibelius and Cubase are much better than Cakewalk IMO.

Phanatical · 5 Feb 2005, 8:16 PM

Composers at the Con are divided between Sibelius and Finale. You will need to use a Mac version of Finale in Music Technology 1, but in my experience Sibelius is a superior product, especially if you use a Windows environment. You will need to complete scores using extended techniques, and only Sibelius and Finale can really handle advanced notation.

You'll find that you won't be doing much with your compositions on the computers at uni, so it really comes down to which computer environment and software you prefer.

JimmyK · 7 Feb 2005, 6:16 PM

Finale is a great peice of software on either platform. I've got it on this windows PC, hooked up with a MIDI keyboard - and it works like a treat. Unfortunately, Finale files saved on a mac, are incompatible with files saved on a PC, im not sure if its the same on Sibelius.. but it might be somthing to consider. I might be getting an Apple Powerbook (for my music and video work mainly) but one of the things that is turning me away is this issue.
As i said, I find Finale great, we use Finale on a windows based system at school - and they use Finale on windows machines at Newcastle Conservatorium.

trumpet geek · 7 Feb 2005, 9:03 PM

sibelius and finale are good for scoring

cubase is good for more of the audio experimental type stuff rather than the actual scoring... like you can do cool effects like echos and things.

Phanatical · 7 Feb 2005, 10:27 PM

You'll be using ProTools to manipulate recorded sounds that you will be expected to take using a portable DAT recorder. As far as high level composition goes, there is no other choice beyond Sibelius and Finale.

mcdickpants 2.5 · 8 Feb 2005, 12:45 PM

just as an aside, cakewalks scoring facility is more of an auxiliary feature, its primary function is as an interface for audio and midi recording.

slip · 8 Feb 2005, 9:53 PM

i found finale much easier then cakewalk

and for guitarist you are able to write in tab and transpose to notes, or write in note and transpose to tabs. quite helpful.

Phanatical · 8 Feb 2005, 10:13 PM

Cakewalk isn't an option.

dannyboy_588 · 11 Feb 2005, 7:05 PM

we have finale and cakewalk at school...

i use finale at school, but i want to get sibelius for home... it seems much better.

wakkko12 · 2 Mar 2005, 7:24 PM

I've only ever used sibelius and its great, its basically like word, except for music. Seriously if you bother to read the manual you can do absolutley anything. I got the student discount which was great cause if you don't it is Really expensive. You can check it out at www.sibelius.com. The website is great and if you can't find something they email a reply really quickly. I say

to sib. I have used finale but its like a row boat compared to a million doller yacht

5 Feb 2005, 5:42 PM	#1 (permalink)
ur_inner_child .%$^!@&^#(*!?.%$^?!. HSC: 2004 Gender: Female Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 5,832 Last Activity: 10 Sep 2009, 10:16 PM	Music Scoring/Composing Programs You can hide this advertisement by registering. Now what should I be looking at here... Sibelius? Cakewalk? There's another one I forgot about but I had trouble trying to figure out how to DO anything. I mostly write my music by hand. I suppose that SOMETIMES it can be the best way, but GOD does it take ages. If not, then cakewalk. I wanna try and get an idea of other music programs to get comfortable. Does anyone know what the conservatorium encourages you to use? I'm looking at your way Phanatical... EDIT: A year on, now at the Con, now I know __________________ ----------------------------- B Music (Composition) (1st Class Hons) @ The Sydney Conservatorium of Music (University of Sydney) Last edited by ur_inner_child; 15 May 2006 at 2:25 PM.

5 Feb 2005, 6:33 PM	#3 (permalink)
ur_inner_child .%$^!@&^#(*!?.%$^?!. HSC: 2004 Gender: Female Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 5,832 Last Activity: 10 Sep 2009, 10:16 PM	i actually haven't had a try of sibelius at all, but cakewalk is good, provided that you have a true tone keyboard... so you can record it onto cd as an mp3 and it sounds so close to the real thing.... is that with sibelius as well? Or is it more midi? I have not the slightest clue... I love the fact you can write in or record your play in cakewalk... although it's pretty pathetic at the score-writing. I hear sibelius owns all other score-writing programs... Yeah I heard about that discount... I couldn't provide any of that kind of money anyway so... lol. __________________ ----------------------------- B Music (Composition) (1st Class Hons) @ The Sydney Conservatorium of Music (University of Sydney)

5 Feb 2005, 6:35 PM	#4 (permalink)
thejosiekiller every me HSC: 2004 Gender: Male Location: north shore./ Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 4,426 Last Activity: 12 Jan 2008, 9:55 PM	guitar pro 4 but as u would guess its mainly focused around guitars and and some other instruments great thing is u can have the tabs that u download from other places played in midi format __________________ All spelling errors are for your viewing pleasure!

5 Feb 2005, 7:43 PM	#6 (permalink)
ujuphleg oo-joo-fleg HSC: 2004 Gender: Undisclosed Location: Sydney Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 2,848 Last Activity: 13 Nov 2009, 6:02 PM	I have Cakewalk at home and in my opinion it just does the job but it isn't all that great, in fact, its just average. Sibelius is a really good software but you need to take the time out to familiarise yourself with it, as it can do a lot for you, if you know how to use it. The other two options are Finale and Cubase. Cubase is not so much for the serious composer but more for arranging. Things like rits and accels can't be done on Cubase - or couldn't be done on the version we had at school anyway. For those you'd need Sibelius or Finale. I've never had experience with Finale, but by all accounts it is quite good. You're going to the Con aren't you ur_inner_child? The best thing to do would be to check out what software they use at the Con and get that at student price (I work at at Music store so if you want a good deal, I can see what I can do) and familiarise yourself with it. That way you can transfer your work between home and uni without hassle. I had a big problem last year with transfering work between school and home because MIDI isn't the easiest of files to convert. Good Luck! EDIT: Oh and you can record from keyboard straight into any of those programs. The quantizing functions on Sibelius and Cubase are much better than Cakewalk IMO. __________________ Bachelor of Economic and Social Sciences - Government & International Relations and Political Economy - Alumni 2007 THS, Class of 2004

