Best Music Notation Software 2019 - Write Musical Scores and Compositions
- Making Orchestral Music Software
- Free Orchestral Music Making Software
- Orchestral Music Composition Software
We spent 40 hours testing and comparing the best music notation programs that cost less than $200. As we evaluated, we took note of how easy it is to create original compositions with each one. We also imported and exported a variety of file types to make sure it wasn't more troublesome to use the software than to quickly write a song idea by hand. After compiling our testing data, we believe Notion 6 is the best software for most people because it includes all the tools needed to compose complex and basic scores and has an intuitive user interface.
Sep 04, 2018 Hi, and thanks for the A2A! You need a decent computer to power your DAW. Depending on the platform you're on (Mac/Win) there are plenty of options. I use a Macbook Pro, and I don't hit my CPU roof very often. You can definitely get away with less.
Notion 6
Notion 6 is available for Mac and Windows computers and has all the important editing tools we look for. You can input notes with a MIDI keyboard, virtual piano or virtual guitar fretboard.
Best ValueMuseScore
MuseScore is free, open-source notation software with the tools you need to make basic compositions. It isn’t as customizable as the best programs, but it is a good way to learn how to notate music with software.
Easiest to UseSibelius
Sibelius First is easy to use and has a good selection of composition templates to get you started. Latest hindi songs download torrent download.
Best Overall
Notion 6
Notion 6 is available for Mac and Windows computers and has all the important editing tools we look for. You can input notes with a MIDI keyboard, virtual piano or virtual guitar fretboard.
It’s easy to install and register the program, and the software recognized our MIDI keyboard instantly – we didn’t have to navigate through hidden dropdown menus to get it to connect. The tool palettes are arranged well, which also helped us get started composing within a few minutes of opening the software. It is one of the more expensive programs we reviewed, but it is still hundreds of dollars less than music notation software with similar feature sets.
This composition software’s standout feature is its incredible instrument sample library. Notion’s developers took the time to record samples from some of the most sought-after musicians and orchestras in the world, including the London Symphony Orchestra, Neil Zaza and the Wooten brothers. After you finish writing a score, you can listen to it with stunningly accurate articulation and export a WAV or MP3 file to share with your bandmates or fellow composers.
Notion can be used with Mac and Windows computers as well as iOS mobile devices and Windows tablets – you can start writing a composition on your home computer and finish editing it on your iPad or iPhone. This is one of only two programs we tested that has a companion mobile app.
Best Value
MuseScore
MuseScore is free, open-source notation software that’s compatible with Windows and Mac operating systems. Even though it’s free, it includes many of the same features and tools found in the best for-pay programs we reviewed.
Its interface is clean and easy to navigate. The left side of the screen displays all the available input tools, and the inspector to the right of the score shows information about the notes you input. We had no problem connecting our MIDI keyboard, but if you don’t have one at your disposal, you can MuseScore’s virtual piano to input notes. You can also use your mouse or keyboard shortcuts to add notes to the staff.
MuseScore can import MusicXML and standard MIDI files from other popular notation software. When your score is complete, you can export it as either a graphic file, MusicXML file or audio file. The instrument samples aren’t as realistic or dynamic as those in the best notation programs we tested, but if you are interested in composing music with software, MuseScore is an easy way to learn for no investment.
Easiest to Use
Sibelius
Sibelius First is an affordable music notation program with an attractive, easy-to-use interface. You can input notes with a computer mouse, virtual piano or virtual guitar fretboard or by connecting a MIDI keyboard to the USB port on your computer.
Sibelius automatically adds the correct rests and note appearances, so you can work through a melody quickly without worrying about editing the score as you go. In case you have a hard time getting started, this notation software has 40 genre-specific templates to help spark your imagination.
In its latest version, Sibelius First gained a unique output feature – you can now share your compositions via the Sibelius Cloud. When you finish a score or reach a good stopping point for collaboration, you can hit the Share button on the toolbar to send your work to the cloud. Avid’s MediaCentral Platform then processes it and sends you a URL that can be opened on any computer with any web browser. If you’re collaborating with another Sibelius user, you can both edit the score, and when either one of you presses the Push button, the changes will be saved without generating a new URL or exporting a file.
The full version of Sibelius costs more than $500 and is intended for professional composers who create large, complex arrangements. If you can create your compositions within the framework of 16 staves, Sibelius First is a cost effective option, and it’s easy enough for musicians and composers of all skill levels to use.
Most User-Friendly
Finale PrintMusic
Finale PrintMusic has an intuitive workflow and an easy-to-navigate interface. It boasts an impressive set of note entry tools and editing palettes, and they are all easy to find and use.
