Logic Score to Finale import working better now

thanks for the info wilhelm, dankeschön.

this makes finale/logic combination seem like a great way to go - at least i assume the PDFtomusic is finale only? or can it be used with sibelius?

what then, would be your workflow and general context for using this?

i am imagining working with logic to create a score with general markings; slurs, crescendi, marks of expression, stoccato etc, as well as the editing of the overall structure. then bringing the score via pdf into finale for fine tuning and creating notation that logic can't do as easily; feathered beams, complex polyrhythms.

it's a long while since i used finale seriously - how does the part management compare to logics? i really like logics part management (limitations not withstanding) and sibelius has excellent part management. so excellent in fact that that is the direction i will go if logic doesn't have its act sorted out sufficiently by the time i do my next concert score.

i realize that for orchestrators this will be invaluable. can you give some insights as to how a film composer that does most of his own orchestrating might use this? ie how fast is it? caveats? general comments?

With superior key commands and print out, this is the most pro choice. If you're on an orchestration team, this is the only choice. Finale 2007 now has the same part management as Sibelius.

...and finale is £200 cheaper too.

but will the pdf reader interpret the markings? what if there was a score partly made up in logic? we can to a certain extent prepare midi files in logic and bring them in to finale already, although the pdf route means you will have less faffing trying to make the export work right.

there are neat tricks with logic with regards to markings and expression etc that i would really miss - remember for 90% of my work it is all about speed. i want to get some sleep before the session is due to start....

Thanks for this update William. Looks like this will be the way to go for me as well. Looks like learning Finale will be my summer project after all.

Rohan, regarding how PDFtoMusic interpets graphics, have a look at this thread:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=4084019

Scroll down until you see an image of a score (it's the thing that has lots of black dots on it). : - ) That image is a test I made showing how PDFtoMusic interperted a Logic score printout; it did a fabulous job.

Bill, Rohan and iSchwartz, why do you prefer Finale to Sibelius?

I haven't checked out Finale in several years but I thought it was more counter-intuitive then Logic even.

Sibelius looks much more user friendly and while perhaps not quite as elegant for engraving work surely it is fine for sessions, etc.

Or not?

Hi Asher,

I've seen many more scores produced in Finale than I have seen produced in Sibelius, but my general impression of scores prepared in the latter is that they seemed kinda "junky-looking". Admittedly I'm giving Sibelius short shrift by not researching better examples of its output, and by mentioning Finale in my post I'm not suggesting my endorsement of one over the other. Truth be told, I should probably investigate both programs before jumping in for either one.

I'm also a bit of a tweakhead/perfectionist, and advice offered by several people whose opinions I respect have suggested Finale over Sibelius to satisfy my tweaking needs. Oh, that doesn't sound good, does it?

: - )

-=iS=-

i have about the same level of familiarity with both. to me, logics own score editor is most similar to finale. for getting started, double clicking on a score object will bring up its relevant editor in finale whereas you have to hunt around less than intuitive menus in sibelius. i don't like the sibelius naming conventions very much - by that i mean where you find an action and what it actually does.

its six of one, half dozen of another though, because i am sure once you are really use to a program it is hard to imagine any other way of doing something. look at how PT savy people grumble about logic or vice versa.

actually, aside from bugs, i think once you understand a couple of core principles with logics notator that can be written into one simple pargraph, logic is probably the most intutive. its just a little...ahh...unfinished.

sibelius is by far more popular over this side of the pond than finale, but i may well end up going for it along with iS as well. simple cost benefit. i don't really need finale all that often and i can get so far in logic already. its absolutely touch and go as to whether it is worth it. besides, who knows where logic may go in the future? word on the street is the next release well be a big one with lots of changes. perhaps it will be a sign of things to come.

so i could buy finale and invest the time to really nail it and in a years time find that logic has caught up so much i end up prefering to keep everything in that. its one of the things that irritates me most in life. you buy something you partially need and end up having it superceded by something more practical in a few months time.

Is there anyome here who really knows both FInale and Sibelius and can discuss the pros and cons, especially why people say Sibelius is so much more user friendly?

I actually think Logic's score is reasonably user friendly but I have been using it since dinosaurs roamed the earth.