Finale 2009 Ships

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Thinking back on the Amsterdam fiasco, I was pretty amazed that I didn't get stuck with 2009 with it being so different in places than 2006. You know, I'm so used to wrestling with software that it was nice to come away from that experience largely unscathed, even if a little sleepy.

Ah yes, the coffee bars of Amsterdam. It can tire one out... I am still loving F2009 after many hours at the helm and many nicely spaced 32nd note triplets with accidentals. Probably the best incarnation of Finale if not a music program, period, since DP 5.

[Frodo]

Probably the best incarnation of Finale if not a music program, period, since DP 5.

I can easily agree that 2009 is the best version of Finale for me since 2002b without a doubt, and certainly the best version written since the release of OSX.

"Best Music Program, Period"? That's my Mike. The quintessential pundit!

Dunno-- you may have a point there. Let me get through my first crash and I'll get back to you.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

I remember the very first experimental notation programs we tested at the Long island Composer's Alliance back in <ahem> 1977-8... around the time Herb Deutsch and Bob Moog were working out their new "vocoder.' I have a recording of a concert I shared with them where Deutsch performs on the prototype - with the most memorable lyrics "oh wandering madman with matted hair!" ow there's an image for ya!

Anyway, we tested out the "notation" program on a dot matrix printer. The room full of composers and musicians laughed and laughed at the square notes and ragged slurs. We've come a long way baby!

But seriously, when it comes to function as a composer's tool, I'll take Finale for actual writing any day, especially in it's current incarnation.

[Frodo]

I remember the very first experimental notation programs we tested at the Long island Composer's Alliance back in <ahem> 1977-8... around the time Herb Deutsch and Bob Moog were working out their new "vocoder.' I have a recording of a concert I shared with them where Deutsch performs on the prototype - with the most memorable lyrics "oh wandering madman with matted hair!" ow there's an image for ya!

Anyway, we tested out the "notation" program on a dot matrix printer. The room full of composers and musicians laughed and laughed at the square notes and ragged slurs. We've come a long way baby!

But seriously, when it comes to function as a composer's tool, I'll take Finale for actual writing any day, especially in it's current incarnation.

Mmm-hmm. And just last month I almost bought Sibelius because of you! What waste of perfectly good pancake money!

[MIDI Life Crisis]

And just last month I almost bought Sibelius because of you! What waste of perfectly good pancake money!

Because of me?! I have always hared Sibelius. I bought it thinking Finale was on the rocks with 2008, but never was able to use it and sold it a few months ago to a guy in Florida. What ever did I say to convince you to buy it? I mean, I love Finlandia and all, but the program (IMO) sucks. It is the BBE Edit notation program compared to MakeMusic's WORD.

Seriously? I convinced you? That's got me scratchin' my... head.

[Frodo]

And just last month I almost bought Sibelius because of you! What waste of perfectly good pancake money!

Because of me?! I have always hared Sibelius. I bought it thinking Finale was on the rocks with 2008, but never was able to use it and sold it a few months ago to a guy in Florida. What ever did I say to convince you to buy it? I mean, I love Finlandia and all, but the program (IMO) sucks. It is the BBE Edit notation program compared to MakeMusic's WORD.

Seriously? I convinced you? That's got me scratchin' my... head.

You don't think I take your posts seriously?

Dude-- I was so frustrated with Finale that I was ***this*** close to getting Sibelius anyway. Then you mentioned that you bought it and I was convinced that my Finale days were over. Considering how long you've used it, I just thought that it must be pretty bad if you're moving from Finale to Finland.

Then, you came back and dropped the bomb on Sibelius and I never got around to ordering it. I was still doubtful about Finale 2009 because I was so thoroughly disappointed with 2007 and had refused to buy 2008. I was actually looking for third choices.

Then the buzz started about Finale 2009 and it turned out to be as good as the hype.

Just yesterday, I had to boot up 2006 on my MacPro tower because I only had 2009 installed on my laptop at the moment. It took 2006 a full 7 minutes to boot up. Bye-bye 2006.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Oh dude! I misread your post and thought you bought it! Dang! I'd be buying the pancakes for years to cover that, even at the educational discount price!

No, I have always hated Sibelius and tried the demo like 3 times before I dropped a large dime on it. But even spending hours with the program, I just can not get my head around it. Even PCs are easier than THAT to deal with. Yet I know wonderful librarians who swear by Sib. I've seen them work in it and they can make it happen and that's why I decided to give our northern European friends the nod. Except it should have been a horizontal nod and not a vertical one.

Is that TMI?

[Frodo]

There's no such thing as TMI!

