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From: weissman@decwrl.dec.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Music notation software?
Message-ID: <8910301728.AA27683@gilroy.pa.dec.com>
Date: 30 Oct 89 17:28:19 GMT
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 37

I want to buy a computer to use with my MIDI keyboard.  I have two
purposes in mind: sequencing, and making printed scores.

I desperately want to buy an Amiga, since I think it's the best
hardware out there.  There seem to be several good sequencers
available.  What worries me is the lack of notation software.

As near as I can tell, the only notation software available is Dr. T's
Copyist.  I played with it some at the dealer's, and came away
horrified.  The user interface seems horridly baroque.  You may be
able to make beautiful looking scores with it, but it seems like it
would be far too much work.

What I really want is a program that will let me enter notes from MIDI
(either directly or by importing from a sequencer), and that will also
let me *easily* enter notes using the mouse/keyboard.  It should take
care of the horizontal placement of notes and symbols by itself, and
do a reasonable job.  (The last requirement eliminates DMCS.)  I
should be able to tweak the placement of things somewhat (since the
computer isn't always going to get it right), but I don't think I need
the extreme amount of control that Copyist gives.

This isn't a pipe dream.  I've used Professional Composer for the Mac,
and it does all this.  It's far from perfect, but it's good enough for
me.  The thing is, though, that I don't want a Mac.  I want an Amiga.

Can someone please convince me that there is Amiga software to do what
I want?  Either tell me why the Copyist isn't so bad, or inform me of
some software that I don't know about.

Thanks,
Terry Weissman			weissman@wsl.dec.com


P.S.  I hear vague rumors that Passport Systems will be porting their
Encore package to the Amiga.  Is this true?  Any idea when?  Is Encore
any good?  Thanks...