You can enter notes with your computer’s mouse, a MIDI keyboard or a computer keyboard – even though it doesn't have a virtual piano, there's no shortage of input options. When you finish entering notes, you can listen to your composition with the Human Playback feature, which performs your music using one of the hundreds of built-in instruments, including strings, horns and percussion instruments.
Finale has a great list of shareable output formats. It outputs publisher-quality printable files as well as PDF and graphic files. You can also output an MP3 file to share an audio version of your finalized score. Finale is the most recognized name in music production software because it is easy to use and has a great selection of notation tools for beginners and advanced user alike.
Best Companion Apps
Forte Home
Forte has two great companion apps: one that scans sheet music using the camera on your phone or tablet and a reader app that opens and plays back compositions from the desktop application with your mobile devices.
They are free and available for Android and Apple devices. The desktop application isn’t as visually appealing as some of the other programs we tested, but it has all the tools needed to create simple or complex arrangements.
You enter notes using a MIDI keyboard, virtual piano or your computer’s keyboard. While you input notes, Forte keeps track of the number of counts missing from a measure and automatically adds the appropriate rests to speed up workflow. Forte also has a volume mixer to control volume and panning for each instrument. When your composition sounds perfect, you can export an MP3 or WAV file to share with other musicians.
Best for Educators
Noteflight
Noteflight Learn is specifically designed for educators. It syncs with Google Classroom and other popular learning management systems.
You can't permanently download the software, but the online platform allows you to access your account from any computer with an internet connection. The toolbar is customizable and includes everything you need to create and edit simple arrangements. You can also import and edit MIDI and MusicXML files from other notation software. However, the online platform gets bogged down and reacts slowly with complex compositions. There are three versions of the software, including the free Noteflight Basic, which allows you to create and edit up to 10 scores.
The Premium version is a better choice if you use notation software on a regular basis, and it has similar workflow to the best programs we tested. There’s an audio recording feature for adding audio segments to any score as well as 85 built-in instrument sounds. Also, the Premium subscription gives you access to the marketplace, where you can sell and market finalized compositions. The program's volume mixer is easy to use and a helpful tool to get all the audio levels correct before you export an MP3 or WAV file to share with other musicians.
Why Trust Us?
At Top Ten Reviews, we have been testing music notation software for more than 12 years. Every time we update this guide, we download the newest versions of the best programs and use them as a typical consumer would.
As we tested the software, we noted how easy each program is to purchase and download. In addition, we evaluated its features to find out if it's easier to notate with the program than it is to do so by hand. We also checked whether there are hidden steps to connect input devices such as MIDI keyboards and microphones.
As a musician, I have been using notation software for the past 10 years, both professionally and for fun. Although my experience with these programs makes it easy to find and use certain features, I try to approach testing as if it is my first time using composition software. In the product reviews, I let you know my impressions of useful tools and indicate which features are impractical.
How We Tested
When we test notation software, our first step is to purchase each product, download it and register it. https://frusamuxsen.tistory.com/10. As we do, we note how easy or difficult the process is. Once the software is up and running, we connect a MIDI keyboard and headphones to our testing laptop, count the number of steps it takes to start notating music, and monitor the playback.
Not everyone who uses notation software has a MIDI keyboard, so when available, we also used the programs’ virtual pianos and virtual guitar fretboards to input notes. The third important note input method is shortcut keys and a computer mouse, so we also compared the applications’ tool palettes. We found the best notation programs have toolbars you can customize to prominently display the tools you use most often, which can speed up your work.
After we created a score, we used each software’s playback engine to test how realistic its virtual instruments sound. Our favorite programs have a good variety of instruments in their libraries, including percussion instruments, strings and horns.
Finally, we tested each application’s import and export capabilities. We imported a variety of files, including MIDI files, MusicXML files and graphic images, to see how easy each program makes the process. We then exported the compositions in a variety of formats to check that they were legible and accurate, which is important when you send your scores to other musicians or composers.
How Much Should I Spend on Music Notation Software?
Most of the software we reviewed costs between $100 and $200 and is perfectly suited for making simple compositions for small band arrangements. If you compose complex arrangements for large bands or orchestras, you should consider one of the more full-feature versions of programs like Finale or Sibelius. However, you can expect to pay upward of $500 for one of these advanced programs. There’s also MuseScore 2, a free program for creating and printing simple lead sheets. It has comparable features to the best for-pay programs we tested.
