|
|
| MakeMusic Forum > Public Forums > Finale - Macintosh - FORUM HAS MOVED! > Another one bites the dust | Forum Quick Jump
|
| 
smack
Registered Member
      
Date Joined Dec 2003
Total Posts : 12
|  Posted 5/17/2004 9:50 AM (GMT -5) |   | I know the last thing this forum needs is another rant, but, tough. . .
I've had it. I resisted moving to Sibelius with every fiber of willpower I could muster. I figured I had put in way too much time and money into mastering Finale, that I didn't like the interface of Sibelius, that Finale had to come around and figure this OS X thing out eventually. But no more. Dealing with MakeMusic has become too much like dealing with special ed kids (God bless 'em. . . the special ed kids, that is).
It was one thing that it took so long to get an OS X program out in the first place. Another to make every excuse for their unprofessionalism they could think of. Yet another to talk about their "renewed commitment" to their Mac users. But then to release this horrible program, followed by an even worse "update", and call it a professional program. That's too much. 2004b for OS X is completely unusable. Not just bad: *unusable* for professional (and probably even amateur) notation. And I certainly don't see any reason why I would be willing to pay another $90 for 2005 in August given the complete lack of professionalism from this company.
The final straw: what would seem to be the very simple process of cutting and pasting bits of 7/4, 9/4, and 11/4 measures into smaller 1/4 measures. It has been literally IMPOSSIBLE to accomplish because the program can't stop crashing. I've got the auto-save feature set at *ONE MINUTE*, but the program can't even stay open long enough for that to kick in. Forget it. I'm done. As much as I dislike having to learn a new program, it's the only legitimate option I have. OS 9 is not a real option at this point, as the waste of either money or time involved in switching back and forth between operating systems is more than I'm willing to put up with, especially for the sake of sticking with this now amateurish company.
Finale 2004 belongs in one of those bins at Staples where it's like 3 software titles for $10. You'd grab some cheesy solitaire program, a shoot'emup game that looks like it was made in the 80's. And, hey, might as well grab this worthless notation program so you can get the 3-title discount. | | Back to Top | |
 |
migman
Registered Member
Date Joined Apr 2000
Total Posts : 2432
| Posted 5/17/2004 10:22 AM (GMT -5) | | | I wouldn't want to wish ill will on a fellow musician, so I hope your experience with Sibelius doesn't bring you to the same place you are in currently with Finale. I hope that if you do, Finale will have improved enough by then that you can switch back. Good luck. | | Back to Top | |
|
nickthorpe
Registered Member
Date Joined Jan 2004
Total Posts : 5
| Posted 5/17/2004 12:12 PM (GMT -5) | | | |
|
MarcvdM
Registered Member
Date Joined Mar 2004
Total Posts : 76
| Posted 5/17/2004 12:12 PM (GMT -5) | | hmmm, the 1 thing that finale 2004b does for me is not crashing... It certainly is a hell of a lot more stable than any OS9 version I have worked with (since 3.5).
And I don't treat the program gently. True, the biggest drawback of 2004b is certainly pasting, especially the amount of time it takes to even paste 1 measure, containg only simple notes.
What version of OSX are you running, and on what machine?
Marc | | Back to Top | |
|
nickthorpe
Registered Member
Date Joined Jan 2004
Total Posts : 5
| Posted 5/17/2004 12:23 PM (GMT -5) | | Smack;
You sound like someone who writes for a living, as I do. It seems that when your livelyhood is dependent on a program, a person takes these issues much more seriously. I, too, am more than "dissapointed" with this version. The word fraud comes to mind. But, hey, they"Guarantee you'll love it". | | Back to Top | |
|
Thierry
Registered Member
Date Joined May 2004
Total Posts : 8
| Posted 5/17/2004 4:38 PM (GMT -5) | | Smack,
Could you detail the specs of your machine? (type of Mac, processor speed, RAM, exact version of OS 10)
Does it happen with all files or just some of them?
I am not sure this will tell us why you crash so often but since your experience appears to be unique, getting the details about your system would be a good start. | | Back to Top | |
|
MarcvdM
Registered Member
Date Joined Mar 2004
Total Posts : 76
| Posted 5/17/2004 6:13 PM (GMT -5) | | Thierry, that was my suggestion as well.
Besides that a wild guess: does OSX perform as it should? i.e. do you repair disk permissions regularly, do you run the system-cleanups ("daily,weekly,monthly" scripts) manually (Onyx or any other program that does that for you) if your mac does not happen to be up at three in the night?
