Grandpa Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Until now I have been writing for a very basic drumline - snares, double tenor, one bass and cymbals. I've been using Finale Notepad more or less successfully. It's cheap but limited. I have to write the double tenor parts on the "drumset" instrument line and besides being lousy sound it's not that easy picking out the mid and floor toms amongst all the other drums and aux instruments in the staff. Writing for more than one bass part involves using the timpani... Starting in September I'll be teaching a battery with fuller instrumentation - snares, quads, 4-5 bass etc. Will Virtual Drumline allow me to write for this line using Finale Notepad or do I have to splash out for full blown Finale? Sometimes I miss the days when I wrote everything by hand.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
actucker Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 VDL will not work with notepad. It will only work with the full version if I'm not mistaken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 I was afraid of that - I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to stump up for the full version. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
actucker Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Not a problem. If you are an educator, you might want to look at finale's educational discount program. Membership in Phi Mu Alpha, and several other musical organizations count as well. The full version costs around 250$ with that discount. Also, if you're going to pony up the cash, I would strongly recommend Sibelius. It's integration with VDL is a thousand times easier for a first time to understand, and once you adjust to Sibelius, you'll find that it's a thousand times easier than finale. Sibelius offers almost the exact same educators discount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 Not a problem. If you are an educator, you might want to look at finale's educational discount program. Membership in Phi Mu Alpha, and several other musical organizations count as well. The full version costs around 250$ with that discount. Also, if you're going to pony up the cash, I would strongly recommend Sibelius. It's integration with VDL is a thousand times easier for a first time to understand, and once you adjust to Sibelius, you'll find that it's a thousand times easier than finale. Sibelius offers almost the exact same educators discount. Thanks for the info. I downloaded both the Sibelius and Finale demo packages today. Maybe it's because I've already been through the learning curve with Finale Notepad, but I found it much easier to understand. I also found the sound of the midi playback completely acceptable. I am not a professional teacher - I just teach a band and a drum corps, so I don't imagine I qualify for the educator's discount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobrien Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Also, if you're going to pony up the cash, I would strongly recommend Sibelius. Perhaps not, since Sibelius is clear from being safe as a long term software investment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToferVis Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I've always found sibelius easier to use...plus...I feel really bad your writing drumline stuff in Finale notepad...it sounds like total garbage and gives no constructive feedback in terms of listening and adjusting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
actucker Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Perhaps not, since Sibelius is clear from being safe as a long term software investment. Avid Technology is one of the largest and most successful digital media software companies in the industry. Its not going anywhere, and neither is Sibelius, as it is in my experience, much more widely used in the professional world. All of that said, you don't have to pay to continue to use Sibelius. There is no requirement to upgrade, and the software stands on its own. Avid could go under tomorrow, and I would still have and use Sibelius. Your investment is in the software, not the company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumno5 Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I was afraid of that - I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to stump up for the full version. Thanks! For better or worse, we've all been spoiled by the proliferation of technology. I use Finale, but for many years did my charts the old fashioned way, by hand. To be honest, I'm still faster chiseling out a chart with a pencil. The benefits of doing it digitally are considerable, of course, in terms of editing, part extraction, etc. - to say nothing of the neat and clean look of the finished product. But the initial creation of the chart is a bit of a labor intensive process, what with all the many notes (compared to a wind chart), slashes, grace notes, stickings and other percussion-specific entries required to make the chart complete. Having said that, I know folks who use,and swear by, Finale and Sibelius. Partisans from both camps will likely take issue, but I think it's pretty much a toss up, a matter of personal preference. Choose carefully; they're both fairly pricey, as you know! good luck, Fred O. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Posted July 13, 2012 Author Share Posted July 13, 2012 Thanks all. One last question - has anyone used Finale Print Music? It seems pretty good to me - just missing some of the manipulation of the instruments (can't get rid of the LH stuff, for example) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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