We love music notation software and related products and technology, so that’s what we cover here. You’ll find timely news, in-depth coverage about the field, a...
This episode was written by Andrew Anderson.
We’re very pleased to bring you this episode, and more to come in the future, thanks to our friends at Twenty Thousand Hertz, a podcast that tells the stories behind the world’s most recognizable and interesting sounds.
The history of recorded sound stretches back over a hundred and fifty years, starting with a device that could “record” a voice on a piece of paper. Today, we can enjoy lossless streaming anywhere we go… but getting here wasn’t easy. In this episode, our friends at Twenty Thousand Hertz worked with Qobuz, the high quality music platform, to chart the history of audio mediums, from cylinders made of tin foil and wax, to vinyl, 8-track, cassette, CDs, and mp3s. Along the way, they explore the innovations and quirks of each format, with memories sent in from their listeners and the 20K team. Featuring Adam Tovell from the British Library Sound Archive.
Then, stay tuned afterwards as David MacDonald and Philip Rothman tie all of this “related technology” back to the “music notation” portion of the Scoring Notes mission, and explore how music notation and recorded sound are complementary sides of what makes a song a song.
Further reading:
What Is a Song?, by Ben Sisario from The New York Times, about the copyright questions raised in the lawsuit involving Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” and Ed Sheeran’s song “Thinking Out Loud”.
Further listening:
The [COMPRESSED] history of mastering
Music featured in this episode:
Original music by Wesley Slover
Steppin Intro by Sound of Picture
Paraphrase on Sleeping Beauty by Paul Pabst
Greylock by Skittle
Lonely Summertime by The Rockin’ Berries
Ding Dong by Niklas Gabrielsson
Bebop Blues by Vendla
Living Memories by Golden Age Radio
Gin Boheme by Vermouth
Forever in Love With a Ghost by PÄR
You Oughta Know by Rockin’ For Decades
Back in Time by They Fall
Pink Gloves by J.F. Gloss
Dreamweavers by Sven Lindvall & Daniel Fridell
No One Knows But Me by Torii Wolf
Tour 505 by Epocha
Blipper by Sound of Picture
October by UTAH
Do You by KENA
Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced out of the studios of Defacto Sound, and hosted by Dallas Taylor.
Art by Divya Tak.
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40:38
A snapshot of music scanning apps, and picturing the future
Music scanning technology, or optical music recognition (OMR) if you like, has been around for decades, and yet in many ways is still barely out of infancy. But that could soon change as classic algorithm-based desktop programs converge with newer mobile apps and web-based machine learning tools.
Steve Morell joins Philip Rothman and David MacDonald to discuss his review of six of those products that run the gamut of those technologies: Newzik, Soundslice, PlayScore 2, Sheet Music Scanner, SmartScore 64 Pro 64 NE, and ScanScore Professional. He takes on through his process of testing each of them from the common perspective of a user wanting to get a quick and accurate scan for exporting via MusicXML to other software such as Sibelius, Dorico, or MuseScore.
However, those applications have many other use cases. We explore those as well, and how each of the products may be suited to one particular use or another in their own way. We also envision where the industry is headed and how these technologies could potentially evolve in the future.
Read the full Scoring Notes review: Scanning the current OMR landscape
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55:33
Stock ‘n shop
‘Tis the season to be thankful for all of the products and services in the world of music notation software and related technology, and for the Scoring Notes audience who tunes in to hear us opine on them! We show our appreciation by bearing good tidings in the form of a summary of all of the updates to MuseScore, Dorico, and Sibelius over the past year. Then, Philip Rothman and David MacDonald do a little shopping to find some Black Friday deals and make a few recommendations for fun and productivity.
Black Friday 2024 deals for music notation software and related tech
Show notes:
Scoring Notes Product Guide, with links to posts about MuseScore, Dorico, and Sibelius updates from the past year
Black Friday products and deals we mention:
MakeMusic discounted crossgrade to Dorico
Steinberg Cyber Deals
Avid Black Friday Savings
PDF Expert Black Friday deals
Acon Digital Black Friday sale
Muse Hub
StaffPad on iPad and Windows
Notation Central, Notation Express, Scoring Express, NorFonts
Bambu Lab Black Friday Sale
Studio Neat Mark pens
Sidekick Notepad from Cortex
Matthew Maslanka’s Beam Slants Reference Poster
Henle engraving plate
Samsung T7 SSD, T7 Shield SSD, T9 SSD
Xkey 25 MIDI controller
Nektar SE25 and Se49 MIDI controllers
Logitech MX Keys S – Windows and MX Keys Mini – Windows
Logitech MX Keys S – Mac and Logitech MX Keys Mini – Mac
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1:22:21
On the record about higher education
Music education isn’t just learning how to read alto clef and knowing your intervals anymore. The evolution of music technology education, the changing attitudes of students towards music production, and the importance of teaching foundational skills alongside technology have made the collegiate experience in music more diverse than ever. In this episode, Philip Rothman and David MacDonald engage with guest Ben Fuhrman, a composer and music tech professor at Montana State University. They explore the preparation and skills students bring to music tech programs, focusing on music notation software, DAWs like FL Studio, Pro Tools, and Ableton Live, and the influence of high-profile artists on student choices. Skills that may seem trivial like file management are actually very important, complementing the understanding of concepts in preparing students for diverse careers in music technology.
We also touch upon the evolving nature of music careers, the necessity for students to have both technical and traditional musical knowledge, and the impact of collaborative learning environments in fostering empathy and curiosity in the rapidly changing landscape of music technology.
More from Scoring Notes:
Sample rate, bit depth, bit rate, and you(r ears)
Katie Wardrobe on music tech in education [encore]
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53:49
Finale’s coda
Finale, the legendary music notation software program, has been discontinued 36 years after its groundbreaking release in 1988 from Coda Music Technologies. MakeMusic, the company that now owns Finale, has partnered with Steinberg to sell its Dorico application at a specially discounted price directly to Finale users. Jason Loffredo joins Philip Rothman and David MacDonald in a comprehensive discussion about the facts, the business analysis, and the way forward for customers.
More on Scoring Notes:
MakeMusic ends development and availability of Finale; partners with Steinberg to sell Dorico directly [updated]
Finale version 27 review: SMuFL and MusicXML 4.0 support
Finale v27 and the SMuFL shuffle
Finale version 27.1: SMuFL burrows deeper
Finale version 27.2 adds new jazz template, native Apple silicon support
Finale version 27.3 adds eight powerful JW tools, fixes some linked part issues
Finale version 27.4 supports macOS Sonoma, true black printing, other fixes
Jason Loffredo’s “Conquering Finale” video tutorial series
We love music notation software and related products and technology, so that’s what we cover here. You’ll find timely news, in-depth coverage about the field, and honest reviews about products you use every day. You’ll learn about the interesting people in our field and find out our opinions on ever-changing developments in the industry.
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