SONAR 8 Producer Competitive Upgrade Review

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(More customer reviews)Sonar has been the best available Windows-based digital audio workstation software for a long time now - to the point where a fair number of producers and studios have migrated to Sonar from Pro Tools, not to mention a steadily increasing string of software and industry awards. (See Cakewalk's site for names, if interested.) And, of course, with Boot Camp, you can run Sonar native under Windows if you have a recent Intel-based Mac - running a Mac doesn't force you into Pro Tools for software at this level. Pro Tools is still the pro industry standard, of course, but while a few years ago you HAD to submit material in Pro Tools format, virtually all studios and mastering facilities will now accept Sonar-based material as well. Cakewalk's continuous investment in Sonar is second to none, and I expect to see it surpass Pro Tools in the next few years. In my opinion, it is already better softare.
Sonar Producer comes with a terrific package of high-quality effects plug-ins (actually the original reason I jumped into Sonar Producer). I've also found Cakewalk to have good customer service - one of the very, very few, in fact, where the response on customer service calls is as good as on sales calls. Cakewalk continues to improve the user interface with Sonar 8. Particularly welcome are edit changes, including multiple-clip edits, and optimizations targeted at running high track counts. Several instruments are included, and I'm particularly happy to see Dimension Pro, which includes Garritan Orchestral sounds, and TruePianos Amber. Your interests and activities will differ, of course (mini are Midi-heavy), and you should really look through the complete list of enhancements on Cakewalk's site. Enhancements for this version runs several pages long. This is a major upgrade from Sonar 7.
In addition to the software, buy a Sonar book or two, take the tutorials, hit one or two of Cakewalk's roadshows, and join a forum or two. There is a fairly steep learning curve with Sonar, as with any other pro-level audio suite, the good news being there is a ton of support out there due to the market's embrace of Sonar.

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Image Line Fruity Loops 3.0 Review

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(More customer reviews)Fruity Loops has been a long time fave of CleverJoe's. This superb software has evolved over the last few years from a 'cool and quirky' drum machine and electronica pattern generator into a monolithic musician's tool. Fruity Loops is very easy to use so you won't get bogged down in the software. Allowing creativity to flow freely is something that Fruity Loops has always been good at.
Fruity Loops can be used on its own as a complete package, or in combination with a digital recording program like Cakewalk, Cubase, etc. Complex songs and sweet drum loops can be created with a few clicks, and the resulting song or loop can be exported to a WAV or MP3 file, and MIDI can be exported to a standard MIDI file.
Although FL can be used as a complete, stand-alone package, it's also easy to use with other music software including Cakewalk, Cubase, etc. I use Fruity Loops to create the drum track beds for songs I'm working on, then export the tracks as WAV files. The WAV files are then imported into Cakewalk Pro Audio, which is my main digital recorder. Apparently FP can also be synched to external sequencers but I find it very easy to simply export the file as a WAV or mp3 and then import it into another program.
There are a wide range of pro quality effects at your disposal including reverb, phaser, flanger etc. Complex mixing chains can be created with ease. It's loads of fun to just screw around and try different combinations of effects. You can get pretty freaky, which of course is one of the joys of Fruity Loops.
For years, Fruity Loops has long been known and loved as a 'secret gem' within the electronica musician community. Today FP has become much more widely known, and the improved features of this version are truly a dream. The most complete virtual studio currently available, you will be creating wav, mp3 or midi songs or loops only minutes after launching it.
For the record, although another user mentioned that he had trouble registering his product for the lifetime upgrade, I didn't have any trouble at all. I found customer service to be second to none, and the legions of musicians who swear by Fruity Loops are a testament to FP's success.
This software should definitely be included in your arsenal of music software. CleverJoe gives it three big thumbs up!

