If anyone has used Music Studio to compose Classical Music - please reply so we may correspond.

williamgdunbar wrote on 9/24/2012, 1:52 AM

I have recently purchased Music Maker 2013 and Music Studio and despite 'attempting' to read the manual, I am completely confused about how I can compose classical music and print off the score.

Anyone who has done this, please get back to me. I have used software similar to Sibelius and my most recent compostion was a SATB choral piece in Latin that I printed. I was hoping that Music Studio would allow me to compose music so I could hear the instruments (but obviously not the voices of the choir).

Or, am I expecting too much from the software?

Comments

johnebaker wrote on 9/24/2012, 12:22 PM

Yes and No - because I think there is a little misunderstanding of the function of both types of software.

Sibelius and others like it are, for want of a better description, music scoring (composing) software with the ability to play the score (composition).

Music Maker and others like it are 'music creators', and do not have the scoring facilty but do create the final audio product.

Music Studio is effectively a recording studio/creator on your PC

HTH

John

gandjcarr wrote on 9/24/2012, 1:02 PM

Hi,

To add to johnebaker's comment, if you want to write music notes and transcribe them into sounds, MusicMaker is not the best place to do this. Yes you can use the instruments to play and record the note, but that is not really transcribing. MusicMaker is really geared toward people who play or write music by ear. So for example, I have played, performed and recorded music for over 30 years. I play bass, drums, guitar and a very little keyboard. I know patterns, riffs, beats, and key in my head. So I use this sofware to arrange and compose music without ever reading a single note. I just know what the next note or chord change needs to be.

Anyone who has been trained to read sheet music and play or record that way to me is at a big disadvantage in that the sheet music is required before anything can be composed or recorded.

Because I play by ear, I have learned what notes go with what chords and in what key, so I really don't need sheet music to get the sound right. I can and do on occasion play and record classical music, but I really don't need or care about sheet music on a page.

So, for example, you could send me a composition (audio file only, no sheet music) that needed a bass part (because that is my primary instrument) in any music style, and within a couple of hours, I could give you 5 to 10 different bass parts for your composition regardless of music style, all notes would be perfect, and in key.

Good Luck

williamgdunbar wrote on 9/24/2012, 4:31 PM

Thanks to both of you - John and gandjcarr. 50 years ago (oops, I am telling my age) I wrote rock and mood songs and played guitar and piano in a band (The Beathovens) and read music and play by ear - knowing what chords to use in what key. I have also writtenand directed music shows with 5 - 6 songs in each and more recently composed a SATB choral piece using Latin text - having been challenged to do so.

I feel that I may be facing an uphill struggle with Music Maker and Music Studio (which I was told will produce sheet music) and yes! I will need 'Good Luck'. I have not yet taken the step to connect my professional Yamaha keyboard to the computer to find out if Music Maker will recognise it and wil have to trawl through the instruction manual to learn how to use it.

William