5 Feb 2005, 8:16 PM	#7 (permalink)
Phanatical Captain, Gravy Train HSC: 2002 Gender: Male Location: Sydney Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 2,305 Last Activity: 28 Oct 2007, 9:28 AM	Composers at the Con are divided between Sibelius and Finale. You will need to use a Mac version of Finale in Music Technology 1, but in my experience Sibelius is a superior product, especially if you use a Windows environment. You will need to complete scores using extended techniques, and only Sibelius and Finale can really handle advanced notation. You'll find that you won't be doing much with your compositions on the computers at uni, so it really comes down to which computer environment and software you prefer. __________________ PUT YOUR FAMILY FIRST Acting President, Youth First - the NSW Family First Youth - www.youthfirst.org.au BABMusStudies V SydCon USYD Office 4036, Sydney Conservatorium of Music

5 Feb 2005, 6:28 PM	#2 (permalink)
Jazz Man Tim Cannonball HSC: 2005 Gender: Male Location: Where the Jazz is... Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 881 Last Activity: 13 Jul 2006, 10:06 PM	im not Phanatical but i use Sibelius.. its great heaps of stuff u can do.... and i got it $1000 cheaper or something, student discount, not sure if that deal is still on tho. i've never heard of cakewalk, is it pretty much the same as sib??

7 Feb 2005, 6:16 PM	#8 (permalink)
JimmyK Senior Member HSC: 2005 Gender: Male Location: Narrabeen, Sydney/Maitland, Hunter Valley Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 339 Last Activity: 27 Dec 2007, 9:42 PM	Finale is a great peice of software on either platform. I've got it on this windows PC, hooked up with a MIDI keyboard - and it works like a treat. Unfortunately, Finale files saved on a mac, are incompatible with files saved on a PC, im not sure if its the same on Sibelius.. but it might be somthing to consider. I might be getting an Apple Powerbook (for my music and video work mainly) but one of the things that is turning me away is this issue. As i said, I find Finale great, we use Finale on a windows based system at school - and they use Finale on windows machines at Newcastle Conservatorium.

7 Feb 2005, 9:03 PM	#9 (permalink)
trumpet geek Executive Member HSC: N/A Gender: Undisclosed Location: sydney Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 422 Last Activity: 11 Nov 2005, 2:10 AM	sibelius and finale are good for scoring cubase is good for more of the audio experimental type stuff rather than the actual scoring... like you can do cool effects like echos and things. __________________ -=iii=< JOE NAKARIAKOV >=iii=- AmusA, LmusA, FmusA, TmusA, FTCL, LTCL, BA(Visual)/Music (Perf) honours, GradDipMus (Perf), MMus (Perf), Dip Ed

7 Feb 2005, 10:27 PM	#10 (permalink)
Phanatical Captain, Gravy Train HSC: 2002 Gender: Male Location: Sydney Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 2,305 Last Activity: 28 Oct 2007, 9:28 AM	You'll be using ProTools to manipulate recorded sounds that you will be expected to take using a portable DAT recorder. As far as high level composition goes, there is no other choice beyond Sibelius and Finale. __________________ PUT YOUR FAMILY FIRST Acting President, Youth First - the NSW Family First Youth - www.youthfirst.org.au BABMusStudies V SydCon USYD Office 4036, Sydney Conservatorium of Music

8 Feb 2005, 12:45 PM	#11 (permalink)
mcdickpants 2.5 Banned HSC: 2010 Gender: Undisclosed Location: our nations capitol Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 742 Last Activity: 12 Apr 2005, 12:07 AM	just as an aside, cakewalks scoring facility is more of an auxiliary feature, its primary function is as an interface for audio and midi recording.

8 Feb 2005, 9:53 PM	#12 (permalink)
slip Executive Member HSC: 2004 Gender: Male Location: newcastle Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 542 Last Activity: 2 Mar 2007, 8:59 AM	i found finale much easier then cakewalk and for guitarist you are able to write in tab and transpose to notes, or write in note and transpose to tabs. quite helpful.

8 Feb 2005, 10:13 PM	#13 (permalink)
Phanatical Captain, Gravy Train HSC: 2002 Gender: Male Location: Sydney Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 2,305 Last Activity: 28 Oct 2007, 9:28 AM	Cakewalk isn't an option. __________________ PUT YOUR FAMILY FIRST Acting President, Youth First - the NSW Family First Youth - www.youthfirst.org.au BABMusStudies V SydCon USYD Office 4036, Sydney Conservatorium of Music

11 Feb 2005, 7:05 PM	#14 (permalink)
dannyboy_588 New Member HSC: 2005 Gender: Male Location: Newcastle Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 17 Last Activity: 30 May 2005, 10:23 AM	hmmm... we have finale and cakewalk at school... i use finale at school, but i want to get sibelius for home... it seems much better. __________________

2 Mar 2005, 7:24 PM	#15 (permalink)
wakkko12 New Member HSC: 2005 Gender: Female Location: St George area - not the shire... Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 4 Last Activity: 31 Jul 2005, 4:34 PM	I've only ever used sibelius and its great, its basically like word, except for music. Seriously if you bother to read the manual you can do absolutley anything. I got the student discount which was great cause if you don't it is Really expensive. You can check it out at www.sibelius.com. The website is great and if you can't find something they email a reply really quickly. I say to sib. I have used finale but its like a row boat compared to a million doller yacht

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