Key Features to Look for When Choosing Music Notation Software
We asked Mark Maxson, a faculty member and music technology specialist at Weber State University, which features he thought were most important, and he said, “Because the number one purpose of notation software is to put accurate and great looking sheet music in front of live players I find non-print export options useful.” He also noted, “Any feature that helps get notes on the lines fast is invaluable.”
Here are some of the features we tested that make sharing files and note entry efficient:
Music Features
It is important to choose software that can create more than one style of sheet music. The best composition programs we tested not only create piano music but also make guitar tablature, guitar chord names and percussion notation. Programs that have a variety of these music features allow novice musicians to write and play compositions with little knowledge of music theory.
Input/Output
If you don't have a MIDI controller, you need software with other ways to create sheet music. All the products we reviewed let you insert notes by clicking on the staff with your mouse or by using a virtual keyboard or guitar fretboard.
Sharing your sheet music with others is just as important as creating it. All the software we reviewed let you print off your sheet music and export standard MIDI files. Programs that allow you to export your final compositions as audio files make your work easier when you share with people who can't read music.
Editing Features
When you choose a composition program that has a volume mixer, you can make changes to volume and panning information as you listen to the playback. You can also use the mixer to record the changes as you make them, although those changes only apply to the playback sound, not to the composition data.
MIDI Controllers for Music Notation Software
There are two important considerations to keep in mind when choosing a MIDI-compatible keyboard to use with music notation software: the tactile quality of the keys and the number of keys. Acoustic pianos have 88 weighted keys, and many digital piano manufacturers have done a good job simulating the feel of a real piano. Keyboards with a MIDI or USB output with 88 weighted keys start around $400 and go up to thousands of dollars, depending on the number and quality of the built-in sounds. MIDI keyboards without built-in sounds control software the same as digital pianos but are much more cost effective and portable, and they often have differing numbers of keys. Here are our favorite MIDI-compatible keyboards for music notation software.
Yamaha P-45
This digital piano has an 88-key weighted key bed and USB output to connect directly to a computer without an additional MIDI interface. If you are accustomed to playing an acoustic piano, this is the best input device to use with transcription software. It only has 10 built-in sounds, but all the notation programs we tested have piano and other keyboard tones included. The downside of using a digital piano with weighted keys to control notation software is the keyboard's size. At 25 pounds, the P-45 is a bit cumbersome to move around. It has rubber feet on the bottom to keep it from sliding around on a desk, but we suggest pairing it with a keyboard stand to ensure the keys are at the proper height.
M-Audio Keystation 61 MK3
This controller keyboard doesn’t have a fully weighted key bed or any built-in sounds, but it’s lightweight and a perfectly suitable controller for all the music notation software we tested. The semi-weighted keys are the same size as those on an acoustic piano and velocity sensitive, so they track how hard you hit the key and send volume information to the software. The Keystation series controllers come with 25, 49, 61 or 88 keys and have a standard USB output to connect to a home computer or laptop.
Sheet Music Reader Apps
A sheet music app is an invaluable tool for taking finalized arrangements to the stage or rehearsal. All the notation programs we tested export PDF files that display on any mobile device, but sheet music readers have better organization features and allow you to annotate a score and export it with markup. Here are our favorite sheet music apps for iOS and Android devices.
forScore
This app is only available on iPad, but it is the best sheet music app available. It’s compatible with popular cloud storage services like Dropbox and Box, or you can upload PDF or MusicXML files from your computer or email inbox. Once you finish adding arrangements, you can search the library by composer, genre or key. forScore supports half-page turns, which allows you to see the bottom half of one page and the top half of the next page simultaneously. It also syncs with Bluetooth page turner pedals for hands-free page flips.
Orpheus Sheet Music Pro
If you prefer to use Android hardware, Orpheus is the best sheet music app on that OS. It doesn’t have as many organization and file import features as forScore, but the interface is easy to use and includes an annotation tool. There’s a free version that displays ads and limits chart uploads to 30 total. Orpheus has support for Bluetooth hands-free page turners, and syncs with Dropbox. This app isn’t compatible with as many import file types as forScore, but every notation software we tested exports PDF files, which is the preferred file type for Orpheus.
Related Product Reviews
Compiling a general survey of orchestral sample libraries available becomes more and more difficult every year. The sheer number of companies producing top-quality software for orchestral sampling has increased substantially of late, and there are more options now for the digital composer than ever before in this ever-expanding ecosystem. We in the audio tech world revel in choice and variety, not least so when it comes to virtual instruments. The quantity and quality of libraries available is frankly staggering.
This list is by no means complete, but we at S1E feel that these 30 plugins represent the latest and greatest Orchestral VIs currently available. The list is in no particular order.
