NOTION Music Forum

Hi!
I've tried several pieces of midi and score editing software, including finale, sibelius, musescore and the online noteflight.com. Of course none as complete as notion 3 BOTH in midi and score. I'm about to spend my $250.

However, I can think on several things that are aparently missing. I don't want to bug the developers with this... i prefer to bug the users! (jk). I'd just like some feedback on these questions, because probably the features are there, just I can't find them.

1. Is there a way to change shortcuts? particularly, the shortcuts for note values are too much english-based. It's hard to think in '(q)uarter, (h)alf, (e)ighth, (s)ixteenth' etc if you didn't learn music in an english environment.

2. Once I placed notes, can I change their duration in a more efficient way? The manual says I can just pick a new note value from the menu and write over the note, but how is that better than rewriting the whole thing? I guess there's must be a way of increasing/reducing a note or selection of notes' duration by keys or something, preferrably just after the note was written.

3. In the same area of work... can I just delete a note so it turns into a Rest? currently, the note is deleted so the notes that follow take its place in the melody. I'd have to pick up the rest value from the palette and write over the note!

4. Is it possible to edit or fine-tune the slur lines position, curve, etc? other apps (i use MuseScore) have some kind of bezier control for the slur and other line elements.

5. Can I select a range of notes and add an articulation, like staccato? Can i remove the articulation of all selected notes in the same way (or any way)?

6. The red notes (out of measure?) can't be dragged or put on the next measure, where they belong?


This is not a rant or complaint in any way, i just would like to improve my proficiency and know if it's possible to have a score editing workflow and control as efficient as in MuseScore or others.

Thanks!

Emilio

I forgot what I miss the most: is there any way to pan the view? like press the mouse middle button and drag the score, or something like that?

Hi Emilio.
To my knowledge:

1. Is there a way to change shortcuts?

No.

particularly, the shortcuts for note values are too much english-based. It's hard to think in '(q)uarter, (h)alf, (e)ighth, (s)ixteenth' etc if you didn't learn music in an english environment.

I agree, but it is the way Notion works. I can confirm you that the learning curve is very straight, also to an elder like me.

2. Once I placed notes, can I change their duration in a more efficient way?

Yes. Select a note, press *=*, press the key for the new value.

3. In the same area of work... can I just delete a note so it turns into a Rest?

No. You need to manually add the rest.

4. Is it possible to edit or fine-tune the slur lines position, curve, etc? other apps (i use MuseScore) have some kind of bezier control for the slur and other line elements.

No.

5. Can I select a range of notes and add an articulation, like staccato?

Yes. Select a group of notes then press the corresponding key for the articulation (eg *1* for staccato, *5* for accent etc.)

Can i remove the articulation of all selected notes in the same way (or any way)?

Yes. Select note(s), press *=* twice

6. The red notes (out of measure?) can't be dragged or put on the next measure, where they belong?

No. But you can insert a new barline before it to embed it into a new bar (*i*)

is there any way to pan the view? like press the mouse middle button and drag the score, or something like that?

No. Just scrolling bars alongside the document window.

Hope it helps

Ps I see you a re a Synful user. Are they still open for business?

Thank you, Fabio! These tips help me a lot. While there are features that just couldn't be missing (panning the score for instance) I see that most things are already covered.

Oh, Synful! yes, they are in business. I am a big fan, and every time I go into a piece of software like notion, I download and install the demo from their page just to see how it works again.

Synful is not a common sample library. It uses a series of algorythms to really interpret the phrasing, so it's unique, no other library sounds like this, it seems. But synful doesn't have a piano or some other instruments, and there are some potential problems using it together with other sound libraries. Plus the US$479 price tag... it's a rough path, and I always decide that it's just too much for me.

I thought it would become cheaper with time, but the fact is that it's getting more expensive! lol.

Visit www.synful.com

elerouxx,

You can re-direct the shortcuts on your keyboard to fully customise your shortcuts, I posted here under a different login:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=283&p=3732#p3732

I personally went for more of a Sibelius set-up as I was already used to it, but you can assign any action to any key, however the effect will be global to your computer, so you don't want to start re-assigning your qwerty keyboard if you use the computer for other applications (another reason to re-assign the numeric keypad).
Keytweak is a bit of a hassle but it's well worth it.

Thanks to all for the valuable information.

rgriffin, as an alternative you could try AutoHotkey, a free scriptable macro software that can remap your controls ONLY INSIDE notion (it has a command to ask which window is active, so if notion isn't the active window, autohotkey just passes the normal key. And you also can enable/disable easily the script) - this is in PC.

Well, after trying several applications, mostly notation software, I must say notion is the best for composing, IMO. If on one hand Notion doesn't have the many typeset and formatting options as other specialized software, on the other hand the audio output and instruments are much more 'musical' than in others, and with lot of control. And note input and edit is far more natural than most.

It's nice that you can edit note durations without scrambling the whole part like in most apps. For instance, I created a melody in eights and I now decided it's better in sixteenths grouped in truplets and I just do it. In most apps it's a mess to rephrase a melody by changing the duration of its notes, specially with tuplets involved.

Of course I could use CDEFGAB shortcuts to enter notes but i like a music keyboard more. And I like using the mouse (actually I use a graphic pen which is great!!).
WHAT REALLY KILLS ME is the lack of the use of the middle button to navigate the score, like almost every single app uses to. In notion3 you can use the scroll bars or the mouse wheel with or without shift, but it's too akward for an application so well done in every other aspect. And with a graphic pen it's worse because the pen doesn't have a wheel, but it has a middle button.

The lack of this easy navigation bothers me so much that I just can't believe they didn't implement it. Other than this, I only have good things to say.

I found this thread accidentally and remembered back then, trying to convice myself to buy Notion. I'm glad I managed to, I don't regret a little bit, and I can say Notion changed my life by making me very productive.

I also remember that I was lacking a way of panning the view using the middle mouse button. I bought the software hoping this would be implemented at any minor upgrade, since it already works in MAC since version 3. After a whole version upgrade (which I promptly got!) still no drag and pan in windows.

I feel that nobody cares. I wish all Mac users and developers used the Windows version for a week or so.

Emilio, I had to chuckle at this:

elerouxx wrote:I wish all Mac users and developers used the Windows version for a week or so.

After 25 years or so as a user of both Mac and Windows versions of software I've often said the same thing about how Windows developers should suffer through some of the limitations of their software when ported to MacOS.

I would think that all versions in both platforms are tested by the developers thoroughly before publishing.

That being said, Notion in Mac OS10.8 IS a beautiful svelte animal.

Yes, of course Notion is thoroughly tested in all platforms before release. Notion is not the kind of application that feels like unfinished, ever. I think it's top quality.

I'm just trying to find a reasonable theory for the lack of drag-pan in Windows for so long.

elerouxx wrote:I'm just trying to find a reasonable theory for the lack of drag-pan in Windows for so long.

Dear elerouxx,

What do you mean by drag-pan?

-Admin