which notation software?

[kookaburra]

Hi, I've been using Finale notepad 2007 demo version. However, I'm really missing the following features:

-grace notes
-ability to have simultaneous rests and notes in one clef (as in measure 48 of beethoven's sonata, opus 10 number 1.)
-able to save playback as an audio file

Are there any free/demo versions that have these specific features? (plus all the other regular features.)

Constraint: don' have no monee.......     so free or almost free would be nice. But I would spring for a full version, if it was less than, say, $10.  Can do mac or pc. But preferably mac.
 

thanks for the help in advance! I'd really like to make audio files to share with friends online - my songs have multiple instruments, including ones that I don't actually play, so it's not practical for me to try and make a real live recording.
 anyway, thanks!

[pianowolfi]

You might try Muse Score:

https://musescore.org/en

I don't work regularly with it because I have Finale, but I think this is very similar to Finale.

[quantum]

There is also LilyPond:
https://lilypond.org

If you know someone that works in a church or is a student you could get a significant Finale discount. 

[nanabush]

Finale 2007 can have rests/notes.  In the bottom area, there should be 1,2,3,4 buttons.  Each of those let you put notes in different colors representing different layers.  So you can have a whole note superimposed on a quarter note if you want (I think this is the same concept?)

[quantum]

There is also a trick in Finale if you need more than the 4 layers + 2 voices on the same staff.  Create another staff and move it so the two staffs overlap. Should give you the illusion of having 16 independent parts on one staff.  Of course you can do this multiple times, but I don't think there are many situations where it is needed. 

Not sure if the demo version of Finale can do this.

[countrymath]

Sibelius

its the best

[kookaburra]

Finale 2007 can have rests/notes.  In the bottom area, there should be 1,2,3,4 buttons.  Each of those let you put notes in different colors representing different layers.  So you can have a whole note superimposed on a quarter note if you want (I think this is the same concept?)

yeah,
on one song where I absolutely needed the rests/notes, I discovered the layer feature. but, it doesn't print out that way? .......

anyway I don't think that Finale is the one I want to buy, if there's a better one out there. I find it to be a little clumsy....

[quantum]

Finale full version is much more powerful than the demo.  If you want to obsess over every little detail and have engraver quality scores, Finale is more suited to the task.  If you want get the music notated without fussing too much about the technicalities of engraving look at Sibelius.  These are the two most used notation software packages, however they represent two different approaches to the task.  Going with either one would give you a large user support base. 

I'm glad to see the open source developers tackling the need for software.  I'd love to see an open source package that competes at the level of Finale or Sibelius. 

[kookaburra]

@quantum,

could you direct me to any of these open-source softwares?

[richard black]

The best-looking output is probably still from SCORE:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCORE_(software)

but it's got a bit of a severe learning curve.

[quantum]

@quantum,

could you direct me to any of these open-source softwares?

https://musescore.org/en
https://lilypond.org

[lelle]

After having used both Finale and Sibelius I have to say Sibelius is a thousand times better, simpler and intuitive. So if you ever gonna acquire a "proper" program I'd say go for Sibelius.

[kookaburra]

I downloaded musescore and lilypond, musescore looks pretty good once I get used to it, but I can't for ze life of me figure out lilypond!     Will try sibelius next...