The 30 Best Sample Libraries For Orchestral Scoring
e-instruments: Session Strings Pro
e-instruments Session Strings Pro is described as 'Session Strings Pro is the new gold standard for contemporary studio strings.
Take control of an 11-piece ensemble, recorded with the utmost precision in four different settings for maximum flexibility and realism.' Session Strings Pro offers the user a great sound combined with an intutive animator player, this offers not only the sound but the performance of a string section - it's not as complete as some of the others listed here, but well worth looking at if you want to put some great strings on pop tracks.
'Recorded by 11-time Grammy nominated classical recording engineer Prof. Keith O. Johnson, the EastWest: Symphonic Orchestra is the most awarded orchestral collection ever, including winning Sound On Sound's Reader's Choice Award an unprecedented 3-times, and the first orchestral collection to be recorded in a 'state of the art' concert hall where orchestras mainly perform.'
'Symphobia is not your traditional orchestral sample library. Instead of focusing on individual instrument multi-samples, Symphobia offers ensemble multi-samples in various orchestrations and orchestral groups. These playable ensembles cover different sections and groups from the orchestra as well as the entire orchestra playing together.'
'Miroslav Philharmonik is a powerful, integrated Orchestral Workstation incorporating the legendary Miroslav Vitous Symphonic Orchestra and Choir Sample collections into a dedicated plug-in instrument specifically tailored for classical sounds and arrangements.'
“Garritan Personal Orchestra gives you a complete orchestra – strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion, and keyboards – with over 200 instrument choices, along with the techniques and control to hear your music with breathtaking realism. This award-winning collection has set the standard for orchestra sample libraries.”
'Spitfire Audio: Albion is everything you need to make epic modern music in ONE box. At its heart is a 109 piece orchestra accompanied by a thunderous cinematic percussion section, dynamically layered loops designed by award winning music makers, an enormous steam synthesiser and many more surprises. '
'Complete Orchestral Collection is a brand new compilation of all Peter Siedlaczek libraries ever released by Best Service. This new product combines Peter Siedlaczek´s String Essentials 2nd Edition as well as the well-known Complete Classical Collection 2nd Edition in one Kontakt Player 5 instrument with 26 GB of uncompressed sample content and more than 2800 Kontakt instruments.'
'With the Vienna Symphonic Library, the huge quantity and variety of articulations with nuanced details, enhanced by the seamless integration with the Vienna Instruments sample player helps you create the most realistic renderings of your composition.'
'Produced by Academy Award, TEC and G.A.N.G Award Winning Composer, Troels Folmann and Emmy Nominated Composer and Orchestrator, Colin O’Malley, the 8Dio Adagio String Series is a new-generation orchestral sample library and the most expressive collection of deep-sampled strings ever created.'
'HOLLYWOOD STRINGS has many groundbreaking features not found in any other collection. Finger position is, for the first time, controllable by the user, so you can play as far up the strings as you want, and get a fuller more romantic Hollywood sound. Vibrato intensity and extensive dynamics are controllable by the user. Extensive multi-dynamic true legato has been sampled for all sections in three different categories: slurred, portamento, and bow change. This results in unsurpassed legato performance that has never been available.'
Making Orchestral Music Software
'Berlin Strings is the first True Adaptive Legato(including 4 legato types: Slurred, Agile (scripted), Fast Runs and Portamento), Smaller Sections for more definition and detail, 129 GB of samplesin NCW format (268 GB uncompressed'
'CineStrings is revolutionary in its power and simplicity for recreating the sound of the orchestral string section. The library was designed by composers, for composers, with direct feedback from the film music community during its development. The result is a string library that is easy to use, composer-friendly, with unparalleled recording quality.'
Free Orchestral Music Making Software
'LA Scoring Strings 2.5 (LASS) brings you a whole new set of tools and revised sonic profiles providing a new level of expressiveness, realism, real-time playability and program-ability to sampled strings.'
'Cinematic Strings 2 is a completely redesigned and updated version of the original orchestral strings sample library. Whilst retaining the warm luscious tones produced in the world class Verbrugghen Hall of the Sydney Conservatorium, the new version features a sleek new interface and even smoother legato.'
'Hollywood Brass is the most powerful, realistic and extensive brass library ever created. There is a focus and ease of use in this Virtual Instrument that is unprecedented. Hollywood Brass runs flawlessly in the completely revamped PLAY 3 engine and has 10 times the content and detail than its closest competitor, without any additional complexity or clutter.'
'Bravura Scoring Brass is a complete collection of orchestral brass ensembles, soloists, and aleatoric FX recorded with stunning depth in a large scoring studio. Featuring three mic positions, extensive articulations, and incredibly powerful scripting, BSB is an ideal tool for film, TV & game scoring.'
