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Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: colecampbell666 on August 14, 2008, 10:52:31 am

Title: Sheet Music Creation/Printing
Post by: colecampbell666 on August 14, 2008, 10:52:31 am
I need some software for creating and printing sheet music. It has to be free, and ease of use is a bonus. Basically I want to write some songs, and convert some tab and stuff to notes.
Title: Re: Sheet Music Creation/Printing
Post by: Colonol Dekker on August 14, 2008, 11:02:37 am
I honestly have never heard of this, you mean like "reverse engineer" music back to sheet music??

Surely it would be better to make the sheet music then play it?
Title: Re: Sheet Music Creation/Printing
Post by: colecampbell666 on August 14, 2008, 11:06:22 am
:wtf:

I want a program to allow me to draw sheet music and print it.
Title: Re: Sheet Music Creation/Printing
Post by: Colonol Dekker on August 14, 2008, 11:12:20 am
Quote

Basically I want to write some songs, and convert some tab and stuff to notes.



google ffs.

here>>


try, then buy/aqquire

http://www.notation.com/


no idea what this is, seems related
http://ace.acadiau.ca/score/Others.htm
Title: Re: Sheet Music Creation/Printing
Post by: Polpolion on August 14, 2008, 11:14:04 am
Combine this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handwriting) one and this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looseleaf) one for the ultimate music creation tool.
Title: Re: Sheet Music Creation/Printing
Post by: colecampbell666 on August 14, 2008, 12:08:38 pm
Quote

Basically I want to write some songs, and convert some tab and stuff to notes.



google ffs.

here>>


try, then buy/aqquire

http://www.notation.com/


no idea what this is, seems related
http://ace.acadiau.ca/score/Others.htm
Already used The Google.
Title: Re: Sheet Music Creation/Printing
Post by: Flipside on August 14, 2008, 09:49:10 pm
http://www.freebyte.com/music/#free_notation

Title: Re: Sheet Music Creation/Printing
Post by: captain-custard on August 15, 2008, 03:30:16 am
best way i can see to do this is to download ubuntu studio and unetbootin , have a 4gb thumb drive follow the unit bootin instructions and put the system on the thumbdrive (memory corp make a great 4/8gb thumbdrive that is super fast (google it))
this will give you access to a large number of music tools and nothing goes on your hard drive (unless you choose to install it to your hard drive ( 2 methods possible nowadays u install a new partition or you use wubi it installs to a folder in the windows setup - google wubi-))

and its free , except for the price of the thumb drive.........
Title: Re: Sheet Music Creation/Printing
Post by: colecampbell666 on August 15, 2008, 07:45:35 am
I've got Ubuntu 8.0.4 (not installed at this moment), is studio a separate distro or just a package?
Title: Re: Sheet Music Creation/Printing
Post by: Solatar on August 15, 2008, 09:50:53 pm
Finale notepad: http://www.finalemusic.com/notepad/

It's the free version of Finale (which is expensive) but it'll do most of the basic functions you'll need for writing music. It does tabs as well, with MIDI playback. Limitations include an 8 stave limit per score (you mentioned guitar stuff, 8 staves is plenty unless you're scoring for concert band or full orchestra). You can't really customize things so well as the paid versions. I think you have to register to get a serial number, but just give them a secondary e-mail address (they send special offers once every once in awhile).

Powertab: http://www.power-tab.net/guitar.php

Is a pure tablature program. It accepts your input as numbers on the tab, and shows them above in standard notation. If you're going to be doing work with guitar, it's useful. It's also useful in that it automatically displays in both tab and standard notation. I have a friend who uses it to convert his tabs to sheet music (which I enter in Finale).

I've had good experience with Finale 2008, but I'm a music student so the $300 (student edition) was worth it to me. I use Finale exclusively, but I score for string orchestra or full orchestra, not guitar. One of my friends writes stuff almost exclusively on guitar (or for other things...but he uses the guitar to write it) and he uses Powertab.

Hope some of that was useful...
Title: Re: Sheet Music Creation/Printing
Post by: Dark Hunter on August 16, 2008, 12:49:58 am
I prefer Sibelius, myself... but, like Finale, it is quite expensive. Worth it in my opinion, if you're going to do serious music-work... but probably not what you're after...
Title: Re: Sheet Music Creation/Printing
Post by: Solatar on August 16, 2008, 11:14:51 am
I was trying to suggest free software, and Finale notepad is free. I don't think Sibelius has a free "light" version of any kind. I think powertab would be more suited to his interests anyway though.

Please, correct me if I'm wrong...I'll go download it immediately. :D
Title: Re: Sheet Music Creation/Printing
Post by: Dark Hunter on August 16, 2008, 12:14:33 pm
Sibelius does have a free 30-day demo, but even the least expensive full version (the student version) is 100USD, which is why I said it probably wasn't what he was after.
Title: Re: Sheet Music Creation/Printing
Post by: captain-custard on August 16, 2008, 01:48:26 pm
I've got Ubuntu 8.0.4 (not installed at this moment), is studio a separate distro or just a package?

ubuntu studio is a distro in its own right it uses latest ubuntu release and low latency ,real time kernels ... it is availible for download google it and check out what is on it ....
Title: Re: Sheet Music Creation/Printing
Post by: colecampbell666 on August 16, 2008, 05:40:29 pm
Thanks for Finale, Solatar, as well as the link you gave me, Flip. I'll try some of those. And I am not looking for tab.
Title: Re: Sheet Music Creation/Printing
Post by: Solatar on August 17, 2008, 12:32:05 am
No problem, hope you make some awesome stuff. :)
Title: Re: Sheet Music Creation/Printing
Post by: colecampbell666 on August 17, 2008, 09:37:56 am
I hope so too.