Musescore 4 jury's out
Maybe I should give it more time but Musescore 4 is just too different. By all means add good stuff but leave the format we're used to. Can't be bothered trying to re-learn where everything is. Sticking with 3.6.
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Indeed, MS4 is different. Things have been moved around. Many things are arranged in a way as to make then easier to access, But things are different. Personally I much prefer the playback in MS4. Even with the problems that had to be overcome to get good playback. Totally worth the effort.
But there are reasons to stick with MS3, also.
I recall the time when I was faced with the daunting task of learning where everything is in MS3. It is fortunate that all users of software have free choice what they use. At least in the private world. Still, I foresee a time when MS4 considerably refines & grows up, and the suggestions abound that people "[should] consider upgrading to MS4".
Sounds like the jury's already back in, actually. ⚖️🧑⚖️ 😊
We all totally understand where you're coming from. And yet, it's a quandary all software developers face when they try to make their apps easier and more useful, with the goal of encouraging more people to use them.
After 12 years with Sibelius, I've totally switched over to MS4. Ironically, perhaps, I tried 3.6, but found it not quite refined enough for my purposes. But MS4 won me over big, as it has many other people who are moving to it—whether from other systems, or from earlier MS versions.
There's a learning curve of some kind, for all of us. Personally, though, having used notation software since the 1990s, I find MS4's streamlined design easier, more efficient, and more elegant than any I've seen. And its output is, well, glamourous (a significant improvement over 3.6's, IMHO). So I'm learning it not just for myself, but for the benefit of those who'll be reading my music... That's a big motivation to develop some new work habits.
Only you can decide what's worth your effort. For me, though, taking the long view, MS4's qualities make its relatively short learning period well worthwhile. Cheers!
In reply to Most of us can totally… by Andy Fielding
Don't get me wrong. I love Musescore and I'm incredibly grateful to all involved. It may be my W10 OS or who knows what but I'm really struggling to get M4 to work. No sound, when get sound, clicking on a note shifts the pitch up a semi-tone, I keep silencing parts when trying to playback etc etc.
In reply to Don't get me wrong. I love… by Breadalbane
The cursor does seem to be more sensitive for some reason. When I click on a rest it'll move 50% of the time, never really thought to say anything about it until now.
In reply to Don't get me wrong. I love… by Breadalbane
Bredalbane: Oh, yes, in that respect, you're entirely right: It's new software, with many changes, and there are certainly bugs to be squashed. And that has influenced many people's decisions whether or not to move up to MS 4 yet. (As people used to say about new Windows versions: "The customers are the beta-testers.")
But that's a different issue from deciding whether to learn new commands and GUI design. Both legit, but different.
With that, I just try to be as objective as I can. I look at the changes, and think, "Okay, I'm used to doing [this thing] another way—but if I learn the new way, will it save me time and effort?" Because, with rare exceptions (e.g. switching from traditional menus to "ribbon" interfaces – 😝 [LOL] ), changes to community-supported software aren't random. They're usually motivated by user input, and/or submitting such changes to people with a lot of experience using that type of software. In other words, a fair number of people need to be convinced that a change is really beneficial. So... just saying.
In reply to Oh, in that respect, you're… by Andy Fielding
You write: "They're usually motivated by user input", but also often by a head of development who feels this or that is "too 90s"
I switched to MS4 just for the enhanced playback (Muse Sounds), which I find great. Other than that, I stick to my portable 3.6.2. There are still too many crashes in MS4, but I hope things will be better at some point.
Honestly, I think it is a little too soon to dunk on it, I'm sure updates are to come. The playback features and more professional look is enough to get me to switch, though it does have a good amount of rough edges to work out, such as dynamics being all over the place