Free and worth every penny. MuseScore is getting better but you couldn't pay me to use it.
Plenty of MuseScore posts around here, enough to consider this the MuseScore FanBoys Club but its workflow is slow and clunky.
Don't get me wrong, I pay the annual fee to access everything MuseScore — only the notation app is free. My work gets done a lot more quickly in Notion, Finale, Dorico, Overture and Encore and that's what's important to me.
BIAB 2025 Audiophile Mac 24Core/60CoreGPU M2 MacStudioUltra/8TB/192GB Sequoia, M1 MBAir, 2012 MBP Digital Performer11, LogicPro, Finale27/Dorico/Encore/SmartScorePro64/Notion6 /Overture5
Not for me, but then I use keystrokes for much of what I do.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
This could open up a pro and con discussion of Open Source software. For all the good, there remains a persistent longing for standardization. Say, one of the developers comes up with a great new way to produce a function and winds up making it a part of the program. Then multiply that. As opposed to the Gates method, which is to rip off or copy standard code and put his brand on it.
This could open up a pro and con discussion of Open Source software. …
Except that MuseScore really isn't anymore and neither is Audacity, now owned by the same company. Oh, you can make pull requests on Github but a development team oversees everything. Frankly, I think it's a good thing.
As to that "Always free" part or, in their words, the limited "free" account. Basic functionality, yes but you want the "pro features", that's $49 a year (which I pay) or $6.99 a month.
So why do I pay? Sometimes, I find scores I can use with my ensembles. They are always in terrible shape but editing them into something I can use requires Pro. Normally, I export them as MusicXML and open in Finale, Dorico or Overture. If I don't care how they look and only want to play them with decent VIs, I open them in Notion 6 where assigning VIs couldn't be simpler. MuseScore doesn't support VSTs yet.
Quote:
but then I use keystrokes for much of what I do.
Nice if you have two working hands—not everyone is so equipped. Annoying to have to use a hand and a mouse to do many tasks.
Finale, Dorico, Notion, Encore and Overture require one hand or a mouse to do everything.
BIAB 2025 Audiophile Mac 24Core/60CoreGPU M2 MacStudioUltra/8TB/192GB Sequoia, M1 MBAir, 2012 MBP Digital Performer11, LogicPro, Finale27/Dorico/Encore/SmartScorePro64/Notion6 /Overture5
Well, different tools for different tradies I say.
Clearly Mike's requirements are met elsewhere but those requirements are, in at least some aspects, unique. Addressing the needs of differently abled folk could be done with the developers as well as the forum members. Even so he stated he uses it when needed and that, I suspect, says even more about the program when it's has a specialized niche in his workflow that sees him buy the annual subscription.
Mike, you make and defeat your won argument in the same post and slight folk with "the MuseScore FanBoys Club". What is a personal workflow essential to you isn't necessarily an important workflow essential to others but your perspective, without the jaundice, can be useful & insightful.
Last edited by rayc; 10/14/2211:52 PM.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Except that MuseScore really isn't anymore and neither is Audacity, now owned by the same company.
That doesn't stop them being Open Source. The source code for both is freely available and under the GNU GPL.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
Mike, you make and defeat your won argument in the same post and slight folk with "the MuseScore FanBoys Club".
I chose my words carefully and meant what I wrote. For years and in many threads, the mere suggestion around here that MuseScore is not all that good has brought them out in droves frothing at their keyboards because Free, apparently, trumps everything else which is nonsense in my opinion. When something is bad, it's bad and price or lack thereof, has nothing to do with it.
That v.3 is not all that good is a tremendous improvement over the previous versions. The new head of development—once its harshest critic—has done a pretty good job making it no longer horrible. Let's see what he and his team do with version 4. The code isn't stable yet so I'm passing for now.
BIAB 2025 Audiophile Mac 24Core/60CoreGPU M2 MacStudioUltra/8TB/192GB Sequoia, M1 MBAir, 2012 MBP Digital Performer11, LogicPro, Finale27/Dorico/Encore/SmartScorePro64/Notion6 /Overture5
Free, apparently, trumps everything else which is nonsense in my opinion. When something is bad, it's bad and price or lack thereof, has nothing to do with it.
There are certainly quite a few people in the OpenSource/FOSS world who believe paying for software is a heresy.
Personally I'm perfectly happy to pay for software that's good for me and I'll make donations for free-beer software and to things like Wikipedia.
Some of that "good for me", though, is related to familiarity. There are many people who love BiaB's note entry system, but I can't get my head around it at all. I find it unusable. That's probably just me.
For me, MuseScore works because I can do most of the heavy lifting without having to touch the mouse. Mice cause wrist strain and I've suffered with that for many years as a consequence. Horses for courses. YMMV.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
.................. Personally I'm perfectly happy to pay for software that's good for me and I'll make donations for free-beer software and to things like Wikipedia.
Some of that "good for me", though, is related to familiarity. There are many people who love BiaB's note entry system, but I can't get my head around it at all. I find it unusable. That's probably just me.
.......................
Gordon, you are not alone. I also donate to free software if I use it a lot.
I also find BiaB's note entry system unusable. I find other note entry systems much easier. Again YMMV and I do not knock other people's workflow.
I think my wife has started to show the first signs of dementia. She said she can't remember what she ever saw in me!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
This has been promised for well over a year now. But this video is new so things may start to happen.
A good rule of thumb is to not sign up to a first release of a new version. There are almost always numerous bugs. Wait for the dust to settle.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
This has been promised for well over a year now. But this video is new so things may start to happen.
I like the promise. We'll see… I hope that the release version finally includes a decent implementation of MusicXML 3.0 (anyone at Dorico listening?). M-XML 3.1 or 4.0 would be nicer but I don't expect miracles.
For ease of use, nothing tops Encore but that's not seen a real upgrade since Encore 5 in 2008. Don Williams, the original developer, has bought the company and expects to release Encore 6 later this year. I don't know if he can include all the necessary new features and compatibility while maintaining the quick workflow that I want. At least, it will be nice to open the last 30+ years of files and export as M-MXL 3 at last. When I need to knock out a quick choral or praise band arrangement, nothing has ever been faster—just don't print for publication as it looks worse than MuseScore 1.
BIAB 2025 Audiophile Mac 24Core/60CoreGPU M2 MacStudioUltra/8TB/192GB Sequoia, M1 MBAir, 2012 MBP Digital Performer11, LogicPro, Finale27/Dorico/Encore/SmartScorePro64/Notion6 /Overture5
.... we are delighted to announce the Alpha 2 release of MuseScore 4. This is a major milestone for us because it combines (with four exceptions) all the major work that will be released to the public.
Win - https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore/releases/download/v4.0_alpha_2/M… Mac - https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore/releases/download/v4.0_alpha_2/M… Linux - https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore/releases/download/v4.0_alpha_2/M…
We are delighted to announce the Beta release of MuseScore 4! The links below are for our new Muse Hub installer application, which can be used to install and update MuseScore and download / install our new orchestral plugin Muse Sounds. See the bottom of this post for more information and help with Muse Hub installation.
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