Rating: 
Summary: Back To Say A Few More Words...
Review: Since I got Sibelius 3, Finale 2004 has been a nice little icon on my desktop.
People say to "spend time with it" but in today's high-stress, fast-paced industry, I don't have that kind of time.
I also don't have time for bugs, etc.
My co-workers and I, in both platforms, used Sibelius 3 the first week of it's release, on two very large musical shows, and we had NO PROBLEMS! NONE!
It seems like those stuck on this program (Finale) have been using it for so long that switching to something new would be ridiculous, and I guess I can understand that because I was an Encore cross-over and it took me a long time to wean myself from that program... but I really had no choice.
I gave several programs a chance, including Finale, but I'm musically savvy and not much of a computer person, so Sibelius was a dream come true.
I think the best notation program is one that allows me to be musical, not technical. Musical = Sibelius. Technical = Finale. Choose the one that's right for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Finale 2004
Review: You will not learn Finale in a short time. It is an extensive program with many features. But, Makemusic has provided many flash tutorials to make the learning curve a lot less steep. I have been a Finale user for 15 years! Makemusic listens to people's suggestions and includes them in each upgrade. I find Finale a little cumbersome in some areas but in some other areas is is nothing short of amazing. The forum on their website has many friendly, knowledgeable people always eager to help newbies and Finale veterans if you have a question you just can't figure out by yourself. Once you invest some time in the program you will be astounded how simple some things are. It inspires me to write music because it can play anything you can write flawlessly. Also, it is a great way to do raw sequence and then import it into a dedicated sequencing program for fine-tuning. Anyone that doesn't like the program has not put any time into learning it. If you invest some time you will reap the benefits! It does need some work in some areas. I don't like the current method of chord entry. But, it may be fixed in the next release. Also, there are a few little annoyances that have lingered forever and still need fixing. As long as Makemusic continues to listen to their customers, Finale has the potential of always being the best. In the mean time I write music all the time and really enjoy using the program! Davemorehead.com-web site
Dave@Davemorehead.com-email
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