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Symphony Pro
I would really prefer to have SP as my main notation program,
rather than using programs on my desktop. All I really require
is the ability to write, edit, save, and print my music. Unfortunately,
until some of the current bugs have been ironed out, this is not
really feasable. The app shows real promise; let's hope that the
developers can get to grips with improvements sooner rather than
later.
Mike O'R
Musician & Music Teacher
rather than using programs on my desktop. All I really require
is the ability to write, edit, save, and print my music. Unfortunately,
until some of the current bugs have been ironed out, this is not
really feasable. The app shows real promise; let's hope that the
developers can get to grips with improvements sooner rather than
later.
Mike O'R
Musician & Music Teacher
0
Comments
I keep wanting features(that should be standard) that are just not in SP.
I am glad to hear they are working on a better chord input system, and I would also like to have my own templates so score set up would be diminished:) I would love a human playback feature or maybe swingtime settings
I do not work for Xenon Labs or Symphony Pro, but I'm professionally invested in the app. You're right...Symphony Pro at version 1.2 is not a replacement for a desktop version of Finale or Sibelius. Finale 2010 was a nearly 600GB program that had been in development since 1988. Symphony Pro had been in development since the summer of 2010, released on January 7th, and already updated twice, resolving a number of bugs and adding features. I'm blown away by the inclusion of a keyboard on the screen and the potential impact of Symphony Pro in music education as schools add iPad labs (less effective) or go to 1-on-1 initiatives (much more effective, and how the iPad should be used).
They've also had the iPhone version of Symphony out for some time...but music notation just doesn't work as effectively on a little screen.
Meanwhile, Finale and Sibelius haven't entered the iPad market with any of their products. Notation makes sense on the iPad, SMART Music makes sense on the iPod Touch/iPhone and the iPad. Still...nothing.
I finally realized what the issue must be...Finale & Sibelius are programs that are not touch-based. They are mouse/computer keyboard/piano keyboard driven. Ever tried to use Finale on a SMART Board? Don't. And a SMART Board is more like a mouse than a touch screen. To move to the iPad, they would have to move "Outside the Box," and perhaps MakeMusic and Avid (Sibelius' mother company) are unable or unwilling to do so (which is funny, because I know that Coda Technologies, the founding company of Finale, was thinking outside of the box all the time).
I think Symphony Pro is pretty intuitive. Sure, there will be changes and refinements. But I was spending more time teaching Finale in my music theory classes than theory, because Finale is so picky and detailed to use. Sibelius might be slightly less so, but it requires learning, too. You can pretty much get up and go with Symphony Pro. I've got a grant application in for 15 iPads next year, and I hope that we'll get the grant. I'm really excited about the potential to teach music theory with iPads and Symphony Pro.
So I guess I want to say to Xenon Labs: "Thank you for making this product. Musicians need it." To everyone wanting features, I want to say, "Keep e-mailing Xenon Labs those ideas."
Again, they're on 1.2 just over a month after the app was released. 1.3 is on schedule. They're not abandoning the project. They haven't abandoned Symphony for iPhone, either. This is the time to request and encourage...and to encourage others to purchase the app, so they can keep developing the app. I too, look forward to the day I can export Finale Files as musicXML files and import them into Symphony Pro instead. I don't hate Finale or MakeMusic, but if another company can come out with a better product and compete...they deserve a chance to get a fair look.
(P.S. I'd love those features, too, Antelopeking, although the keyboard works fine for chords for me).