best setup for a reallly old guy

junee · Post by **junee** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 3:26 pm

my dad is 83 and wants to score his compositions. He's got a Yamaha ZX5000 (I think) which has USB out to connect to computer.
Yes, a PC Celaron, but willing to give Mac a go. I have both.

He likes to make up stuff on his keyboard and wants a way to score it out and print, maybe edit. He used to play professionally in lounges etc.

Failing eyesight, not the best with computers, but desperately wants this.

Any recommendations for simplest, least expensive and clear program?

Thanks, apologize for using bandwidth in a pro forum, this was the closest I could come after researching the issue.
I'm a musician too, so I'd like to see him do this.

Junee

jon · Post by **jon** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 4:05 pm

Hi junee,

That's great that your dad wants to create at 83 years young. My father is 78 and still goes out there and sets up his amp and his wireless accordion and plays for old old folks about four days a week. But I could get him in front of a computer and DP and nothing cause it is way to tech for his tastes. Not to say it's impossible to teach an old dog new tricks but sometimes when you want to just get going the learning curve can be a pain in the but and squash the juices. I like a nice keyboard for starters. Maybe a Roland JUNO-G Keyboard workstation ($995) with everything included like a Audio/MIDI multitrack recorder built in. Lay down those ideas and save them to a flash card and when your ready hook it up to a sound card and see what it looks like on the computer. It still takes a bit of time to get going but at-least the creative juices can start popping and your saving those songs to memory and best yet having FUN!

Cheers

Spikey Horse · Post by **Spikey Horse** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 5:22 pm

Junee

I think the other way to Jon - that trying to use a do-it-all keyboard workstation would be far more fiddly/confusing than a mac/PC software sequencer set up.

But I think it depends on just how much tech support you (or someone else) can give him. Once a computer based studio is set up, software like DP can be as simple or as complex as you make it - but it is the setting up that is the critical bit.

If you are able to wor k with him to set up project templates and so on for the way he wants to use it (and nothing more) and teach him the basics of I think DP could work well. If he can use the internet then he can record in DP no problem, I'd say.

However THAT of course depends on you or someone knowing the software/hardware set up well enough in the first place - and being near enough to regularly help sort out issues as they crop up.

Maybe something like DP/ an iMac/ FW audio+MIDI interface would be my suggestion......

Good luck hope it woks out!

BradLyons · Post by **BradLyons** » Sun Feb 26, 2006 3:48 am

While I am absolutely 110% a PC guy, in this case if he is new to computers....a Mac might be easiest for him. For something simple and basic for writing music, Finale PrintMusic is affordable, practicle for basic composition, and SIMPLE TO LEARN!

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PrintMusic/

Is his keyboard multi-timbral, do you know?