Robert Patterson wrote: [snip]
It is nevertheless an interesting development, because I suspect you will begin to see ProTools and Sibelius merge. Some 5 years ago when Finale began to go towards being everything, I recommended then that a better course would have been for them to get in bed with a DAW package. (I recommended Performer.) It looks like, once again, Sibelius is showing all the leadership.
Except that this is leadership by negative example, in my opinion. I have never been in favor of Finale (or Sibelius) trying to be everything to all users, and we only have to turn to Windows to see how horrible things become when tools become integrated into a monolithic whole which removes any/all prerogratives from the end-user.
I recall you making that recommendation at the time, Robert, and much as I admire you, I thought you were wrong then and I still think you're wrong now.
A notation package should remain that, a notation package. A sequencer should remain that, a sequencer. If instead of these ass-backwards mergers they would simply get their stinking acts together and come up with an industry-wide standard for music data files, such that a midi-based sequencer could read the same file as a graphic-based notation package, with complete transparency and interchangability, THEN we'd be on the track of true progress.
As always happens with these mergers, Sibelius is claiming that nothing will change, but as we who have been around computers long enough know, it won't be long before ProTools, as owner, telling Sibelius what to do, cutting back in this department and that department, leaving only the skeleton of what used to be a decent notation application as an after-thought add-on to ProTools.
But since Finale/MakeMusic has never listened to anything I say, I realize that Bob's probably correct in that Sibelius is providing the leadership and as has so often happened in the past few years, what Sibelius does Finale must do it also, they probably will merge with some DAW package. I would, therefore like to go on record as suggesting Sonar instead of Performer. :-)
Oh well, the notation field USED to be a two-horse race -- maybe if Finale holds out and MakeMusic maintains its independence, we'll be back to having Finale be the only horse in the race.
Things don't look too optimistic, in my view. It will be very interesting to see if MakeMusic can get Finale2007 out the door anywhere near on schedule and whether its linked score/parts feature works as we'd all like it to work.
But do pay attention to the nice textured background papers we can use! -- David H. Bailey [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
