Need help composing

[Lunahorum]

I wanted some help composing in terms of software. I have finale 2007, but it sucks. I always compose using the FL piano roll because it is faster than finale (even though it should be the other way around)

So is there any good, fast composing software out there?

Thanks.

Also, in FL studio, or something else (composing software), is there a button I can press to shift the highlighted melody around to different modes? To click every note and drag it its corresponding distance to morph it into a different scale/mode takes a while.

edit: Or maybe cubase or sonar. I've heard those have musical scores. I am fine composing in the FL piano roll, it's just that I think composing with notation would be a hell of a lot faster.

[Tensei]

If FL's piano roll/sequencer works for you, why look for something else? FL's sequencer is generally considered to be one of the best (I mean, even people like Zircon and Sixto swear by it) and you're saying you work faster with it than with Finale, so I don't see a reason why you would need to look for 'composing software'.

No idea on the 'changing melodies to different modes' though since I just compose by ear

[Moseph]

Finale's really slow unless you're extremely familiar with it because it's basically a typesetting program and not a sketchpad. Check out the Sibelius demo. It's similar to Finale, but more user-friendly, and if you decide you like it, you can get a discount for crossgrading from Finale.

EDIT: Have you learned how to use the Speedy Entry tool in Finale? If you have a MIDI keyboard, that's definitely the fastest way to get things written down. (Actually, in terms of notes written per second, I can go faster with Speedy Entry than I can with a piano roll editor.)

EDIT 2: I just now figured out how to use the step entry in SONAR's piano roll, so now it works like Finale's Speedy Entry

[Nutritious]

Also, in FL studio, or something else (composing software), is there a button I can press to shift the highlighted melody around to different modes? To click every note and drag it its corresponding distance to morph it into a different scale/mode takes a while.

In FL Studio:

-Open up piano roll for the pattern you want to change the key

-Ctrl + A (highlight all notes)

-Click first note and drag it to the correct key. All notes will move same distance.

[Moseph]

In FL Studio:

-Open up piano roll for the pattern you want to change the key

-Ctrl + A (highlight all notes)

-Click first note and drag it to the correct key. All notes will move same distance.

He wants to change the mode -- e.g. major scale to minor scale.

EDIT: @max97230: Any program that has a diatonic transposition feature can change the mode for you, but you need to know how the starting mode and the desired mode relate to each other. If, for example, you want to change major to Dorian, you would transpose up diatonically by a second. You could then transpose back down chromatically by a second to put it back in the original range.

(Obviously, this only works for the standard seven-note modes -- you can't convert into something like pentatonic with this method.)

[Lunahorum]

No idea on the 'changing melodies to different modes' though since I just compose by ear

Well I mean like changing from major to phrygrian without manually moving each note its corresponding 1/2 or whole step. Mainly to QUICKLY get a feel for what it would sound like in a different mode. But I guess that would handy for experimentation. I guess for actual composing, the time it takes to change to a different mode is tiny compared to the total time spent??

edit: O thanks moseph. Do you know a program that can do this? I think melodyne can do it (with audio too!!!) but that's out of my price range.

[Sil]

I wanted some help composing in terms of software. I have finale 2007, but it sucks. I always compose using the FL piano roll because it is faster than finale (even though it should be the other way around)

edit: Or maybe cubase or sonar. I've heard those have musical scores. I am fine composing in the FL piano roll, it's just that I think composing with notation would be a hell of a lot faster.

Incorrect. The piano roll is much faster, and I orchestrate using staff notation in Finale all the time. The main benefits of piano roll are:

-stretching notes to get the correct duration

-dragging notes to anywhere within the measure without worrying about rests or placement (Finale is terrible at this)

-not having to worry about the correct accidentals (sharps, flats, naturals)

-not having to play with crescendos to get the exact volumes you want (the ability to draw volume is ingenious)

-not having to play with tempo markings (again, you draw the tempo changes)

-quick cutting and pasting with the ability to blend or overwrite

-moving groups of notes without transposing (don't know if newer versions of Finale do this)

-other reasons I can't think of at the moment

Trust me, the piano roll is so much faster with so much more control. It would actually be unprofessional to use just staff notation.

[Moseph]

For me, the question of piano roll vs. staff is determined by what I intend the music to be. If I'm writing something that will exist only as a synthesized audio recording and need to make it sound just right, I'll do it all on a piano roll. If I'm writing something that will actually be performed and needs to look just right, I'll do it all in Finale.

With regard to the latter, it's easier for me to judge what a piece will sound like when performed if I'm looking at actual musical notation.

EDIT:

edit: O thanks moseph. Do you know a program that can do this? I think melodyne can do it (with audio too!!!) but that's out of my price range.

Finale can do it, and so can some sequencers (I know that Sonar can), but I don't think FL can do it.

[tgfoo]

I prefer composing and doing my sketches with a pencil and paper. It's faster than using Finale and a better visual and easier to edit than using a sequencer. I usually do 4 staves with 1 or 2 voices per stave. I'll then do most everything else in a sequencer (I play in most of the parts). Actually, the only time I use Finale is when someone else has to look at the music, and since I'm no longer in school taking music classes, my copy of Finale gets little use.

I would never use Finale (or any notation program for that matter) to get a finished product recording of something, mostly for all of the reason Sil gave.

[Moseph]

I would never use Finale (or any notation program for that matter) to get a finished product recording of something, mostly for all of the reason Sil gave.

This is the reason I'm still using the 2006 version of Finale. Most of their recent updates to the program have focused on making things sound good in playback, which is not something I'm overly concerned with when I use Finale. They still haven't fixed my pet peeve -- the difficulty of creating beamed slashed grace notes.

[Abadoss]

Well, the last two version have had some other focuses as well. 2007 added the ability to score video and 2008 has added the ability to import and record audio. I use Finale religiously, but I do agree that it is not the fastest and is probably not going to be the best choice for sound production value. It really is meant for composers who deal with live performers or publishers on a regular basis.

[Lunahorum]

Yea I definitely want to do the finished product on a piano roll. Ok thanks for the generous input everyone. For some reason I thought using a music notation sequencer would be faster