NoteAbility Pro

NoteAbility Pro is a professional music notation package for macOS developed by Dr. Keith Hamel at the University of British Columbia.

NoteAbility combines both musical intelligence and notational flexibility in a direct and intuitive graphical user interface. Notate anything from simple melodies to complex avant garde orchestral music, play the score on your MIDI synthesizer or using built-in instrumental samples and print a publishable copy of your score on any compatible printer.

The Standard Features of NoteAbility Pro are:

• Complete set of standard and extended music images (including graphical versions of most images that can be placed anywhere on the page).
• A wide variety of entry methods including mouse, on-screen keyboard, MIDI step time, MIDI real time and QuickScrawl (gesture recognition).
• No limits on score size, image size, number of staves, rhythmic complexity, chord complexity, beaming, tuplet groupings, etc.
• On-screen inspector for modifying the attributes of images and altering the layout of your score.
• Selection options include shift-selection and selection across multiple pages for efficient editing of your score.
• Drag and drop TIFF or PDF graphics from a library of custom images.
• Extensive import and export options.
• Automatic part extraction.
• Playback through MIDI and/or QuickTime.
• Complete on-line help (HTML and PDF).
• Unlimited number of pages per document.
• Unlimited page size (width and height).
• User-specified margins.
• Up to 40 systems per page.
• Up to 40 staves per system.
• Up to 16 measures per system (expandable after setup).
• Standard clefs (treble, alto, tenor, bass, soprano, treble-tenor, octave-bass, percussion).
• Variable number of lines in staff (1 - 6).
• Staff type (number of lines) may change at any location.
• Staff segments may be hidden at any location.
• Standard key signatures.
• All time signatures from 1/1 to 32/32 plus complex time signatures (eg. 1/4 + 3/8).
• Standard and custom braces on each system (including nested braces).
• Standard & custom barlines on each system.
• Staff labels (right or left justified in any font & font size).
• Automatic addition of pages as needed.
• Document display from 25% to 1000%.
• Adjustable page size.

System & Page Formatting Specifications:

• On-screen adjustment of all beat positions in all systems.
• On-screen adjustment of all margins, vertical & horizontal positioning of systems, vertical position of staves, vertical position of lyrics (relative to staff) & horizontal position of the staff labels.
• Re-position page numbers (locations, font, etc.).
• Re-position measure numbers (frequency of appearance, location, font, etc.).
• Change number of systems on the page.
• Change the number of measures in the system.
• Change the number of staves in the system (insertion, deletion, hiding & showing of staves).
• Change the size of any staff.
• Change key signature (all staves in the system or single staves).
• Change the time signature (automatic realignment of notes).
• Change the barline type and format.
• Change the brace type and format.
• Change clef (15 clefs available) at any beat location within the score).
• Add partial measures (e.g. upbeat measures).

Input Methods:

• Mouse input (image drags and note sounds while the mouse is down).
• On-screen piano keyboard.
• Step-time entry from MIDI keyboard.
• Real-time entry from MIDI keyboard (via MIDI Recorder).
• Quickscrawl entry (gesture recognition).
• Import of MIDI files, or GUIDO files.

Audio Specifications:

• Audio MIDI synthesizers and/or QuickTime.
• Audio during note entry (all methods).
• Audio during single note adjustment.
• Staves may be freely linked to outgoing MIDI channels.
• MIDI output can be mapped to 8 different banks (each of 16 channels).
• Programmable MIDI and QuickTime drum kits.
• Support for Inter-application MIDI connections.
• Tempo map can be specified for the score.
• Playback of individual staves.
• Playback of selected notes.
• Playback map allows repetitions of scores sections.
• Transposition of staves on input and playback can be specified.

Music Specifications:

• Complete set of standard music symbols (from double whole to = 128th notes and rests).
• Supports all accidentals (including quarter sharps and flats - which can be set to playback through MIDI).
• Simple graphics (rectangles, circles, lines in grayscale, filled or framed).
• Any image can be any size and any colour.
• Unlimited number of voices per staff (default set at 3).
• Unlimited number of notes per chord.
• Permits extreme rhythmic complexity.
• Flexible beaming of notes (e.g. across staves and barlines).
• Correct placement of notes in chord clusters.
• Correct placement of accidentals in chords.
• Correct vertical alignment of all music images.
• Correct beaming of notes (beam angle and vertical position).
• Correct system formatting according to a complex spacing algorithm.
• Automatic tieing of notes which exceed the measure duration.
• User can adjust the positions of accidentals, noteheads, stems, etc.

