Customer Reviews

Magix Notation

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

After struggling with the unclear instructions, I finally deleted this program from my computer, and got something else. I was attracted by the low cost, but this is simply a lousy program. Not at all intuitive.

I've since learned of other programs that are just as inexpensive, but much more user-friendly. Try CODA's "PrintMusic!" or Notation Technolgies' "Play Music." They each have websites that can download demos to help you make a choice.

Even the little amount of money paid for this software I consider a waste. It is quicker and easier to simply notate your music on a sheet of paper, and in addition to this it is very limited in terms of what you can and cannot do. Take my advice: save your money and wait until you have enough for another, better program that is A LOT more user friendly.

I have used this software now for a week and am still struggling with it. I think the product is powerful, maybe too many features for my needs, but figuring out how to use it is really tough. The users manual was clearly written by someone for whom English is a second (maybe third) language. If you are willing to make the effort to fight through this, you can do a lot. I have now used the note processor like a word processor to document music I have written and I have entered music from the virtual keyboard. It is so much nicer than my handwriting.

Maybe I haven't been persistent enough, but I found this program nearly unusable. On-screen symbols are not immediately obvious, and the manual often makes no sense at all.

This program is THE most user UNfriendly software I've ever seen. The manual was essentially worthless and skipped many important basic points. The tutorial was un-doable. I eventually tossed it aside in frustration and tried to go it alone with the menus. However, the menus are not intuitive and few buttons have mouseovers to tell you what the icons (some undecipherable) mean. This is an exercise in sheer frustration. Old-fashioned pencil and paper beat this program any day. Save your money.

I agree that it's not the most user-friendly / intuitive program, but when you know what to do it defenitely beats the competition ( I've tried Finale and Sibelius too ).
You can choose the interface language, mine's Dutch ( and yes, some things are still in German..not a big deal, but if they upgraded from Notation 1 they should have changed this.. ).
The PDF manual that installs on your harddisk is actually quite good in Dutch, 157 pages.

With Notation it is so much easier to start from scratch than with other software. Also if you make a mistake you can very easily adjust the value or duration of a note by clicking on the arrow ( left menu ) then clicking and holding the note and dragging it up/down/sideways. Rests are auto inserted/altered then. You hear realtime in Midi what you insert. Also supports midi files, insert choose the instrument and click Window - Notation Edit or something, should get you the instant staff ;)

As a plus it's also cheaper than the other notation software.
so, once you get the hang of it you don't want to use anything else :).

This program took me a long time to learn to use, but it is now my favorite. I can import midis and print music to play in my brass band with only a few clicks. It is a resource hog, so don't use the mimimum system requirements. It runs great in XP on a P4. Use the styles print music for diffent instruments without changing how the midi sounds. Use the qua to get rid of annoying sixteenth note rests. Rather than use the pen tool always use the select tool and right click to enter notes on the score. If you miss, drag the note into place. Warning - don't expect any help from the documentatation - even the font names are in German.

This software only allows one note duration to be displayed per line at any point in the music! If you enter an eighth note and a half note at the same spot, it shows both as an eighth note! The picture on the front is very misleading - the music sample they have shows a half note and quarter notes at the same point and you can't enter it that way. (It plays OK but doesn't look right at all!)

Totally useless for entering music for printing. It only gets one star because there's no such thing as a zero star.