Pizzicato Notation - how far does it go compared to the big ones?

[lfm]

Found this:
http://www.arpegemusic.com/pizzicato-ecriture.htm

Looks pretty good at first glance and about a third of price of big ones.

But maybe so much mentioned about composing in notation software. My need is just from a daw perspective and composing is done, kind of.

And smooth ability to get looks adjusted for readability and keep playback as is from a midi file or what you use for transfer. Fine tuning, changing a 16th rest as it was played into an 8th note without a rest instead, nothing else screwed up on other bars not summing up to time signature(just get a red marker in the bar or something until done).

And not loads of content with libraries and things - guess this part is a lot of the price point. But if that is the overhead you get - let that be it - but secondary for me.

Any input welcome, thanks.

[Michael L]

It's a very well-designed suite of programs!
The GUI is dated, but Dominique has been working on updating it.
Not sure if he is finished.
A demo will quickly answer your questions.
http://www.arpegemusic.com/demo1.htm
Be sure to check out the music typing keyboard!

[lfm]

Thanks, demo downloaded just now - will dive into it and see how deep it goes.

EDIT: The demo was rather cool style, since it enable you to select every startup - which version of Pizzicato you want to evaluate.

90 or so examples and things to help you forward.

But I was unable to import a midi file - it ended with a piano roll and single line score, but Validate it, to get into Pizzicato - it ends with Demo screen saying stuff.

From examples though I was looking at how to adjust something already imported and split into staves and things. There were stuff referencing this in Example 51 and 52 - but score were blank - because it was not part of the version I was evaluating. Pizzicato Notation is described as everything Pro version has in notation area - but seems not.

So paying $2500 for Pro version - of something not updated since 2016 is not something I will do. For $200 I can get Finale latest version from the old one I have.

So currently evaluating Finale v26 now.

[Tj Shredder]

There is also MuseScore free and open source...
and Notability also free for the more advanced stuff... (was commercial and is set free (as in beer) now...)

[Dewdman42]

MuseScore is my recommendation for notation for most people unless you need to work with a publisher, then finale.

Pizzicato is a unique piece of software that does some cool things related to composing tasks, that no other program of any kind does. Its definitely one of a kind. It is a dated gui for sure, but functional.

[lfm]

Thanks for comments - TJ Schredder and Dewdman42.

I have an old Finale Guitar 2003 - which seems to hold out pretty good(stripped down of big Finale, so very affordable at the time).
Some things I tested in full version v26 Finale now - simply did not work - like import presets that I was able to use by transferring ones done in my old FG - and copied over. Not a good sign what happend over 16 years of development with Finale since the version I have.

Still have not found a way to split a staves over to grand piano style two handed - unless on import.
So finding a bit later that part would look better as two staves treble+bass - I could not find a way to do it.
Even my old Sonar 8.5 staff view do that in a sec - go into layout select treble+bass and the split note - done.
You can do this until you find it looks the best. With Finale I had to redo full import - first close and abandon current failed import - and redo dozens of times until I got it right for that particular midi file.

Some really overcomplicate simple things. It's was the same in Notion 6 now - only record and import do split of notes over staves. And to succeed it goes by name - and unless called Piano - nothing happend - weird.

And latest Finale only have online manual - and I am not online doing anything music at all. And a dialog to change key signature - and option to keep pitch of all notes in my FG2003 - were changed to menu with all possible keys where transpose was mandatory(as I discovered) - and not until a day later I found there were "Other" at the very bottom of menu and had this dialog I have to use every time to keep pitch and not transpose.

I'm just importing a midi file - and try to make the best looks and easy to read score to those notes. And that is usually knowing the key not to clutter with accidentals all over in every bar. And finding too many support lines below this will look better in two staves - but they make this hell to accomplish.

A couple of years ago I tested Forte, MagicScore(pretty nice) and MuseScore2 as well. There were different problems - don't remember which had what. Some did not support any playback unless certain protocols(it became emulated ASIO and stuttered or similar), and some did not import correctly. So they worked on a laptop but not on main machine.

There are so different ways of using notation software I guess. It's very different coming from a daw when all music is done just fixing visuals or writing in score from scratch that fully express intentions of a composer.