Text Specifications:

• Text can appear in any font, size, or colour and can be freely edited, copied and pasted.
• Header Text: is fixed on the page and appears on every page of your score.
• Page Text: is fixed on the page.
• Measure Text: adjusts to the staff and measure position.
• Max Text: for encoding Max messages.
• Lyrics: Are aligned to metrical positions and may have dashes and underscores connecting them to other lyrics or notes.
• Figured Bass Symbols: Allows standard figured bass symbols and dashes to other figured bass symbols.
• Text can be made global so that it is gathered by all parts during part extraction.
• Frames can automatically be drawn around text.
• Graphics (TIFF or PDF) can be dropped into text boxes.
• Individual format rulers are available for each text box.
• Unlimited number of verses of lyrics (leading between verses can be specified).
• Provides a user definable Text Library.

Editing Facilities:

• Image selection by graphical area or staff section across multiple systems and/or pages.
• Cut and copy of all selected images.
• Paste over, merge, and insert options.
• Paste to other NoteAbility documents or other applications via pasteboard (as NoteAbility, TIFF, MIDI, Score, EPS/PDF, or GUIDO).
• Can import EPS/PDF, TIFF, MIDI, Score and GUIDO via pasteboard.
• Local adjustments to the position of all images.
• Adjust secondary positions of images (e.g. length of stem, arc or slur, etc.).
• Change the point size of images (any image can be any size).
• Beam note groups (by beat or by group).
• Automatic insertion of rests.
• Transpose notes by interval or key.
• Shift images from one voice to another.
• Flip stems of notes.
• Flip direction of ties.
• Add accidentals to notes.
• Add and remove ties from notes.
• Merge tied notes into a single note of greater duration.
• Form and alter the display of tuplets (showing bracket, ratio etc.).
• Merge multiple rests into a single rest.
• Add & remove articulation markings from notes.
• Modify the duration of notes and rests.
• Change notehead type.
• Change playback velocity and duration.
• Edit tie shape.
• Increase the value of notes by eliminating following rests.
• Reduce the duration of notes by converting to a note and a rest.
• Change beam format (can contradict the rhythm values if desired).
• Change line width and type (20 line types to choose from).
• Part extraction of specified staff into a new editable document.
• Undo is available for most editing operations.

MIDI Recording Specifications:

• Sixteen (16) channels of MIDI recording.
• Built-in metronome (supporting standard meters).
• Adjustable metronome speed.
• Reads standard MIDI files.
• Reads NeXT .score files.
• Quantize at standard rhythmic values.
• Re-quantize of recorded or imported data.
• Insert into score at any location on any staves or voices.

Control Panel Specifications:

• Displays the current command.
• Allows selection of current tool (and corresponding cursor).
• Allows Entry Cursor to be moved by measure or beat.
• Allows movement through pages.
• Specifies tuplets (triplet, quintuplet or user defined).
• Indicates current measure, beat position, staff number and voice number.
• Indicates starting position of playback and current tempo.
• Indicates last undoable operation.

File Specifications:

• Unlimited number of open documents.
• On-screen toolbar allows access to most panels and many editing operations.
• Standard Open, Save, and Save As menu commands.
• Imports .MIDI, .MID and .score files (through MIDI Recorder).
• Imports GUIDO files which can be pasted directly into an open document.
• Exports .MIDI, .score, NoteWriter (Macintosh), Max qlist, Max explode, EPS/PDF, JPG, GIF, PICT, and GUIDO formats.
• Loads and saves score templates.
• Loads and saves text libraries.

Printing Specifications:

• Uses a customized Page Setup panel which allows you to set reduction size, margins, paper orientation, and print location on paper.
• Prints to all compatible Mac OS X printers.
• Saves documents in PDF or EPS format.