MakeMusic’s PrintMusic 2014 (finalemusic.com/printmusic) is a solid new version of the music notation software. Based on Finale, the updated version offers support for current operating systems, and file compatibility with Finale 2012, Finale 2014, and future versions of Finale. Highlights include:
° PrintMusic’s Score Manager provides instant access to how staves look and playback, making it easy, for example, to change a staff from Alto Sax to Horn in F.
° A fresh New Interface including an updated, modern look to PrintMusic’s mixer, playback controls and palettes (which now lock on Macs, too).
° Automatic Range Checking offers instant visual feedback when notes are written out of the range of beginner, intermediate or advanced players.
° Notation Improvements include easily hidden staves and refined placement of rests and accidentals when music appears in multiple layers.
° Beat-Assigned Smart Shapes, including hairpins and trills, automatically attach to a desired “beat” and snap into place.
° PrintMusic’s New File Format empowers musicians to share music back and forth with users of Finale 2014 and 2012 files, and offers even more flexibility for tomorrow.
° Under the hood, PrintMusic’s Mac OS X support has been updated. Visible benefits include full screen mode, pinch zoom, drag-scrolling, text entry via voice dictation and basic Retina support.
° Additional enhancements include mid-measure clefs, Unicode text support & entry, import/export of PDF graphics, Finale Lyrics font, scanning improvements and much more.
Finale PrintMusic offers the essential features of Finale for US$119.95 (upgrades from previous versions are $39.95). Notes can be entered with a computer keyboard, a MIDI keyboard, and by scanning existing sheet music. Orchestrations of up to 24 staves can be created, and individual instrument parts can be extracted. PrintMusic offers high-quality playback with built-in sounds, support for additional VST/AU instruments and MakeMusic’s exclusive Human Playback.
In addition to printing sheet music, PrintMusic can also create audio and graphic files, Finale files (which can be shared with all Finale products, including the free Finale Notepad) as well as MIDI and MusicXML, which can be shared with other music programs.