Calling Overture4 owners! Question...

[BlueMax]

I know Finale (all ver) would allow step-time entry using the number keypad to enter note durations.

Does Overture do this as well? This is the one critical feature I must have - as my live piano playing simply stinks.

[Nickie Fønshauge]

Overture 3 SE does and I guess O4 does as well. But, with O3SE you have to open a Step Entry window and close it again when done with the step entry. Anything you play on your keyboard while the window is open hits the score. I find this to be a real nuisance, since you can't doodle on the keyboard without first closing the window and then reopening it when you have decided what to enter. You end up spending a lot of time opening and closing this darned window. In Finale's Speedy Entry mode nothing hits the score unless you choose so note by note (alternatively pressing CAPS Lock makes it work like O3SE). You can doodle and enter notes interchangably without having to open and close windows.

[BlueMax]

I hope Overture 4 is different.... It's looking like Finale or Bust at this point.

[robjohn]

Did you consider Sibelius? It allows step entry and you can assign whichever keys you are most comfortable with to the different pitch rhythms. I usually Assign "F1" to whole, "F2" to half, "F3" to quarter (etc) and then play the actual pitches on my midi keyboard with my right hand - it works great and is very fast..
- Robjohn

[Doralin]

With Overture4, you can set duration easily using the number keypad, for example, 1=whole note, 2= half, 3=tuplet, 4= quater, 6= 1/16, 8=1/8, .= dot.
There is a keyboard shortcuts manual, http://www.geniesoft.com./support/manuals/overture4_reference.pdf

Or, if you mean "duration" as midi clocks such as quater=480, originally you can set note's duration using Step Input window and numerical value, but there is a bug. You can set duration only by using percent of size (e.g. 50%, it means quater=240 clocks) with mouse or keypad, as it stands now.

This bug has been known since last month, and I think Overture will fix it soon.
Try free demo version and its Step Input window.