Notion, anyone tried it?

[Shiva]

I would just like to know if anyone has tried the "Notion" notation program?

I have used the free demo of it and so far its not bad. It comes with its own sample library recorded by the LSO and is suppose to be good at quickly entering notes. I haven't had time to fully play around with it but I was just wondering what other peoples experiences were with it.

[stevel]

Originally Posted by Shiva

I would just like to know if anyone has tried the "Notion" notation program?

I have used the free demo of it and so far its not bad. It comes with its own sample library recorded by the LSO and is suppose to be good at quickly entering notes. I haven't had time to fully play around with it but I was just wondering what other peoples experiences were with it.

Hey Shiva - they sent me a free copy and I've yet to install it. My understanding based on what I've read is it's really a "scoring" program - that is, it's designed to put music down in notation and give you quality playback. As far as I can tell, it's not got the kind of adjustability that Finale and Sibelius have, but, how many people actually need to move the 2nd dot of a doubly-dotted note 2 pixels to the right? So it might be the perfect solution for anyone who is more about making sounds, rather than notating for publishing - i.e. - what a lot of people who buy Finale or Sibelius are really wanting!

I'll see if I can find my demo disk. Meanwhile, maybe some others will chime in. Let me know if you think my observations are correct, or if I'm missing something about this program.

Best,
Steve

[MaestroX]

I got hold of a demo some time ago. I was less than impressed with it. The interface just didn't work with me at all I could hardly use the darn thing. As for the sounds to be honest they weren't exactly ground breaking. They were fair, probably around the standard of GPO. In the real world they are not useable or convincing enough to pass off as real recordings.

Sibelius 5 comes with its own sample library now (good if you don't already have one) but the real power is being able to use any VST. So you have the world's most powerful plugins available IMO way more versatile than Notion. (My Sibelius 5 upgrade is on the way )

[KylePoehling]

Hey folks!

My name is Kyle Poehling and I work with Notion. Sorry to hear that some of you had a less than desirable first go with Notion! We're constantly looking for ways to improve the program...anyone else out there taken Notion for a spin?

I'm here to answer any questions about Notion (and any of our other programs!), so feel free to ask away!

We just announced our 2nd Annual Realize Music Challenge! You could win a trip to Abbey Road to have your composition recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra! Follow the link below for more information...

http://www.notionmusic.com/contest

-Kyle

[PeterG]

Originally Posted by KylePoehling

I'm here to answer any questions about Notion (and any of our other programs!), so feel free to ask away!

Ok Kyle, let me ask you these questions before ordering a demo or anything at all:

- how does Notion run on Mac 10.5.1 Leopard? Was it properly tested?
and related to this question:
- there is no info on what platforms your software runs on on the website. I've been looking in all corners to find out what performance to expect on my iMac with Leopard.

- How does one have to find out what price this software comes in Europe and how to order? There's no pricing whatsoever on the website (at least I couldn't findit) and when I was bold enough to just order and see what price shows up eventually I was send back with an empty cart as soon as I chose location Europe. Is it not for sale in Europe? I stumbled on a US pricing of 500$ ? Is that correct? And if yes, and taking into account the remark of Stevel below, isn't Finale at 600$ not a better deal as it has more features than Notion?

I'm willing to give it a good try, but there must be an advantage / incentive over purchasing Finale or Sibelius in stead; a sound price difference for example.... Convince me.

Thanks for your advise,

Peter

[KylePoehling]

Originally Posted by PeterG

Ok Kyle, let me ask you these questions before ordering a demo or anything at all:

- how does Notion run on Mac 10.5.1 Leopard? Was it properly tested?
and related to this question:
- there is no info on what platforms your software runs on on the website. I've been looking in all corners to find out what performance to expect on my iMac with Leopard.

- How does one have to find out what price this software comes in Europe and how to order? There's no pricing whatsoever on the website (at least I couldn't findit) and when I was bold enough to just order and see what price shows up eventually I was send back with an empty cart as soon as I chose location Europe. Is it not for sale in Europe? I stumbled on a US pricing of 500$ ? Is that correct? And if yes, and taking into account the remark of Stevel below, isn't Finale at 600$ not a better deal as it has more features than Notion?

I'm willing to give it a good try, but there must be an advantage / incentive over purchasing Finale or Sibelius in stead; a sound price difference for example.... Convince me.

Thanks for your advise,

Peter

Peter,

Thanks for the response!

As far as Leopard compatibility...our QA dept is officially testing it right now, but I can say that I've been running Leopard on my MacBook Pro (2.0 core duo, 2GB RAM) with Notion and it's running just fine I've addressed the lack of system requirements on the site and they should be a little clearer to find in the future.

As far as a product comparison...Notion is really geared towards creating music. There has been very careful attention to the sound library as far as detail in articulations and dynamics. Because all of the sounds and the playback engine is woven into the program there is no need for midi mapping. Simply put...you enter an articulation (tremolo for instance) and that is the sample that is played back. Simple.

So as Steve mentioned above Notion is geared towards realizing your compositions. Some folks may want to "move the 2nd dot of a doubly-dotted note 2 pixels to the right" and for that they may want to use either of the "other" programs mentioned. Notion is just focused more on getting the ideas out of the composers head than creating an engraver quality print (although Notion does deliver a quality print!).

I'll look into your troubles with the pricing and price quote from our site. We do not sell direct at the moment, so you may have better luck searching through Sweetwater.com or Musiciansfriend.com.

Hope this helps!
Kyle Poehling

[Exen]

I requested a demo from the site and will check it out once it arrives, will post what I find.

[MaestroX]

Hi Kyle, I think it would have been polite to ask for permission to use this forum as a Q & A for your product.

Anyway a question:

Does Notion support any contemporary notation (ametric scores, alternative noteheads, beaming and articulations?). Also does it play pitch bends, slides and ornaments such as trills and mordants?

[Exen]

I got my copy of Notion yesterday, installed it and all that. Some of the GUI I like, specifically the set up wizard for a new score and the templates it includes. My main beef is the productivity factor, I'm sure given enough time, I could be pretty quick in note entry etc., but the main thing I like about Finale is everything is in view where I need it to be. I don't have to search for it.

This was one thing that turned me away from Sibelius as well, it was nice, very well laid out, but the interface just bugged me, I'm composing music, I'm not on the other hand looking for a flashy interface.

Not much detail in it, but the interface and interactivity I get from it is enough not to warrant a delving into details.

[KylePoehling]

Originally Posted by MaestroX

Hi Kyle, I think it would have been polite to ask for permission to use this forum as a Q & A for your product.

Sorry about that...certainly will not do it again without asking first!

Originally Posted by MaestroX

Anyway a question:

Does Notion support any contemporary notation (ametric scores, alternative noteheads, beaming and articulations?). Also does it play pitch bends, slides and ornaments such as trills and mordants?

Notion is a bit more geared towards classical through early 21th century scoring. We do support ametric scores, and some contemporary alternative note heads, but not contemporary beaming and articulations.

Hope this helps and once again sorry to improperly post!
Take care,
Kyle Poehling
kyle@notionmusic.com