I don't have any. I'm starting the discussion with the hopes that others do.
I'm trying to get back to writing in earnest, and I'd like to start working more in a notation program, for the ease of editing (no erasure smudges, you know the ones) and potentially the speed. I say potentially, because the way I'm doing it is not so terribly speedy, rather tortoise-like. I'm selecting notes, rests, etc in the menu bar, then clicking the score to insert them.
Can some Finale aficionado please apprise me of the correct (fast) way enter notes and rests?
Rowy?
Replies
I switched to Dorico a couple years ago and have never looked back. Have you given it a try?
No John, I have not.
you beat me to it. The best Finale tip is to switch to Dorico. Above all if you want flexibility in producing mock-ups as Dorico has many DAW-like features and in some ways is actually better (in the Expression maps or humanisation features)
I'm on Sibelius so probably wont be of much help.
May I ask why? When you say, I went with X, the two most pertinient questions that arise are, "why did you choose X?", and "How much $ does X cost?".
Oh you mentioned Finale which I have no experience of. John's mentioned Dorico which has a good reputation and might even be the future for computer based music so that is absolutely worth checking out. If you go for Sibelius I can help.
Re note inputting, I've found what works best and speediest for me is a combination of software input and midi keyboard input. I set the note value in Sibelius and literally just play it in from the keyboard. This can be done ad lib and does not need to be played in with a metronome. It's quick and easy, especially if there's a swathe of notes with the same duration. I estimate my workflow to be at around 30-40% quicker doing it this way over mannual sofware input.
I've been a Sibelius user all of my career and not had any reason to change (although I'm keeping an eye on anything Dorico might produce in the future). As to cost, Sibelius is now a subscription service but you can buy a perpetual license for around £500 or a perpetual educational license for around £300.
Sorry, I didn't see your post. A quick way of entering notes would be the speedy entry tool, but I never use that. I prefer to use a mouse and snap the notes into position with the simple entry tool, as you are doing now. There are also the keyboard short cuts. I never used them either. It was the 'simple' in the 'simple entry tool' that appealed to me and I never bothered to learn the speedy entry tool.
Finale has a steep lurning curve. You can do anything with Finale, but it will cost you blood, sweat and tears. In fact, it is a terrible app, completely illogical. Sibelius is easier. Even Musescore would be preferable. Unfortunately, if you want to do something special, then you need Finale.
I've never bought Finale though I did try it out once. Never got on with it. For the ultimate in engraving control, it's probably still the best but otherwise there are generally preferable options. Sorry I didn't pick up enough to be of any practical help whatsoever but WHEN you switch to Dorico, you'll have at least two of us here as a ready source of assistance. There is a cross-grade available from Finale if that helps. In general I find much the easiest way to enter notes irrespective of notation software, especially if you want to hear what you're writing, is to use a MIDI keyboard with the duration generally controlled from the numeric keypad but others find Rowy's method works well.
Ah, I see. So the easy answer is, as is often the case in life, there is no easy answer.
With output you mean the audio? You can mute channels, so it is possible to get seperate instrument outputs. Convert the audio tracks to mono, if necessary. I never bother though. I export the midi and work with that in Reaper.