Finale

Softonic review

Professional music composition software

If you're looking for the most professional music composition software possible on a Mac then you can't go far wrong with Finale.

Finale is strictly a tool for professionals, and beginners to music composition will quickly find themselves overwhelmed. It has however been made easier to use in recent releases and Finale 2011 is probably the most user friendly version yet. There are also several major improvements in the latest version including Improved Lyric Entry and Spacing, Instant Capo Chords and Expanded Percussion Playback.

Certainly Finale is still probably the most powerful tool on Mac for turning ideas into music. There are literally hundreds of features in Finale's rather crowded interface which make it very intimidating at first. However, Finale 2011 has made things much quicker and more intuitive meaning you can get more music written in half the time. Many of the old keyboard shortcuts have also been replaced by one click actions meaning you don't have to remember all those "Alt" key functions.

Finale 2011 is the best version of Finale yet although beginners should be prepared for a very steep but worthwhile learning curve.

Improved Lyric Entry and Spacing Garritan sounds New Fonts Expanded Percussion Playback Instant Capo Chords Easier Staff Layout Music Education Worksheets Finale AlphaNotes Font Updated Aria Player Improved Pickup measures and more

Changes

Improved Lyric Entry and Spacing Garritan sounds New Fonts Expanded Percussion Playback Instant Capo Chords Easier Staff Layout Music Education Worksheets Finale AlphaNotes Font Updated Aria Player Improved Pickup measures and more

Author's review

No matter what your masterpiece looks like—from simple to advanced—if you can imagine it, Finale can help you create it. Compose, edit, arrange, listen to, and print your music with stunning, professional-quality results. Powerful tools, robust productivity features and incredible speed make Finale the ultimate composing and score-writing tool.

Get up and running quickly

With a score Setup Wizard, QuickStart Video tutorials, and intuitive note entry, you'll be making music in minutes.

Linked Parts

For maximum productivity

Mac momentum

Finale 2007 runs natively on both Intel- and PowerPC-based Macs as well as Windows computers. Finale is the first notation software to take full advantage of today's most powerful computing platforms.

Enter music your preferred way

Play notes in via a MIDI keyboard, brass or woodwind instrument, or import MIDI files. Use Simple Note Entry or SmartScore® Lite Scanning.

Everything in Finale is built to support your creative process. More options and an intuitive interface give you complete creative control of your music.

Take your music to new places

Explore more musical possibilities with powerful features like Band-in-a-Box® Auto Harmonizing, Row-Loff® Marching Percussion, and new Latin Percussion.

Unite music and video

Composing for video or film? Finale 2007 streamlines the technology so you can focus on the art.

Share your music

Create great-sounding .MP3/.WAV/.AIFF files to burn to disk. Or share working Finale files with the free, downloadable Finale NotePad®.

Always evolving, Finale continues to innovate exciting features to help bring your music to life. Preferred by composers, engravers, educators, and students, Finale sets the standard for music notation software