MakeMusic Inc. on Thursday announced the release of Finale SongWriter, a new tool that lets users compose and arrange music, listen to their work and print out sheet music. It’s designed for songwriters of all levels, according to the developer, including those who are new to notation software. Finale SongWriter is available for Mac OS X and Windows computer for US$49.95.
You can use a computer keyboard, a musical keyboard connected to your Mac using MIDI, or MIDI files themselves to create the notation. You can manipulate key and time signatures, add lyrics, chords, guitar fingerboards, markings and add other musical instruction.
What’s more, Finale SongWriter can automatically generate two or three-voice harmonies and drum grooves. You can create and edit guitar and bass tablature, save MIDI files or create MP3 files too. Finale SongWriter comes bundled with 129 professional instrument sounds, and “Human Playback” adds a personal touch to how the music is played back.
System requirements call for a G4 or higher, Mac OS X v10.2 or later, 256MB RAM and a CD-ROM drive. A demo is available for download.