From bruce@ashbysolutions.com Mon Sep 11 14:32:33 2006
Subject:Re: Basic Midi software

Hi Dave,

Many of the major MIDI sequencer manufacturers -- ex: Steinberg (Cubase), Cakewalk (Sonar) -- offer different versions of their software for home users, semi-pro, and professional needs. The home user version is usually under $100 (US street), and is often bundled with audio or MIDI hardware. In most cases, owning a copy of the low-end version offers one a discount on the better versions, when trading up.

All of the products out now provide the abilities you are looking for -- at least, at a distance. The differences boil down to how many parts can be recorded or printed, the note resolution available when scoring, the ability (or lack) to use soft-synths inside the program, and how well audio and MIDI are integrated. If all you ever want to do is record a piano part and print the score, it's hard to go wrong with any of the major market players, but if you plan to do more later, I think it would be best to study the different offerings before buying. Each of the programs has its own idiosyncrasies, and switching from say, Cubase to Digital Performer later might involve a bit of learning curve.

Regards,

-BW

--
Bruce Wahler
Design Consultant
Ashby Solutions™ http://consult.ashbysolutions.com
978.386.7389 voice/fax
bruce@ashbysolutions.com

At 05:10 PM 9/11/2006 -0400, you wrote:
>Check with the company that makes Finale and a hierarchy of
>increasingly more involved programs. http://www.codamusic.com/ They
>offer a free product called Notepad but you will have to look at that
>to see if it meets your needs.
>
>M-Audio makes a single midi hookup called the Uno. I have it and use
>it. With Mac. Midi in and midi out into your computer USB port.
>
>I found the Finale not entirely intuitive, but am too impatient to
>read the entire on line PDF user manual so there's my problem.
>
>RG
>
>On Sep 11, 2006, at 2:30 PM, luv2till wrote:
>
>> I am new to piano, and would like to begin to explore the Midi