| | |  | Music Notation | Home » » » » Finale 2011 | | | | | | | Description: | | From inspiration to applause, music comes alive with Finale. Easily compose, arrange, notate, and print publisher-quality sheet music that plays back with world-class sounds. Whether you're creating orchestral film scores or .MP3 files for your iPod, Finale offers you the power, flexibility, and freedom to create any music you can imagine. Finale 2011 frees you from software constraints so you can focus on music. This new version includes many new features including: improved lyric entry and spacing, easier staff layout, new Garritan sounds with an updated Aria Player, new music education worksheets, expanded percussion playback and much more. From lyrics and staff layout to Garritan sounds and new fonts, Finale 2011 is more intuitive, efficient, and flexible. | | | Features: | |
• Compose, arrange, notate, and print engraver-quality sheet music
• New Garritan sounds with an updated Aria Player, plus external sound library support for VST/AU instruments and effects
• New improved lyric entry and spacing, and easier staff layout
• New music education worksheets, expanded percussion playback and much more
• Multiple options to enter your music using a MIDI keyboard, computer keyboard, mouse, mic, or scanner
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Weight:
| 1.0 pounds | | Package Length:
| 9.7 inches | | Package Width:
| 7.6 inches | | Package Height:
| 2.0 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.8 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 32 reviews |
| | | System Requirements: | | | Platform:
| Windows Vista / Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard / Windows 7 / Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard / Windows XP | | Media:
| DVD-ROM | | Item Quantity:
| 1 |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 32 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 15 found the following review helpful:
 One Step Forward, Two Steps BackJun 15, 2010
By Music Is Everything
"Music Is Everything"
Like all new editions of Finale, there are some minor improvements with Finale 2011, and you can learn all about that at the MakeMusic website.
There is, however, a major unaddressed problem. Starting with Finale 2010, certain files created in older versions of Finale stopped opening. Finale 2010 would try to open the file, then crash. The files are not corrupted, as they still open fine in the older versions of Finale. I sent one such file to MakeMusic and they confirmed the problem. They suggested exporting every one of my files (of which there are thousands) in XML format, then reimporting them into Finale 2010, which would have taken weeks, so I gave up and have been using Finale 2008a. Sadly, I contacted MakeMusic and they confirmed the problem has not been fixed in Finale 2011. So, for longtime Finale users, I cannot recommend this update. A quick search on the web shows that there are plenty of others dealing with this problem, but a solution has not been offered.
For those getting started with notation software, Finale is still the standard, so this might work just fine, but I do think glitches like these raise certain questions, especially when the Sibelius notation software has been so successful competing with Finale. Consider carefully.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 Most powerful Finale everJul 09, 2010
By Jimmy
I have not used Finale in years and was totally impress with how far it has come. The sounds are incredible and the interface seems to have greatly improved and gotten easier to use. I highly recommend this for anyone looking to put their musical ideas down to paper.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Sibelius more intuitive??? I don't get it!Sep 27, 2011
By Mr. T Music
Maybe it's because I've been using Finale for years, but I don't understand the supposed "fastest, smartest, easiest way to write music" - Sibelius. As a casual user, I don't use all the bells and whistles Finale has to offer. As a music educator and composer/arranger, I do use the average set of features you would expect to produce a Piano/Vocal Score or a Band or Orchestral arrangement. I thought the addition of the mixer environment and now all the production and sequencing tools make the software complete. You don't need to export your work to hear a very reasonable rendition of your arrangement AND you can record or import audio and sync it up! I don't usually upgrade every year, but when I do, I wait for the "sale" upgrade price. Great, if you don't mind waiting for it to save a few bucks. If the sale price was the regular price, I would upgrade every year.
Finale does have a learning curve, but I never found it daunting. As in any software application I find what I need and use it! I use both Mac and PC and thrive in the ever-so-intuitive world of Apple (the way computers should be), I just don't GET the intuitiveness that Sibelius claims. Apparently their "intuitive" is not mine. I am proud to be a FINALE USER. Finale Always produces professional looking results.
I use Notepad in school with students, although it was a lot easier to get when it was FREE. At $10 a pop, I have to get the school involved in acquiring what we need. Maybe Notepad should be free for school use (take note MakeMusic, Inc.)! Best way to cultivate adult Finale users - start 'em early.
Students find it easy to use. I wish it had just a few more features.
CHECK IT! [...]
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
What can't you do with this program!?Aug 09, 2011
By Passionate about teaching
I've been using Finale for more than 15 years to compose and arrange: choral/orchestral/concert band scores, handbell music . . . If there's something Finale can't do, I have yet to find it! (It's a big program, and it may take a few minutes to locate it, but there is a way!) I also (just retired) taught college music theory students to use it. They caught on quickly - and they kept expanding my boundaries! Excellent customer support, too!
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Finale, you've come a long way, baby.Jul 22, 2011
By Mike Rinehart
I've been an on again off again user of Finale since version 1 waaaaay back in the early nineties. I was a regular user while in music school and to the best of my knowledge was the first student at my school to use it as serious composition school. I would have never passed tonal counterpoint without it. My keyboard skills are not anywhere near good enough to play a 4 voice fugue. Finale can play it for you and more. The addition to the Garritan Personal Orchestra makes a great tool even better. Plus it's great for just playing music into the software and let it figure out all the rhythms for you. I can even use it take my MIDI data from my electro-acoustic pieces and adapt the score with custom notation for cues for the musicians. It's also great for generating exercises for my music students.
See all 32 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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