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Steinway Virtual Concert Grand Professional Version - C Review

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(More customer reviews)(Note: I wrote this about the Pro Version in the Basic product review but I noticed there is the Pro version on Amazon, so I am going to repeat it with slight editing.)
I noticed this product last year. I recently purchased the Pro version and it is a real hoot! I remember being frustrated last year as it was announced and months later there was still no release. I then really forgot about it.
It came to my attention recently and found it was available so I purchased this full version that has the 24 bit samples. I have ran both 24 bit and the Pro version "high quality" 16 bit versions and I am not sure after listening the short amount that I have it IF there is any material difference. BOTH are quite impressive.
I was going to buy a 10,000 RPM hard drive for my Icy Dock Sata, Firewire 800 enclosure (these are VERY sweet because they, different hard drives, just slide and snap-in, taking seconds and you just buy accessary trays that you can use as many hard drives you have as long as they are compatible like SATA) but I found my 7200 external quite nice and effective, a Western Digital, for the 24 bit samples going USBII into my 2.2GHz, Macbook Pro.
Earlier, I changed my Macbook Pro (laptop) hard drive to one of those Momentus 7200 RPM drives so the minimum requirements of the Garritan Steinway to run on a 7200 RPM are there actually, *inside* the laptop without an external.
So I tried it. I ran the laptop having the samples on the *internal* using a Firewire 800 connection to an RME Fireface 800 rack acting as my sound-card. Worked GREAT! right from my laptop!!! (with no external drive). HOWEVER, after playing for about an hour or so, the program crashed. (not the laptop, obviously it's a MAC!!). I suspect that it was system file interference, OR one would have to disconnect Airport temporarily to run the Steinway samples direct from the Macbook Pro. I will play with that later, while in the meantime, I am running the 24 bit samples from the Icy Dock with no issues.
The first thing I noticed with playing the Garritan Steinway is the 'singing' capability of the 'instrument'. I am currently using a Yamaha graded action (P80). I should add that the touch of 'hard' 'soft' etc work on the actual P80 and surely other digital pianos to the Garritan for different players' choices since it is adjusting the midi-out velocities though obviously, this can be controlled via the software. Singing notes of the strings or selected tones that are struck harder just stand out with it's dynamic range, something I only perceived at this level by playing a actual acoustic grand. The tone is sweet and not artificial. It is warm and addicting to play and if you intend to play for only a few minutes you will likely get up an hour later.
This software will get you back practicing. You will not tire of the quality like another version of your hardware, digital piano comes out 3 to 6 months later that you wish you waited to buy. The instrument if you look up on the forums is worked on profusely for upgrades by the developer(s). It IS a sampled piano but offers the versatility of having some DSP programming to add and tweak to your desired sound the peripheral tones of the instrument. Hammond actually did this with organ to bring out a new B3. They combined samples with modeling as a hybrid to get just about the EXACT sound in the recent model vintages but tweakable. This was called VASEIII though surely not on the same model parameters as the Garritan but the concept is the same.
The Pro version has 5 perspectives. You need to try them all to find out which one is 'you', having the ability to change to another perspective (mic positions with 5 sets of samples) for a change-up or for a targeting sound for a certain tune or location where you are playing.
For *loud* bands that want to use this: the dynamic range may be a problem for cut. The solution has been to use on the 'loud band' stage a compressor, it would seem. The best compressor methods, imo, have been the upward compression available with some compression software that does not effect the attack or the envelope of the struck string. Using compression, the tone with a lower dynamic range can hang longer, cut through the mix, before it decays (not as realistic but can improve the piano-cut with loud music, as I said, where you really cannot hear the fine nuances of an accurate emulation and sympathetic sounds).
For my playing, I see no need for this. Can't see that compression would be necessary for moderate band volumes either.
This software is really a great gift to the digital piano world, in my view. Garritan should be congratulated as I suspect this has been and still is, quite a 'life event' struggle to get this right from start to finish. These Garritan Authorized Steinway packages are a phenomenal deal to get the REAL sound to those of us who cannot affort the real-deal. Does it replace the real Model D Steinway? No. But it is sure fun to play something this close.

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Sound Forge Audio Studio 9 Review