Session Horns Pro gives you 30 GB of authentic contemporary horns: three saxophones, two trombones, three trumpets, tuba and flugelhorn.
It features 38 pre-arranged section presets across all popular styles to get you started, and is suited to every type of contemporary music.
'CineBrass is the expansion to the popular CineBrass Core library. CineBrass is comprised of entirely new orchestral brass sample content, using the first-call Los Angeles musicians at the SONY Scoring Stage, mixed by Dennis Sands. Our CineBrass core library, released in June 2011, covers the essentials of the orchestral brass section, and functions as a solid foundation in our composing templates.'
'Orchestral Brass Classic is the re-issue of the most respected symphonic brass series on the sample market: SAM Horns, SAM Trombones, SAM Trumpets and SAM Solo Sessions. known for its ambient, cinematic sound, orchestral brass classic is the only brass library that no film, tv or game composer can afford to be without.'
'Berlin Woodwinds has True Legato (interval sampling) for all instruments and sections! To achieve the highest level of realism and detail, we have recorded every interval up to an octave. That means you will hear the natural transitions from one note to another. Every true legato patch is sampled with three dynamic crossfade layers!'
'The Claire Woodwind Bundle 10 contains Alto-Flute, Bassoon Virtuoso, Clarinet Virtuoso, English Horn Virtuoso, Flute Virtuoso, Oboe Virtuoso and Piccolo Flute. All the libraries contains advanced legato and articulations to cover all your compositional needs'
'Hollywoodwinds is Cinesamples’ award-winning orchestral woodwind library developed exclusively for Kontakt. Featuring wonderfully organic recordings, and groundbreaking programming, HWW is quickly becoming the leading woodwind solution for composers around the world.'
'CineWinds PRO is the long-awaited expansion to the next-generation orchestral CineWinds CORE library. CineWinds PRO expansion fills out the remainder of the orchestral woodwind section, and also offers an eclectic choice of ethnic, Renaissance, and period wind instruments most often used in film scoring.'
Percussion
Impact Soundworks: Rhapsody Orchestral Percussion
'Rhapsody Orchestral Percussion is an exquisite symphonic collection for KONTAKT features a comprehensive collection of 50 traditional & extended percussive instruments recorded through three mic positions.'
'ProjectSAM's acclaimed True Strike series holds the percussion libraries of choice for film, tv and game composers requiring cinematic, powerful percussion samples. True Strike, the first volume in the series, focuses on orchestral percussion. Offering 51 orchestral percussion instruments in multiple concert hall mic positions, True Strike is the only orchestral percussion library you will ever need.'
'Spitfire Percussion is a comprehensive orchestral percussion library featuring the renowned Joby Burgess in Lyndhurst Hall at Air Studios. Alongside a huge array of large and small percussion, timpani, bass drums and cymbals lie a collection of mallet instruments described by Sound On Sound magazine as 'to die for'.'
'CinePerc PRO is an extremely useful part of our large CinePerc library; the next installment of our popular orchestral series that includes CineBrass and CineWinds. Like those libraries, CinePerc was recorded at the SONY Scoring Stage in Los Angeles, and mixed by master engineer Dennis Sands. This package includes many more percussion instruments for your template'
'Stormdrum 3 is the first virtual instrument to include EastWest's new PLAY 4 software. In PLAY 4, EastWest replaced some third party components; added Avid's new AAX format that will allow Pro Tools 11 users to use EastWest's virtual instruments 64-bit, greatly improving performance; added new time-stretch software optimized for loops (with sync to sequencer); added a new mixer page (with sub-channels for mic positions), added background loading, and other new features.'
Orchestral Music Composition Software
'Hans Zimmer Percussion Series is the definitive collection of Hybrid Cinematic Widescreen percussion ensembles, produced by the man who created the idiom; Hans Zimmer. Recorded by Geoff Foster at Air Studios and mixed by 4 Grammy winning composer/ producers'
Imperfect Samples' EBONY Concert Grand is the World's Largest* sampled grand piano. Commanding a powerful and magnificent sound, the piano behind this sample library is an imposing hand-made FAZIOLI ten foot Grand Piano, created by the makers of world's most expensive grand pianos, and is considered by many to be the Elite of all grands.
Addictive Keys isn't just a collection of sampled keyboards. That's easy. Anyone can do that. What Addictive Keys does is to capture the soul and essence of great instruments from multiple angles. That's hard, but Addictive Keys instruments pull
it off and make it look effortless.