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Transciption Software?


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ANother Sibelius/Transcribe user here.

I guess it is a question of what you want any software to do. If you only want to write out parts for yourself and possibly a small group, then something like Sibelius First (£80) or Sibelius Academic (£200) will be more than adequate. The full Sibelius package is nearer £400 nowadays but would be brilliant if you want to write full scores for orchestras, big bands etc. Finale is another one but that seems to be just as expensive as the Sibelius options (£240). It never used to be able to play stuff back to you but I think it can now (which is probably why it is more expensive than it used to be). Musescore is a free download which may easily meet your needs but I have to say it drove me nuts and was not as user-friendly as Sibelius so I deleted my copy. As it is free, it it probably worth a try as you have nothing to lose.

For the record, I am using Sibelius 2 and they are now on version 7.5 but I have never found I could not do what I wanted to on the version I have so the bells and whistles are clearly not that essential.

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Oooh right, notation software too - sorry was illicit basschatting in the office and didn't read properly.

I actually write all my tranacriptions down (if I'm not just memorising them) pencil on manuscript paper.

Maybe you could have a try at noteflight? It's free and I've used it sporadically in the past with good results.

http://www.noteflight.com

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For slowing stuff down I usually use RiffStation or Anytune. Anytune is probably the better choice but is only available for iOS type things and as I don't have a mac or ipad or does drive me a bit mad on my phone! You can check out a review of each here

http://www.mattlawtonbass.com/riffstation-review/
http://www.mattlawtonbass.com/anytune-pro-review/

I do all my notating into Musescore. The biggest drawback is you can't add TAB but I'm pretty sure they're working on that now. I have used Sibelius in the past and I've got to say Sibelius is much easier to use but once you get the hang of Musescore it's fine to use. Lots of online help too. So definitely worth a go, I do still plan on upgrading to Sibelius at some point though.

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[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1399535959' post='2445046']
ANother Sibelius/Transcribe user here.

I guess it is a question of what you want any software to do. If you only want to write out parts for yourself and possibly a small group, then something like Sibelius First (£80) or Sibelius Academic (£200) will be more than adequate. The full Sibelius package is nearer £400 nowadays but would be brilliant if you want to write full scores for orchestras, big bands etc. Finale is another one but that seems to be just as expensive as the Sibelius options (£240). It never used to be able to play stuff back to you but I think it can now (which is probably why it is more expensive than it used to be). Musescore is a free download which may easily meet your needs but I have to say it drove me nuts and was not as user-friendly as Sibelius so I deleted my copy. As it is free, it it probably worth a try as you have nothing to lose.

For the record, I am using Sibelius 2 and they are now on version 7.5 but I have never found I could not do what I wanted to on the version I have so the bells and whistles are clearly not that essential.
[/quote]

Not as user friendly as Sibelius, it must be awful to use then.

Sibelius and user friendly are definitely not two words that I'd use in the same sentence :) .

Transcribe is really good though, an amazing bargain really if transcribing is something you want to do. It's a bit habit forming though, especially when you start to get ok at it :).

I use transcribe to get the part/note/phrase and then put it straight into Sibelius.

Edited by ambient
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[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1399535959' post='2445046']
... Finale is another one but that seems to be just as expensive as the Sibelius options (£240). It never used to be able to play stuff back to you but I think it can now (which is probably why it is more expensive than it used to be). ...
[/quote]

There is a free version of Finale for notation, Finale Notepad: http://www.finalemusic.com/products/finale-notepad/ and it does playback and tabs for bass and guitar. Mac and Windoze versions.
I am not a good judge of this, because I am rubbish at music, but it seems very good for notation. It's free, worth a try?

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Music notation - another Sibelius user here. Was on G7 until OS X stopped working with it, now using First.

Working on stuff - just bought Capo. Will do independent pitch and speed changes, and identifies the notes being played - it will even have a stab at working the chords out for you. Still running Snow Leopard on my old Mac Mini, so having to use version 2 rather than 3 (which requires Mavericks).

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[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1399544436' post='2445142']
Not as user friendly as Sibelius, it must be awful to use then.
[/quote]

It works for me. I have no problems with it at all. I guess it is about expectations!! ;)

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[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1399628056' post='2445950']
It works for me. I have no problems with it at all. I guess it is about expectations!! ;)
[/quote]

I was with a guy today who was using Sibelius 5, that looked better than version 7 that I've got. Maybe it's gotten fiddlier as it's progressed ?

:)

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I preferred Sibelius 2 to anything they've done since. Unfortunately OS updates mean that that's not an option anymore.

Sibelius First 7 does everything I need now, but it looks like an iPhone app instead of a professional creative tool, I suppose that's just marketing though.

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Transcribe! is #1 for looping and playing along with. EQ to try and help bring up deeply mixed bass lines, highlight other parts, etc. Just great software.

For many things I'm not writing them down so much anymore - trying to learn it by ear and play it perfectly on the instrument first. Melodies, bass lines, song forms, etc. There isn't always time for me to do this...it's slower than just working it out and writing it down.

When I do write it down for just me, often manuscript paper and pencil.

If it's a chart for the band, then Sibelius. Some fiddler transcriptions too if I am having a tough time working out rhythms - I'll try different things out in Sibelius.

I used to use Noteflight and thought it much easier to use than Sibelius. But I ran into the limit of manuscripts it would let me store on the server and I didn't want to pay ongoing fees, so it withered on the vine for me.

I couldn't get musicxml to export properly from Noteflight and have it read well in Sibelius, either. Too much editing needed. PITA

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[quote name='project_c' timestamp='1399832874' post='2448151']
nobody's mentioned Musescore yet, desktop as well as iOS/android, very easy to pick up and figure out.
[/quote]
I was just about to. I use Musescore. Its excellent for FOC software.

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Sibelius and Transcribe have been my weapons of choice for a long time.
But lately I have been using Notion4 notation software. £32.

There is an iPad version also available.
You can import/export files between desktop and iPad.
7gig of good sounds as well.
It really is very quick to get you head around.

https://shop.presonus.com/products/notion-prods/Notion-4

iPad version
https://shop.presonus.com/products/notion-prods/Notion-for-iPad

Both stable and rock solid to run.

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[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1400397149' post='2453379']
Sibelius and Transcribe have been my weapons of choice for a long time.
But lately I have been using Notion4 notation software. £32.

There is an iPad version also available.
You can import/export files between desktop and iPad.
7gig of good sounds as well.
It really is very quick to get you head around.

[url="https://shop.presonus.com/products/notion-prods/Notion-4"]https://shop.presonu...-prods/Notion-4[/url]

iPad version
[url="https://shop.presonus.com/products/notion-prods/Notion-for-iPad"]https://shop.presonu...Notion-for-iPad[/url]

Both stable and rock solid to run.
[/quote]

That looks pretty good!! Will have to give that a go! Been trying Finale Notepad this week, not too impressed...

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