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(More customer reviews)For years I've used different audio editors from Steinberg's Wavelab, to Cool Edit Pro (now owned by Adobe), to Soundforge's current only real rival Audacity (which is free), which I still currently have on PC. I still choose Soundforge (like Willie Hutch sang), and here's why: There is no other affordable audio editing program that has the ease and workflow of Sound Forge.
There are the high end programs and plug ins like TDM Waves, but unless you are running a multi-plantinum artist recording studio you most likely don't need a program like this, and wouldn't get any mileage out of it if you did have it. Soundforge is a good place to hone your audio editing skills. Alot of people always think they have to use the most full blown and expensive versions of audio, music, and video programs, but a good program won't make up for a lack of skills.
That said I currently use Sound Forge Studio with a suite of Sony plug-ins, and some Focusrite Saffire audio plug-ins (which are very good). It should be noted also that Sound Forge Studio 9 has more features than many of the older versions of Sound Forge Pro (which are probably floating around the internet, not recommended). The Vinyl Recording (once you tweek the settings) feature is great, it can use VST and Direct X plug-ins, and it works hand in hand with the other suite of Sony Creative programs (Vegas Studio 9 Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum Pro Pack, Acid MusicACID Music Studio 7) which I own.
I've had no problems with installation on both a laptop and desktop, and have mixed and edited my own recordings, converted non-copy protected songs I purchased to MP3s with my own mix settings, and have converted a small part of my vinyl catalog to digital. If someone is having installation problems they should make sure they uninstall all older versions of Sound Forge, especially the old Sonic Foundry versions, that may help...
Sound Forge vs. Audacity
Audacity is a great program and if money is an issue this a good place to start using auditor software, being that its free. There are alot of third party plug-ins available for Audacity, however, for me Audacity does not have the speed and workflow of Sound Forge, and there are many tasks in Sound Forge that are done in one mouse click, that would take multiple clicks in Audacity, it also does not natively support as many file formats as Sound Forge, such as windows media audio, which is a downside for me.
Overall, people may have their pro and cons, and yes the Sony registration can be a bit annoying, but in terms of ease of use and reliability Sound Forge studio has been great.
As a last point, it does take some audio know how to get the most out of SF hence the four stars, you may have to select either Microsoft Sound Mapper (if you don't have a high end soundcard), or use the ASIO drivers (at least under Windows XP) under preferences to get the most out your sound playback. Enjoy.....
Also recommended Steinberg Cubase Essential 4 - Personal Music Production - Windows Macintosh, Ableton Live 7 LE - Windows and Macintosh, Focusrite Saffire LE 6 In/8 Out Version 2 Firewire Audio Interface

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Fxpansion BFD2 Acoustic Drums Module Review

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(More customer reviews)Not sure why the other reviewers were so disillusioned but I can't believe the realizm of this module. Is it complicated, yes, but so is recording acoustic drums and getting quality recordings. With the included grooves and those available online (groovemonkee) coupled with the ability to edit them within BDF2, I challange anyone to recognize it as a 'drum machine'. If you want to be up and running in 10 minutes, buy a Boss Dr. Rhythm box, but if you want lush, real acoustic drums, spend the time and learn this module - it's fantastic!

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Screenblast ACID 4.0 Review

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(More customer reviews)I owned Acid 2.0 a few years back and had loads of fun making music and re-mixing. A couple years passed, I lost the Installation CD's, and my wife graciously bought me Screenblast Acid 4.0. Well, it looks and works just like Acid 2.0, except the included loops are all cheesy, already slapped-together garbage, and there are much fewer of them.
Sure, you can get more loops via the Screenblast.com web site, but it's $39.95 per year to subscribe. And all the Acid Loop Libraries? Now that Sony owns them, they're $50 EACH!!! Almost the cost of the software itself to own just one library!
If you need more loops (and you WILL), find web sites like AcidFanatic.com, where these libraries are still reasonably priced, or just find free loops elsewhere.
VERY disappointed in this product. You'd think that two revisions and a major media outlet would improve this great product, but Sony has just turned this into a cash cow for their music loops. It's like giving you a car for free, but it runs on "Special" gas that costs $10 a gallon...

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Sony Acid Music Studio Review

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(More customer reviews)I ues this software soley for recording my guitar licks via Line6 Guitar Port. I bought a tascam dp-01 digital recorder for $300 and now it is collecting dust. This software was low price (...)When I have a guitar lick or idea, I simply plug in and record. I only have to play the lick once, and I can loop it over and over again. I have recorded 2 demo albums already. For the price, this is a steal!!!!!!!!!!!

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Digidesign Transfuser Virtual Instrument Software Review

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(More customer reviews)It is not so easy to use it as Xpand, and think that there better products in the market than Transfuser. Perhaps, it is not the product for me according to my way of making music. Think first to buy it and try to watch the video in you tube first.

