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Share news about music Do you have some news about music that you'd like to share with others? Here's the place.

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  #1  
Old 02-18-2009, 01:11 AM
Mark Walsen (markwa)
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Default About Notation Software's Recession Specials

Whether you are a long time customer of Notation Software, or a recent one, you probably have noticed our unusual Recession Special discounts, and might be wondering what the state of affairs at Notation Software are.

First, I’d like to assure all of our friends and customers that Notation Software is doing well so far during this nasty recession. I’ll fully admit that we have to work harder on just the business side of things to bring in the same revenue, especially given our Recession Special discount. I’ve delayed some development efforts in order to manage a current project to release an entirely new website; the new website should not only help to improve our sales but also better support our customers.

Several development projects have been in the works, some for more than two years, including an interesting plugin, better sound support, and an entirely new product—all which will be released this year… and that’s even if we don’t bring another developer on board.

What’s the deal with the current high discount of Notation Software’s Recession Special? Is this a desperate move by a sinking business? No. The Recession Specials are specifically designed to benefit the type of customers that Notation Software nurtures.

Over many years, Notation Software (founded in 1994) has zeroed in on a special mission to serve everyday musicians, particularly those who read music notation (regardless of genre of music). When it was clear that the world, not just the U.S., was in an especially strong economic recession, I found it not only disappointing that Notation Software would be losing new customers who were having tougher economic times, but also sad that these potential customers would be forgoing the enjoyment of our music software when they might especially benefit from the joys of making music. I’m serious about this. I’m not a slick marketing guy. If I were, I would have been doing something else full-time during the last 14+ years than developing software for fellow musicians, which honestly doesn’t pay very well.

I see this nasty recession as something that has come crashing down hard on a large percentage of us. We’re in this together. Except for the most unfortunate who hunger, we’ll pull through ok. We’ll reconsider our values, what is important to us, particularly family and friends. Music is up there pretty high in what many of us value. Music is good. It doesn’t cost anything to sing or play on an instrument, yet it brings pleasure to us.

In that spirit, it just makes sense to me to offer steep discounts during the recession, so that new customers who might not otherwise be able to afford our Notation Software products can indeed afford it, and also so that we can bring in these new customers and extend our community.

Cheers
-- Mark
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  #2  
Old 02-18-2009, 09:00 AM
Ian Douglas Graham (iandgraham)
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Default Mark I have raised with you

Mark

I have raised with you or Sherry more than once a related issue - that I have paid once for Composer, and you seem to be content to give wonderful support and ongoing upgrades for no further payment or subscription.I have said that I would be willing to pay some sort of annual associate/membership/renewal fee for the benefits I get from NC.

In relation to your post today, what can I best do to help ? Make a donation ? Buy a second copy of Composer ? How would I do that /

Ian G.
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  #3  
Old 02-18-2009, 09:48 AM
Djim Tio (djimtio)
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Default Hi Ian Great idea. I am with

Hi Ian
Great idea.
I am with you.
Regards
Djim
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  #4  
Old 02-18-2009, 01:15 PM
Sherry Crann (sherry)
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Default Howdy guys, Thanks for the

Howdy guys,

Thanks for the kind words and support here!

Actually Ian has already done one of the best things that folks can do, not only for us but for your musician friends as well - tell them all about Notation Software If you play "live" with or otherwise interact with other musicians (eg. in internet chat groups or email lists), let them know about the sale and that they can get software they can really use for a pretty decent price. I myself am on a bass email list (Church Bass) and a lot of them have really appreciated the sale as they could get the software and use it without breaking the bank.

I'll also say how much we appreciate our customers - we consider you friends

ttfn,
Sherry
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  #5  
Old 02-18-2009, 04:27 PM
Mark Walsen (markwa)
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Default Hello Ian and Djim, Thank y

Hello Ian and Djim,

Thank you for directing your generous thoughts towards Notation Software. Since Notation Software hasn't suffered from this recession as many businesses as well as households have, I'd like to echo Sherry's reply, that this generousity might be directed towards helping extend the community of Notation Software users to the vast majority of everyday musicians who haven't heard about our products. Introducing Notation products to other musicians benefits not only Notation Softare, but also these new musician users of the products... as well as you! More good things will happen with the Notation products you use, and in the community of its users, as that community grows.

Cheers
-- Mark
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  #6  
Old 02-24-2009, 06:07 AM
M G Jacobs (mgj32)
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Default Hi Mark, As one living on t

Hi Mark,

As one living on the Social Security minimum and an even more minimal pension from three years on TIAA and whose retirement account has been decimated by the stock market, and will probably be unavailable for withdrawals for a few months, at least, I appreciate your specials.

Amid all the political wrangling about the economic situation, mostly by those not really affected by it, and the come-ons one sees on TV and in the papers (except grocery stores, where the prices keep going up, at least hereabouts), it is actually not as much the specials you have instituted that I appreciate as it is the beauty of the spirit in which you do it, which contains more of the love of music in it than commercial greed.

