Klarinet Archive - Posting 000020.txt from 2012/01

From: Oliver Seely <oseely@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Midi Accompaniments
Date: Sun, 08 Jan 2012 11:51:36 -0500


There are some other problems with Garritan, but I haven't looked at the system for several years. Maybe there have been improvements.

As I recall, there were (are?) problems with certain instruments not being there when assigned to a MIDI file.
Secondly, as I recall, the Garritan system is program specific. That is, once the MIDI file is created just any old player won't reproduce the Garritan sound. Dunno, maybe I'm wrong on that one.
Thirdly, and most importantly to me, Finale is NOT backward compatible. That is, a file written by a later version of Finale cannot be read by an earlier version. Later versions can read files created by earlier versions. It was the strategy used by MakeMusic folks to plan the obsolescence of all earlier versions. But it didn't work for me. I'm still creating the files on my page with Finale 3.7 which dates back to 1995 so that a maximum number of Finale users will be able to read (and to edit) my files. If I had been sold on Garritan playback, I would have had to purchase the much later version for which the system had been written.

In my opinion, there have been very few substantive changes to Finale since the first version I began to use, 3.0, but I upgrade to the latest version about every 3 years to help keep those folks at MakeMusic employed, but those versions sit in my bookcase uninstalled. The latest version I have up there is 2008.

Finale 3.7 has problems running on a 64-bit operating system like Windows 7, so I'm looking around for a really good retro-XP laptop to become my exclusive music writing and editing machine.

Like Lauren (on the Catherine Tate Show) says, "I ain't bovvered."

Oliver

> From: peter.gentry@-----.uk
> To: klarinet@-----.com
> Date: Sun, 8 Jan 2012 12:02:09 +0000
> Subject: Re: [kl] Midi Accompaniments
>
> I agree it is stunning BUT it is too expensive for many of us.
>
> The sound of a MIDI file is only as good as the sound card and sound fonts you have at its lowest it is still as crude as it ever
> was - that said I still use it for practice....:)
>
> > I imagine you must do this kind of thing yourself, but if you haven't tried Finale with Garritan
> > please do, I am sure you will enjoy it.
> > Regards,
> > Martin
>
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