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Music Maker 15 Review

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(More customer reviews)I am in music production since nearly 20 years and I used all kind of software for Atari, PC or Mac. Of course it depends on the specific tasks, what kind of software better fits or maybe not.
For midi arrangements and band recording I would always chose a specific solution as Cubase/Protools or Samplitude.
But when it comes down to the basic, when there is a need for a simple ideas generator with unlimited opportunities, I really want to recommend Music Maker. This product is ten time worth every cent and it is only limited by your own creativity. The product can do things, I needed a 100.000 $ studio 10 years ago. It is not a surprise that this is possible today, but the price is a surprise.
- you have a multu track recorder
- you have about 3 GB of sounds from all styles + you can use any other soundfile or any mp3 file
- you have about 5 really professional plug-in synthesizer (alone worth the money)
- you have a good set-up of effects
- you have plugins like autotunes that do the same but are more simple to use
- you can use external plugins like synths or effects via directX
- you can draw effect curves on every track (e.g. filters)
- you have a powerful mastering suite with parametric eq and multiband compressor
These are just a few things. I believe even if you have no idea of making music, a simple start is possible. Of c ourse it is just my opinion and I can just recommend to try it out.


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Mackie Tracktion 3 - Project Bundle Music Production Software Review

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(More customer reviews)If you are considering buying Tracktion, take some time to read the independent Tracktion forum at KVR Audio (http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=22). You will find that many users on both Mac and PC are having extreme problems such as the MIDI editor being unusably slow, other parts of the app being incredibly slow, and the whole app just suddenly disappearing.
When I tried to use Tracktion on my vanilla Win XP system, I found that the MIDI editor is basically unusable, not merely "slow." MIDI notes will not follow the cursor, so it's absurdly difficult to place them where you want them to go. I posted questions about this on Mackie's forums and got no response at all. I tried using it on my MacBook Pro and found that Tracktion is so unstable it won't run for more than a minute or two before abruptly disappearing.
In the forums, this last problem is called a "poof crash" and it's mentioned often by users. There are extended threads about it. I bought Tracktion 3 not too long after it was released and I have not been able to get any work done using it at all.
Shame on Mackie for releasing this severely flawed software and then leaving their customers out to dry, offering zero help or explanation. I posted repeated queries asking for some help with these problems on Mackie's own forums and was completely ignored.
There are several alternative packages available for both Mac and PC that cost less and have all the features of Tracktion if not more. On the Mac, I'm finding that Logic Express, which is $50 cheaper is a very powerful alternative. For the PC, Ableton Live Light has a strong reputation.
Note: even if you have Tracktion 2 and are considering an upgrade to this version, it is definitely not worth the money. I really liked Traction 2 and was really excited about all the new features promised in Traction 3. I was very disappointed to buy it, install it, and find out it's virtually unusable.
I very much regret wasting my time and money on Tracktion and I urge you to avoid making the same mistake. Some users seem to be able to get it to work on their specific systems. But enough users are having major problems that buying Tracktion 3 is gamble. You can't get your money back once you've opened it, so choose something else that doesn't have a lot of reported problems.

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Cakewalk Studio Instruments Review

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(More customer reviews)Cakewalk Studio Instruments are a great foundational set of instruments to add to a persons home digital recording studio. Drums,Bass,Keys,Strings. The salt N pepper that most music requires at a great price and easy function.
I am a confessed Gear-a-holic. I love to find things like the studio instruments kit that don't cost an arm n leg, but that will "Broaden" your color pallet of sound. It's a tool that is fun to use, visually easy to understand and the sound is pleasing. What more could you ask for?


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Can't play bass drums piano or violin? No problem! Just point and click and you are making music. It's that easy!Introducing Cakewalk Studio Instruments the world's first easy-to-use and affordable software instrument collection for Mac and PC. Cakewalk Studio Instruments includes a high quality Drum Kit Bass Guitar Electric Piano and String Section that can be played stand alone or inside your favorite music-making software such as Cakewalk Music Creator Apple GarageBand Magix Music Maker Deluxe SONY ACID Music Studio and more (see list below for complete list of compatible products).Cakewalk Studio Instruments include pre-recorded patterns played by ace session musicians so you can build sections for your songs practice or just have fun jamming along.And Studio Instruments sound great because they're from Cakewalk makers of the most popular music creation software in the world used daily by Grammy® winning musicians and producers. Start making music today with Cakewalk Studio Instruments!Format: WIN XPVISTA/MAC 10.4 OR LATERUB Genre:PRODUCTIVITY UPC:787537171044 Manufacturer No:10-CWSI1.00-10C

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Magix Music Studio 12 Deluxe Review

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(More customer reviews)I was very excited to receive this program had used a later version of it. My laptop is about three months old and the software wasn't able to load. It said something about not having administrative rights as if the software had been used before. The I realized that I didn't have to put a product key in when I initially loaded it. Hmmmm...I am going to say this product was used even though I thought I was buying it new.

