Jumping in: Buying Finale 2011... what else will a classical, orchestral composer need?

[Sylvester Wager]

I've been asked to write for a piano quintet [piano + string quartet]. Nothing fancy, but the players will be first-rate. So I cannot hand them manuscript.

Been offered anything I need. I also need to be reasonable. I set my budget at $2,000. I'd like not to ask for more than that.

I will get Finale 2011 at $350 (academic/institutional)

I need a new, stronger PC. Any RAM ideas? I know, "as fast as possible." I will go for Windows.

Those are given. After that, I don't know what I need. Do I need a keyboard? I remember being frustrated when playing music into Finale (early 1990s) via a keyboard. It may be easier to notate with a mouse, or through another method (I remember the number pad method).

Is the version of GPO that comes with Finale 2011 the same as the one they sell separately?

What things am I missing? Things have changed since the last time I did this. [MIDI soundcards, electronic MIDI keyboards, Proteus sampler....]

The experience of the women and men of composition would be appreciated!

peace from sylvester

[Sylvester Wager]

Thanks for the ideas, friends. I did what was recommended, save for the addition of the GPO4 sound library. It has to be good enough. 99% of what I do is just for fun, since I'm not employed to write music. Well, I'm not employed.

I bought a refurbished PC, fast enough, with 8GB.
Finale 2011/GPO4
I bought a friend a decent digital piano, and took his not-weighted-keys 88-key MIDI keyboard.
I use a laser jet printer I had from my Windows ME computer, years ago. It worked fine.

I will need a mod wheel, but that can come in time.
I have real misgivings about the string sound, which can irritate people who are not used to digital music. So I will be interested in learning how to cheat (with the said mod wheel) to make the score sound better.

This score was just Christmas cheer - easy listening. And it had to be pretty easy for quick learning. peace to all.

[Fredrick zinos]

The others on here have provided very solid advice. I would only add that to make the project work it would be helpful to have a stunningly good musical idea out of which to spin the composition. I've looked online with some degree of deligence and have seen the most wonderful mechanical devices for making ideas sound as if they were music, but for the life of me I can not find any company offering "stunningly good musical ideas." So, I guess in that respect you are on your own, though from what ive observed your own musical intelligence you should have no difficulty.

[Vlad Burlea]

Hi Silvester, I am Vlad and I confirm the Cris recomandation about printer: only black and white laser printer if You want to do score/parts. Exemple with b/w laser printer I can do with one cartridg around 4 000 copies A4, with my new other printer only 180 copies!!!. That is why I still use my old printer.

[Doug Lauber]

I too think it's a good idea to get yourself an inexpensive used MIDI keyboard, 76 or 88 keys.

[Chris Alpiar]

dont worry about great sound libraries like the more advanced GPO or other stuff since you are just doing scores and having live people play it. The cost to make real sounding mockups is immense. So unless you have a need to produce final broadcast quality tracks without live players or with only a few, just get Finale. I recommend a midi keyboard of some kind, it does help speed things up entering data. You will also need some way to hear back stuff. You can use cheap computer speakers or you can get a decent soundcard with some powered studio monitors (anywhere from a few hundred bucks to $50,000). Then you just need to ask yourself what exactly you are trying to accomplish with your setup? Are you only looking at making scores and parts of instrumental music? then you are pretty set. Do you have a need to record any kind of audio? Like temporary vocals or something? In that case you need to get some kind of audio interface, microphones, mic pre-amp(s), etc.

From what I think you are doing, here is your checklist:

- computer (I prefer a MAC but for the lean processing of Finale, any PC is fine that is a new or nearly new one today). I would suggest a 64 bit OS and 4 gigs of RAM minimally (like Snow Leopard on a MacBook Pro, or Windows 7 on a desktop PC)
- keyboard to enter midi at a much quicker rate than computer keyboard
- speakers/monitors
- a GOOD printer if you will be printing your own parts. I strongly suggest a black and white laser printer, it will give you the most power for printing out parts. I would suggest also getting a printer that can print LARGE paper as orchestral scores reduced to 8.5x11 REALLY REALLY SUCKS, you cant read a thing even if you have 20/20
- large quantities of scotch tape
- finale 2011

you should be good to go for non-produced score/part creation

[Rudi [Rudolf Schmitt]]

Hi Sylvester,
I am working with a Dell vostro 1500 notebook with 4 GB Ram and an external audio card (Terratec Phase 26). Windows in 32bit mode can't address 4 GB, so I am working with Windows 7 in 64bit mode. I'm writing with Notion 3 which works fine with Windows running in 64bit mode. Notion has great insturments, but it's possibilities to get a perfect score are limited. When you own Finale 2011 you might get Notion for a very good price. Your $ 2,000 limit should include that (and more). I have, but don't really use, a Korg nano midi-keyboard (55.00 Euro).
Cheers,
Rudi