Notation Composer ranked by Top Ten Reviews to be the worst Music Notation Software

[dj]

I sent this to Top Ten Reviews today:

Sir,

I see that you have rated Notation Software's Composer at the bottom in your roundup of music notation programs. As a long-time composer for theatre (with more than twenty musicals to my credit), I must disagree vehemently with your appraisal of the program.

At the very least, you have used a more-than-10-year old version of that program to compare to much more modern versions of other software. I have no idea where you got the example that you tested. I have been a beta-tester of that software for longer than that software has existed and even I don't have a copy that old in my archive.

The latest version, Version 3.0.6, incorporates features such as MusicXML import and export, export to PDF, audio export to .wav, .mp3 and more, onboard configurable software sound source, and much more that did not even exist 10 years ago.

However, even from its first incarnations, Notation Composer (then Midinotate Composer) has been dedicated to, and has incorporated, an intuitive, easy to understand and easy to implement human interface that has made it a joy to use -- and not just by myself, but by many others. That approach to music notation has been developed over the years and is now very inclusive.

I have, on my hard drive, Sibelius 7, MuseScore, Lily Pond, Finale and numerous other notation programs, NONE of which have allowed me to accomplish any serious work.

I suggest you apply the 80:20 rule: 80% of the features for 20% of the price. Sibelius, the doyen of music notation software, costs (in my country) as much as $1,000 when all the tidbits are added in; Notation Composer less than $120. And yet, I have never run across a feature that I really needed and lacked in Notation Composer that was available in Sibelius. Other than, perhaps, the nice "parchment-y" background available in the expensive program.

Notation Software's corporate mission is to provide music programs for "the everyday musician", not those composing operas, film scores or (in my case) stage musicals. As testified by many glowing comments I have seen over the years on the company's forum, it does just that admirably -- and I also happen to know that at least one opera, one film score and (in my case) several musicals have been created using it.

A fair review of a modern version of the software is in order.

David Jacklin

[Reinhold H.]

The ranking of Notation Composer in the Top Ten Reviews is still a major issue for us. Any letters and emails which we sent out disappeared. Now I understand why. Purch, the mother company of Top Ten Reviews was acquired by a bigger UK company called Future plc (for the announcement of the acquisition see here).

The emails which were sent by customers as well as my letter to the Purch CEO ended in the nowhere, but Top Ten Reviews still publishes that crazy ranking.

I have touched based to the CEO of the new owning company Future plc to take immediate action. The new company is located in the UK which makes it easier to discuss the issue. I will use this thread to let you know about the status.

Reinhold