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Traktor Scratch Review

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(More customer reviews)I have had final scratch, used serato several times, and finally upgraded to this. I love this system...by far the best. Highly recommended, worth every penny.

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Ableton Live 7 - Windows / Mac Review

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(More customer reviews)I'll apologize in advance for the very lengthy review, but I want to cover all the points that made this program worth the rather hefty cost for me, an amateur music producer.
Music production is only a hobby for me, but as a professional programmer with 22 years experience I feel confident in saying this is one of the most useful, stable pieces of software ever written. Even the Windows version has an Apple Mac-like ease of use, with all the menus and controls logically laid out in a "show me just what I need but make it easy to dig deeper if I wanna" manner.
The different time stretching modes have handled loops from my library that have choked demos of competing products. Ditto for the handling of my favorite soft synths (Cakewalk Rapture and Z3ta) and some legacy MIDI hardware that brought Acid Pro to its knees. My favorite feature is the ability to place what Ableton calls "devices" -- tools like reverb, parametric EQ, panning -- into "chains" that can be saved and recalled and applied to future projects. I've built several "Trance effect" chains for my fave style of music and it saves me hours of trying to recreate a sound I liked earlier.
In the age of shoddy Microsoft operating systems, it's a sad fact that a major feature in any product is that it doesn't constantly lock up the software or the entire computer, but so be it. I've owned Ableton Live for 6 months now and I use it extensively -- it has crashed only 2 times in that time period.
Weak points: Ableton advertises the single-window interface as a feature, but that is a hugely flawed interpretation. Anyone using dual monitors will be staring at one empty screen when running Live. An example of why this is so bad can be seen with the new Spectrum Analyzer device. To make the SA display large enough to be useful, the user is forced to click a mulitude of "resizing arrows" which shrinks other parts of the interface to a size that makes them unreadable. Anyone used to placing their spectrum analyzer on a 2nd monitor while monitoring is "S. O. L."
Fortunately, you CAN toggle an option to allow 3rd party plugins to be placed on a second monitor. I had to drop another $90 for a quality analyzer plugin, but at least I can place it on another monitor where it's large enough to be useful. Truthfully, my Nu-Gen Audio "Visualyzer" plugin leaves every other analyzer I've used in the dust so the Live limitation doesn't hurt me too badly.
The only other annoyance is "screen clutter" when your project has more than a dozen or so tracks. The only solution is to deal with it and scroll constantly back and forth looking for a particular track. Sony Acid Pro blows Live out of the water on this one, allowing users to create folders where they can tuck away groups of tracks such as Percussion, Backing Synths, Leads, etc.
Again my apologies for such a long review. These are things I wanted to know before I decided to drop nearly $500 on a professional DAW package. Hopefully it can help another shopper in the same boat as I was.

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Acoustica Musician's Bundle with Mixcraft and Beatcraft Music Software Review

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(More customer reviews)I really like Mixcraft. I'm one of the many people who played several instruments as a teen (and younger) and then when I got into college and into the workforce I dropped it (regrettably). And now with all the computer advancements in music, I'm eagerly trying to get back into it.
THE GOOD:
Mixcraft is a lot of fun. It really is very much "Garageband for Windows". Very similar interface, very similar functionality. Like Garageband, Mixcraft has a pretty wide variety of different loops that you can use "right out of the box" as well as virtual instruments that you can use to compose your own music.
It's really nice for things like coming up with some background music for a video project, or a game or something. And in doing so it saves you from having to worry about potentially sticky music royalties and rights and such. Anyone can come up with some decent music with this tool, and there is a very gentle learning curve. I was using it successfully just a few minutes after installing it and watching a couple of short videos from their website.
THE BAD:
The included instruments and loops are not admittedly not the highest fidelity. I'd say quite a bit below Garageband unfortunately. Also when you try to use virtual instruments (either mixcraft's own or 3rd party) they come in at an extremely low volume, which certainly causes problems.
Acoustica's registration is also big problem. It's baffling, and it's flat out broken. For the musician's bundle in particular, they've managed to make what ought to be a simple thing (entering a registration code) into an almost insurmountable task. Don't say I didn't warn ya there.
One other somewhat major drawback to Mixcraft is the omission of a way to play virtual instruments without a MIDI controller/keyboard (like Garageband can). So consider at least an inexpensive Midi keyboard (which will set you back $100 or so) a mandatory purchse if you want to make use of much of Mixcraft's functionality.
Overall I do definitely recommend Mixcraft, although it does have a lot of little annoyances. You'll get your money's worth in entertainment if nothing else, and undoubtedly generate some music that you can be proud of in the process.

