In the category of the editors of sheet musics, there are mainly two big rivals: Finale and Sibelius. To my taste, none of two is perfect and there remains another long way to go to have an entirely exploitable and practical tool.

Finale 2009 declines under different versions more or less rich in functionality: Finale 2009, Finale Allegro, Finale PrintMusic. Anyhow basic concept is the same: edit sheet musics.

During the launching of software, a helper offers us to configurer our new sheet music through models (orchestral, piano, guitar). Rather practice, they succeed easily in getting the type of desired sheet music (instruments, disposition). It is even besides scanner possible a document to convert it automatically into sheet music. Result is correct and will require some modifications nevertheless.

Main Final interface is the window in which sheet music is written. View can overbalance between a mode by page (Word type), a mode where they march horizontally in an infinite way and a mode close to a console to regulate the level of tracks. Concept is rather good and practical depending on circumstances.

First weak point however, the general ergonomics of the soft. There are toolbars to the left, to the right, above, a main menu, a contextual menu... Difficult to meet there. Second remark, if you click on a button allowing to define ranges, measures the main menu in the top of application (classic File, Edition) exchange rate dynamically and show options of the concerned button. This concept is unacceptable because they have little chance to note that the menu changed. Furthermore it is a basic rule in conception of interface that to change never dynamically a main menu.

To enter notes on sheet music there are different modes:

• With the mouse, the length of the note is chosen and it is positioned on sheet music.
• With one abbreviated keyboards, numeric keypad allows to choose the length of the note (round, white) and the letters of the keyboard the note in American ciphering (In for).
• With a keyboard midi, notes are directly added on sheet music.

What are possibilities given to supplement our sheet music? There are different tools allowing to point expression out (dynamics, articulations) introduced through the boxes of dialogue. It is rather full but one more time not really intuitive. If to put a vibrato is rather simple, to insert a bend can become a course of the combatant. The investment of sign is sometimes strange, the parametres of sign (1/2, 1 tone) must be changed in the menu which has just appeared in the toolbar between plugins and helps.

Concerning sound reproduction, there are two modes to hear its sheet music:

• Sounds clean basic midi à la carte sound.
• A PLUGIN VST in the choice. Garritan Aria (a selection of Garritan Personal Orchestra) is given with Finale 2009. He offers the instruments of the orchestra with a limited number of articulations. Its interest is that he allows to get a return more correct than with sounds midi without being too fond of good food therefore. An instrument uses until 10Mo of Ram. It is therefore possible to have an orchestra under hands for less of 500Mo.

Finale can also play sheet music "by humanising" the return, that is to say by returning the way of playing more realistic. Finale will interpret expression signs, tempo indications, articulations. This is even more interesting if you use a sounds bank, Finale will undertake be played good articulation for every passage.

Last more amazing, this new version of Finale includes the possibility of adding audio tracks to its project as well as of synchronising the reading of sheet music with a video. Interesting at first glance but from this perspective, the music notation software turns more to DAW such as Cubase in the place to concentrate on the edition of sheet music.

In conclusion, my opinion is reserved. Finale has good ideas but badly exploited. First of all, it involves about an editor of sheet musics therefore the management of PLUGINS VST, of audio and of video is superfluous. Interface is draught, I have more the feeling that the developers collect according to versions of additions here and there. It is apparently missing a coherence in the functioning of software which even assistant had to badly to fill up. Personally I always wait for a competitive software on the edition of sheet musics, I hear there a tool which really makes us gain time.