Your workflow?

[stevefu]

Hi all,

I\'m new to sample/MIDI composing but I\'m going to get started with Gigastudio based orchestration soon. The problem is, I\'m not clear on what sequencer/notation combination will best serve my purposes.

How are you all organizing your workflow? Mouse/Keyboard notate in one program, MIDI tweak in another? Play each part from your controller manually? I\'ve played classical piano for many years, so playing any part is not a limiting factor.

From what I can tell, you can either elect to have nice looking notation, or nice sounding music, but not really both in the same place. Am I wrong in thinking this?

[Vertigo50]

Unfortunately, I would have to agree. Sequencers like Logic and Sonar produce great sounding music, but their notation is sub-par at best. Notation programs like Finale and Sibelius provide fabulous notation, but little to no sequencing options.

Personally, I use Finale and Sonar, and bounce projects back and forth as midi files. It\'s not the most efficient thing in the world, but it gets the job done.

[LifeForceExplorer]

Hello Steve - You might be interested in the lengthy Sibelius/Finale thread that just happened a week ago here at this forum in the sample libraries section.

You\'re right. Notation programs (even amazing one\'s like Sibelius, imho) dont really perform and cant be MIDI controlled like sequencers - and sequencers arent much at notating.

My music is orchestral and I compose using Sibelius (which is a joy - almost like a pencil and paper that you can hear as you write!) and then later perform most parts of the same music to a sequencer as a completely separate act from my printed notation with Sibelius closed. And I\'m using GS at both stages. Here\'s the thread with a long discussion about all this. Make some coffee - its pretty long:

http://www.northernsounds.com/cgibin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=002314 (\"http://www.northernsounds.com/cgibin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=002314\")