Indeed-- I didn't drop a dime on any new software until a reasonable certainty of anything could be assessed. The last thing I wanted was to be sitting here this time next year in notation agony. One thing that got me going was indeed all of the orchestral librarians who swear by Sibelius. I was sure that being able to exchange files easily would be a plus, but in most cases the "save as PDF" in OSX solved a great deal of problems on that front. I just always need to keep my current projects on my laptop when I travel from now on. That's where those little USB flash drives come in handy with moving files around.

I can't believe that I'm actually looking forward to my next scoring project using any version of Finale. That app really isn't bad to use. It was just so darned crash prone and wonky with the printing through so many different versions that it was more frustrating to use for being unreliable and unstable than anything else.

Have you tried TG Tools in 2009 yet?

Also, have you found any third-party fonts that are of any usefulness? I'm surprised to find that a lot of font designers are no longer in business-- or their fonts are no long available.

Believe it or not, I've been wondering about Toccata and Fughetta. I acutally have an aleatoric /ultra modern project coming up in the next few months and the score really does need to look akin to this:

[MIDI Life Crisis]

I use TG Tools a fair amount. For what I do most (create playbacks on gliss & trills; break beams, etc.) it works great. There was an issue with hairpins or something like that a while back and a few are waiting for Tobias to update the tools. But they work pretty well in the new version. I couldn't be w/o them.

I don't buy fonts as the included one's work well enough for me. Looks better than my handwriting, but not as artsy.

RE: your aleatory score, I'd probably opt for some combination of Photoshop or InDesign, importing exports and screen captures from Finale. I still wonder how they typeset Crumb's Macrocosmos. I have a couple of those scores I got a Patelson's (across from Carnegie) and given the difficulties involved in setting that, I am not surprised at the price.

Of course, you probably know that Crumb did that so musicians would HAVE TO learn the piece and not just read thru it. Smart guy, George is. Now THERE's a score for ya!



BTW, Patelson's is a place I ALWAYS have to go spend money at when I'm in the city.

http://www.patelson.com/

Funny thing no one else has jumped in here. This is the kind of discussion I expected to have in this section. I guess it's our own little private pancake house

[bkshepard]

You can export an eps file of your Finale score, open it in Adobe Illustrator and then do all sorts of mangling and redesign stuff. That's how I do any sort of contemporary notation or cut score or anything like that. It's actually pretty easy.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

You can export an eps file of your Finale score, open it in Adobe Illustrator and then do all sorts of mangling and redesign stuff. That's how I do any sort of contemporary notation or cut score or anything like that. It's actually pretty easy.

Thanks for pointing that out, bk. Illustrator is one of those programs I have but frankly have never used because it seemed like overkill for most of the graphic work I do (which is pretty simple and direct for the most part.) But hopefully Frodo is still watching and might use that idea for his unrehears... I mean aleatory piece.

[Frodo]

There's "aleatory" and then there's George Crumb. I doubt I'll need to Adobe-fy the score. I just need a gaggle of strange fonts. I'll figure out something.

Patelson's. LOL! That place is not just a store. It's been a way of life for me at least since 1980.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

There's "aleatory" and then there's George Crumb. I doubt I'll need to Adobe-fy the score. I just need a gaggle of strange fonts. I'll figure out something.

Patelson's. LOL! That place is not just a store. It's been a way of life for me at least since 1980.

We probably ran into each other. I used to be in there 3 or 4 times a week up until 1986 when I left NYC for CA. Short on rent is one thing, short on Mozart is quite another. Ah, to be a dance accompanist/theater composer in Manhattan again... NOT!

[FMiguelez]

.

Hello, Michael and Frodo.

I've been following this thread quietly. Hope you don't mind me popping in

I am VERY pleased about all the good things you've been saying about Finale 2009. For some reason I thought Finale's days were counted, and that Sibelius had hammered the last nail in the coffin... but apparently this is not the case at all anymore.
I will get my upgrade soon.

BTW, now that you guys mentioned Patelson, I searched there for some Wagner scores I want, but apparently they don't carry them.
I want to invest in most of his Operas, the full scores. Would you, by any chance, have a recommendation on a great publication for these? Perhaps a great accurate/reliable collection?
Anyway, this Christmas I'll be in NYC, and I'll check out Patelson

Back to Finale: With Finale 2009, have you noticed improved accuracy with importing sequences from DP? With my older Finale version, this was always messy and very tedious to fix things. Any improvements there?

[bkshepard]

Hey FM,

I'm a big fan of the Dover Scores for most big works these days. They're relatively inexpensive and quite nicely printed and bound. I know some musicologists quibble about the accuracy of some editions, but I've generally found Dover to be quite reliable and printed from some of the best original masters. I've also played under a number of conductors who come out to the podium with a Dover score that they've put a cover over. Now, whether that's to hide the sometimes garish cover, or to pretend it's not a "cheap" score I don't know, but I've seen it several times.