Question for Users of Overture
The question is "how come?"
I don't get it.
Let me be candid. I am interested in MuseScore because it is free and shows promise.
I've read that MuseScore can open Overture files. Must be a requested feature.
I cannot afford Overture. If I could, I would buy it in a heartbeat.
Based on what I see in the demo version, it can meet all my needs.
If you have a license for Overture, I am envious.
Why make scores with MuseScore?
What does MuseScore offer you, as a composer, that Overture does not?
If you just want to dump Windows, can't you run Overture in Linux using WINE?
I am puzzled. Enlighten me, please.
Comments
I don't get your question, it's all over the map. Are you asking "why use MuseScore" or "why use Overture"?
Personally, I've been the way of Finale (and others), and it's MuseScore all the way now. No cost, and I can use it anywhere because there's no license codes to deal with. It's come a long way since I started on 0.9x, and 2.0 will simply be amazing!
You can fork out for Overture or others, but you'll have to deal with the limitations of locked-in software, esp freedom of movement between PC's and platforms, and the continuous cost of upgrades.
Not sure why you are focused on Overture specifically if you don't already have it. It's not one of the major notation programs. Mosty people trying to decide between MuseScore and an expensive commercial program would be be talking about Finale or Sibelius. The reason to choose one of those two is that they are far and away the most popular as well as most powerful programs on the market. One chooses MuseScore over them either because it is (infinitely!) cheaper or because one believes in the concept of open source software and wants to support it. In the case of Sibelius specifically, over the past couple of years people choose MuseScore over Sibelius because they are concerned about the future of the latter product. No one wants to invest many hours learning to use and creating scores in a program that might not exist in a few years. Still, tons of professional and academic musicians around the world use Finale or Sibelius, and some people will choose to pay for one of those programs for compatibility with what others they associate with are using. That much I do understand.
But since MuseScore does virtually everything one can do with any other commerical program, I'm kind of amazed anyone would even consider paying money for anything *other* than Finale or Sibelius (and I question why anyone would at this time choose to pay money for Sibelius). Is there something you perceive Overture to be able to do that MuseScore cannot? Chnces are, there is something, but the reverse is just as likely true. And in the case of MuseScore, you can participate in the development of the software - even if you are not a programmer yourself, you can contribute ideas and suggestions, test and give feedback on future versions still in development, etc. So if there is something you need that MuseScore does not provide yet, you have a much better chance of getting it included in a future release than you would with *any* other commercial program.
So, if you question is why choose MuseScore over Overture, to me, that's a no-brainer. I would never consider paying money for notation software other than Finale at this point in time - and I'd only consider paying for Finale if I needed to collaborate with others who use it or need one of the features it supports that MuseScore does not. And with the release of MuseScore 2.0 (expected later this year), that list of missing features is about to shrink considerably.
Now, if you already have paid for Overture (or Finale), then there is of course less reason to switch. For me, as a long time Finale user, I wanted to support open source software development; it really was that simple. But it didn't break my heart not to have to pay $100 every year or two to upgrade (or decide to forego whatever minor new features they added).
In reply to Not sure why you are focused by Marc Sabatella
According to Wikipedia, Overture and Encore were written by the same person, which would explain why the two programs have much in common.
Sorry to read about Sibelius headed toward the crapper. Such is life.
Years ago, before Sibelius became available in Windows, I began using Encore 4. I found it to be a remarkably easy and effective program, not as expensive as steep-learning-curved Finale, but suitable to my modest needs. I still find it far more cooperative than MuseScore, even in its nightly builds.
Then, Passport Designs went belly-up. The program was purchaed by GVOX. Encore 4 WOULD NOT RUN in Windows XP unless you BOUGHT a patch from GVOX. That really ticked me off because that patch should have been available gratis IMHO. I've had to keep "legacy" computers running at home so I can continue to use Encore and some other music programs I paid good money for back in the days when 16-bit programs were still being sold, none of which will run on my alreadt antiquated Windows 7. It grates on me every time I have to fire up my old Windows 95 box or my old 98SE laptop. I tried to get Encore 4 running on a Linux box with Wine, but it would not run properly. Most of these old programs are still around, but my budget (and stubborn nature) will not allow me to pay for the 'upgrades.'
