Let’s talk about several brands of Music Notation Software this week. I will introduce the common software used in the industry, Finale, Sibelius, and Dorico.
The purpose of using Music Notation Software is to transcribe the handwritten score into it. Not only that it is also easier to create the individual part score and pass it to the player. Imagine you are writing an orchestral piece, this will be consuming you a lot of time by writing each individual part score.
As a composer, orchestrator, or arranger, it is good to have the skill to write your music into the notation software. As a music copyist, it’s your job to make sure the score is readable, clean, neat, and tidy for players to read it. You have to transfer the composer’s intention clearly to the player, and this will save a lot of time in the recording session.
The Music Notation Softwares has a free trial, standard licenses, and educational licenses (with valid Student ID proof and send to them for verification). I have attached the official website link for you to check out as well.
- Finale > https://www.finalemusic.com/
- Sibelius > https://www.avid.com/sibelius
- Dorico > https://new.steinberg.net/dorico/
For your information, there are free versions from Sibelius and Dorico. You can check out Sibelius First and Dorico SE, the free version is only with limited features.
I will discuss each individual software deeply in the following weeks. Hope this helps you understand more about Music Notation Software in general!