MakeMusic has announced that Finale 2011 is now shipping.

"Finale 2011 adapts to the way musicians work," stated Ron Raup, MakeMusic's CEO. "We believe that musicians who are used to adjusting the way they create to accommodate music software will be delighted with the flexibility and freedom Finale 2011 offers. We've worked closely with a broad range of our customers to ensure that these enhancements benefit both those new to putting music on the printed page as well as those who are using Finale to create Pulitzer-, Grammy- and Oscar-winning scores."

Finale 2011 takes care of the details and allows musicians to focus on creating their music:

• New Staff Layout capabilities make it simple and intuitive to hide, move and edit staves, groups and brackets. Musicians are now free to work in any order they wish.
• Lyrics are more easily entered, instantly appear exactly as they'll print out and are automatically spaced with even greater precision.

Finale 2011 also includes nearly 400 instrument sounds from the makers of Garritan Personal Orchestra. An updated Garritan Aria player offers sophisticated control over these sounds with an integrated Ambiance reverb and a powerful new Ensemble feature. Those writing for percussion will welcome new music fonts that include a comprehensive collection of percussion, mallet and handbell graphics, as well as enhanced percussion playback capabilities.

Features of special interest to music educators include the Finale AlphaNotes music font and an expanded collection of more than 800 customizable music education worksheets and flashcards, including jazz improvisation worksheets and more than 100 titles of classroom repertoire.

Additional enhancements include automated Capo Chords, improved pickup measures, a new Quick Reference Guide with step-by-step instructions and colorful illustrations and much more.

You can view short videos and details highlighting key Finale 2011 advancements here.

Finale 2011 costs $600. Upgrades start at $119.95.