Eventually, these old computers will go. Encore 4 does not support Music XML As soon as I learned that MuseScore will load .ove files, I began importing my old Encore scores into a DEMO of Overture and converting each one into .ove files, with varying degrees of success. MuseScore will load these files and, if warranted, I make the numerous corrections needed. It's been a long row to hoe. I have to hurry. When the fifteen days of the demo are over, a big hand will reach out of my monitor and grab me by the throat.
If I could buy Overture, I would because I feel right at home with the program and the owners of Encore certainly will not get another penny of my hard-earned money.
And that is why the focus on Overture.
In reply to Why Overture by RAMALAM
I suspect you'll find that whatever you find less "cooperative" about MuseScore, that's really just a question of your being used to one style of interface and finding another unfamiliar at first. An experienced MuseScore user would similarly be likely to find Encore or overture less cooperative. It took me a few weeks to make the adjustment when moving from Finale to MuseScore after around 20 years of experience with the former, and now I find it almost impossible to do anything with Finale any more - my brain has been completely retrained.
Anyhow, not wanting to constantly pay for upgrades is indeed a very strong reason why people will abandon commercial softtware that they have already paid for and switch to MuseScore. As I mentioned, it was a factor (if not the main one) for me.
The first question: "Why do you use MuseScore?"
First of all, MuseScore is free and open source, and has a problem feedback platform that directly contacts developers. Overture has a bug and needs to pass customer service. In comparison, MuseScore's feedback mechanism is more direct.
Second, the user interface of MuseScore, especially the user interface of MuseScore 4. I dare to say that this is what modern software should look like. This is what software that adapts to the Windows 11 "mica" interface should look like. It is concise, clear and elegant for users. Are you afraid that users will say it's not good? This is impossible. Overture 5.6 was released in 2021. Windows 11 is already available this year, right? I may not ask you to be a "mica", can you at least make a flat design style? I think the user interface of Overture 5.6 is even in the style of Apple Mac OS X 10.9, which can also be adapted to Windows 2000 (only the interface, really no sense of discord). I really like the words of some Bilibili users: “Ah?”
Then there is the function question, "What functions are provided to you by MuseScore but not by Overture?"
If you ask me when MuseScore 2.0 is released in 2014, I may not be able to say a few, but now it is 2023, MuseScore 4 has come out, and the lack of functions of Overture are really more. I will pick out a few to talk about:
(PS: Don't think that Overture will add these functions in the future. Overture is currently similar to Sibelius and no longer updates the main functions.)
Automatic engraving system, this function is available since MuseScore 3.0. Overture is even not available now. If you use Overture, you may need to manually engrave it for a long long long time. After you completed, you just found that MuseScore will automatically arrange it for you within 10 seconds, what do you feel?
Export PDF files are exported directly. Although this is not very important, Overture still needs to use Microsoft PDF Printer to export PDF now. In case some special Windows systems do not have Microsoft PDF Printer, then you can't export the PDF file completely. Obviously, MuseScore can be completed with three clicks. Overture also needs to set up a PDF printer, and what it exports is not a vector diagram but a bitmap...
Sound library, MuseScore 4 now has a 14G sound library "Muse Sounds", Sibelius has 36G "Sibelius Sounds" and NotePerformer, and Dorico has HALion Sonic SE, Finale has Garritan sounds, Overture only GM...
The last question: "If you want to give up Windows, why don't you use Wine to run Overture?"
First, there is no need. Overture itself is now a very suck software. There is no need to install a Wine on Linux to run this software. Second, the compatibility of Wine is confusing. Why not use the application that adapts itself to Linux?
The above is my opinion, and I hope it can make you no longer confused.
In reply to The first question: "Why do… by Scilxurkel
Design are things that go and leave.
You seem to make an important point of flat design, and yes that is how user interfaces have been written for some years, but there are also some interesting discussions between UI specialists these days about how that flat design could in fact has been a big mistake since the beginning.
There is no absolute truth.
In reply to Design are things that go… by frfancha
Re: "There is no absolute truth".
Are you absolutely sure?