Congratulations and God speed.

all the best,
mgj

PS. Too bad the grocery stores can't find similar movtivation ;/ !

PS. It has taken so long to respond because I am at the time of life when it is time to get all my published poetry, as well as the things I consider worthy but either in progress or never sent out, in one place; that being the computer. Also time to think of setting some of those suitable to music.
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  #7  
Old 02-24-2009, 06:36 AM
Mark Walsen (markwa)
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Default Hello MG, There are lots of

Hello MG,

There are lots of inspiring things happening in this recession. A couple of weeks ago we attended a local community theatre production of Little Women, where free tickets were given to anyone who had been laid off from a job. You didn't know who in the audience was recently laid off. You realized how random the misfortunes in a poor economy are. You felt warm towards the theatre group willing to give away the free tickets.

Cheers
-- Mark
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  #8  
Old 05-04-2009, 07:40 AM
Mike Vines (mikevines)
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Default Great product - keep up the go

Great product - keep up the good work.

Any news on the new release / new product (features, timeline)? In Composer, I would be interested in better sound control (pan, reverb, chorus etc).

Mike
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  #9  
Old 05-04-2009, 10:31 PM
Mark Walsen (markwa)
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Default Hi Mike, How would you like

Hi Mike,

How would you like the better sound control to work, instead of Notation Composer's current graph drawing approach? Would you like a sound mixer style user interface? Is there a user interface in some other music software app that you think would serve as an especially good model?

Thanks!

Cheers
-- Mark
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  #10  
Old 05-05-2009, 05:58 AM
Mike Vines (mikevines)
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Default Mark, Currently, you can on

Mark,

Currently, you can only set pan and volume for a channel in the staff setup dialog. Extending this to cover reverb and chorus would be a good start - simply adding those as additional columns to the grid would be fine for me.

Sometimes, I would also like to be able to make changes within a piece. Extending the current graph drawing approach to also support reverb and chorus changes would meet my needs.

(Ignore the word pan in my original post - you got that covered already).

I am not sure a mixer approach of entry of this type of control will add much value - it may help to visualise.

Thanks,
Mike
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  #11  
Old 05-05-2009, 08:23 PM
Mark Walsen (markwa)
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Default Hello Mike,

Hello Mike,

<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>quote:</font>

Currently, you can only set pan and volume for a channel in the staff setup dialog.<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>Actually, you can set pan and volume for a track (staff) also using the Graph Over Notes feature of Composer, just as you can reverb and chorus.

<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>quote:</font>

Sometimes, I would also like to be able to make changes within a piece.<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>Exactly. You can do that with Graph Over Notes.

<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>quote:</font>

I am not sure a mixer approach of entry of this type of control will add much value - it may help to visualise.<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>Sherry and I have concluded that Notation Composer doesn't need to simulate on the screen the looks of a big intimidating mixer board. I'm an everyday musician, and I've never laid my fingers on a real physical mixer board. The "metaphor" of a mixer board doesn't speak to me at all, nor the vast majority of everyday musicians who use Notation Composer.

Instead, Sherry and I envision very simple mixer controls that are somewhat suggestive of a mixer board but, more importantly, just practical, space-efficient, ease-to-use controls for pan and volume and perhaps reverb and chorus.

Please let us know what you think of the above. Thanks!

Cheers
-- Mark
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  #12  
Old 05-06-2009, 06:27 AM
Mike Vines (mikevines)
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Default Mark, Oops - just noticed t

Mark,

Oops - just noticed the capability to 'Show other control data' on the graph menu, which allows me to control reverb and chorus - exactly as I want to. Sorry about that.

I agree that a mixer board for entry/control does not really translate to a computer screen. Ones I have seen before tend take up a lot of space, and using sliders and/or knobs with a mouse is always very clumsy and inaccurate. I think if you are going to have a mixer control, that you should not remove the existing mechanisms for entering of these controls.

Mike
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  #13  
Old 05-06-2009, 12:13 PM
Herbert WENDE (herbert)
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Default Hi Mark, Mike... , Mark sai

Hi Mark, Mike... ,

Mark said:

“The "metaphor" of a mixer board doesn't speak to me at all, nor the vast majority of everyday musicians who use Notation Composer.”

Mike said:

” I agree that a mixer board for entry/control does not really translate to a computer screen. Ones I have seen before tend take up a lot of space, and using sliders and/or knobs with a mouse is always very clumsy and inaccurate. I think if you are going to have a mixer control, that you should not remove the existing mechanisms for entering of these controls.”

I disagree and so would the very large majority of users of music production software.

Composer is notation software, but users want a lot more of Composer, then just the notation equivalent of a word processor. Users also want to actually produce a sound track as best as is possible.

My view is that the notation part of composer is most important, but it also needs to have detailed support for sound. There have been lots of discussions in the past, on how to improve on sound creation. Some of the suggestions were to improve the precision of graph over notes, to include more detailed mixer components in the notation window, a mixer window, etc.

The question is not so much of what we, the Composer users want, but when it will be available.

Best wishes,

Herbert
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