what software is best

[pedro]

What software is best to write, playback, and print sheet music?

[Jerome]

Sibelius or Finale

[Jerome]

Just to add to my statement above; These two packages are very good if sheet music is the main focus. If you are going to record many tracks/instruments I strongly recommend Samplitude 11 Pro - very, very good - much better than Cubase, Sonar and all the other regular programs. Bit pricey but worth the money.

[pennywill]

I use Sonar for sequencing and Finale to do up sheet music.

[jasonalanjohnson]

I like Protools for its editing capabilty, and Finale for sheet music. Although, I must admit that I am still using Finale 98:eek:. I have never really had a reason to upgrade.

[Jerome]

And if you want the Rolls Royce of them all SADiE 6 is now available for all systems (Mac/PC) and is no longer a 'closed' proprietary program. Hellishly expensive though. 1757 GBP!!! And that's just the 'starter' package.

[CraigCyril]

"Pizzicato" can help you to write and print sheet music.

[TvrtleWaterBear]

If you're looking for an easy, free solution, Noteflight is an option. It's a web-based application that runs in your browser, and you can access it anywhere. I use that, mostly 'cause I'm too cheap to buy anything.
It allows for writing, playback, and printing for different instruments. There are occaisional prompts to upgrade to Crescendo, the paid version, but that's only if you try to access one of the functions that isn't free. Most are unnecessary for basic writing.

[Guardian]

I always have, and still use a neat little program called Melody Assistant. It is a full program with both digital export and sheet music capabilities. The best part is that it is extremely affordable. A licence only costs 25 dollars and to make the program 10 times more fulfilling, you can buy the extended sound database (which includes hundreds of new and different sounds/instruments) for only another 25 dollars. In a nutshell this program is affordable, all inclusive and will allow you to write, playback, export, and print sheet music. My favorite.

[Jerome]

If you are composing/recording try the demo BrainWorx plug-ins. Very good for mid-side processing.