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Sonar 8.5 Producer Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been a Cakewalk user for years, starting with their Pro Audio software and dating to when the company was known as 12-Tone Systems. Their software has only become better and better as the years have gone by. Sonar has been the best available Windows-based digital audio workstation software for a long time now - to the point where a fair number of producers and studios have migrated to Sonar from Pro Tools, not to mention a steadily increasing string of software and industry awards. (See Cakewalk's site for names, if interested.) And, of course, with Boot Camp, you can run Sonar native under Windows if you have a recent Intel-based Mac - running a Mac doesn't force you into Pro Tools for software at this level.
Be warned - if you are not heavily into audio, audio for video, MIDI, recording, sequencing, effects, looping, mastering, mixing, etc. - and possess the audio domain knowledge that all that entails, as well as a good understanding of the complexities of running full-on audio software from a technical standpoint - you can find yourself overwhelmed by this software, and you will be MUCH better off with Cakewalk's Home Studio version of Sonar. Sonar (particularly Producer) can be enormously complex, but that's not due to any design issues - quite the contrary! Rather, that's because it covers a vast array of audio activities, options, and capabilities. It is possible to use it simplistically, but I'd direct anyone with only those types of needs to simpler software suites.
On the other hand, if you do have the audio and technical knowledge, you'll find Sonar Producer is flexible, powerful, configurable, and responsive. It is also very stable and has been so for many versions now. Be aware that this type of software by its nature (high processing loads, need to control latency, timing control and issues among multiple devices and interfaces, etc.) can be compromised by PC setups optimized for multipurpose use.
The software comes with a terrific package of high-quality effects plug-ins. I've also found Cakewalk to have good customer service - one of the very, very few, in fact, where the response on customer service calls is as good as on sales calls. Cakewalk continues to improve the user interface with Sonar 8. Particularly welcome are edit changes, including multiple-clip edits, and optimizations targeted at running high track counts. Several instruments are included, and I'm particularly happy to see Dimension Pro, which includes Garritan Orchestral sounds, and TruePianos Amber. Your interests and activities will differ, of course (mini are Midi-heavy), and you should really look through the complete list of enhancements on Cakewalk's site. Enhancements for this version runs several pages long. This is a major upgrade from Sonar 7.
I do have one issue with Cakewalk, though I'm not knocking down the rating because of it as the software itself is too good. The problem is that Cakewalk hits their user base pretty hard on upgrade fees. You can pretty much count on having to spend a few hundred dollars per year to keep the software up to date if you take every version and keep your plug-ins up-to-date. I've always felt that companies should upgrade customers from the most recent versions for little or nothing if they have paid for a recent upgrade, at least for a download. There is some price tiering depending on what version you're running, but it's insufficient, in my opinion. At one point I unknowingly purchased an upgrade weeks before a new release - but Cakewalk still charged me the full upgrade price for the new version. That kind of pricing policy doesn't encourage customer loyalty. I understand that this is a minor issue for a pro or a studio, but Cakewalk also has a large installed base for Sonar Producer among non-pros.
My preference would be for Cakewalk to adjust their release approach to one of more incremental releases between major versions. It's far more disruptive to install a new version, taking on the setup and learning issues than it is to install incremental upgrades (Cakewalk does release some patches.). You do get what you pay for, however.
In addition to the software, buy a Sonar book or two, take the tutorials, hit one or two of Cakewalk's roadshows, and join a forum or two. There is a fairly steep learning curve with Sonar as with any other pro-level audio suite, the good news being there is a lot of support out there due to the market's embrace of Sonar.

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Finale PrintMusic 2011 Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased PrintMusic because I know Finale is a very good program but I don't need all the features in the full version. PrintMusic is quite powerful for the price. It is quite intuitive and I was up and running very easily. The scanning works very well and the playback sounds are a very nice touch. I highly recommend if you are looking for pro results without a pro price-tag.

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Finale PrintMusic is the fast, easy way to bring your music to life with professional results.
The fast, easy way to bring your music to life with professional results.

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