Marc | | Back to Top | |
|
smack
Registered Member
Date Joined Dec 2003
Total Posts : 12
| Posted 5/17/2004 8:01 PM (GMT -5) | | Hi all,
Thanks for the replies. I have cooled down a little since my rant, though I'm still pretty content with my decision to switch to Sibelius. Even if this issue gets worked out, something else will inevitably pop up in its place. This is the last - but by no means the only - straw.
But to answer your questions, I'm on 10.3.3 on a 700 MHz PowerPC G4 with 512 MD SDRAM. I run DiskWarrior about twice a month and do regular cleanup. I don't have this kind of problem with any other programs (well, maybe some mild crashing issues with a few amateur, open source programs, but then that's what you pay - or don't pay - for).
I have actually not found my situation entirely unique, as was said. In fact, most of the Finale users I know complain of regular crashing, especially when working with the Mass Edit Tool. And, other than this most recent problem I've described, I've dealt with a lot of crashing while editing. Off the top of my head, I can remember recently the program crashing after trying to simply clear a portion of a measure with the clear (num. lock) key.
I can't remember all the other situations that have resulted in crashes, but they happen frequently enough to be extremely irritating. Especially since all my program settings reset about half the time (I don't know why it's only half the time), so that when I reopen the program, the palettes are all in default position (not the position I like to work in) and I have to go to program options and set everything to my liking all over again. And of course, even without the crashing, the infamous slowness is pretty intolerable. This is all just too much of a headache to keep putting up with, and I've given up waiting and hoping things will get better. By the time they do, I'll have lost enough time and money that it won't have been worth it. My only regret is that I didn't go with the urge to switch last summer, or then again last fall, or then again last winter.
Anyway, I'm sorry for cluttering up the forum with another long, annoying rant. I feel better now. I'll be moving along to what I hope are greener pastures. | | Back to Top | |
|
music_2000
Registered Member
Date Joined Mar 2004
Total Posts : 38
| Posted 5/17/2004 8:38 PM (GMT -5) | | I understand how you feel but I prefer finale mainly because they offer NOTEPAD and sibelius doesn't offer a similar FREE software package | | Back to Top | |
|
down8ve
Registered Member
Date Joined Aug 2001
Total Posts : 18
| Posted 5/18/2004 8:29 AM (GMT -5) | | This discussion causes me to say this once again: If you want to use Finale get a PC.
Don't get me wrong. I have been a big "MacAddict" for years. But when I look on the Finale Windows forums I see business as usual, folks getting work done. The percentage of students at my college who bring Macs to school continues to fall to the point that we have more running Linux than OSX. Our Music Lab is due for an upgrade in 2005-06, but I have a suspicion we may switch platforms in order to stay with Finale.
Finale 2004 runs great on a 5-year-old Gateway PIII we have at home, far better than my same-vintage G4. In all honesty, the only application I use that is Mac-only is Stone Studio... all the other programs appear on Windows. As someone who enjoys playing with Linux, it is astonishing to watch how quickly it is maturing. Sure there's a lot of unfinished work, but when you can run MS Office, Dreamweaver and Quicken using Crossover (www.codeweavers.com) you can't help but be impressed with the progress.
It will be interesting to see how the landscape looks a year from now.
Scott | | Back to Top | |
|
B K
Registered Member
Date Joined Feb 2003
Total Posts : 165
| Posted 5/18/2004 8:55 AM (GMT -5) | | Hello Scott,
nice posting - everything you have said makes a lot of sense. However, I personally believe that most of the folks would prefer to switch to other notation software than to switch the platform, i.e. go for wintel, myself included. I don't see the need for either at the moment, although there were the things I disliked about Finale since long...
down8ve said...
This discussion causes me to say this once again: If you want to use Finale get a PC.
Don't get me wrong. I have been a big "MacAddict" for years. But when I look on the Finale Windows forums I see business as usual, folks getting work done. The percentage of students at my college who bring Macs to school continues to fall to the point that we have more running Linux than OSX. Our Music Lab is due for an upgrade in 2005-06, but I have a suspicion we may switch platforms in order to stay with Finale.
Finale 2004 runs great on a 5-year-old Gateway PIII we have at home, far better than my same-vintage G4. In all honesty, the only application I use that is Mac-only is Stone Studio... all the other programs appear on Windows. As someone who enjoys playing with Linux, it is astonishing to watch how quickly it is maturing. Sure there's a lot of unfinished work, but when you can run MS Office, Dreamweaver and Quicken using Crossover (www.codeweavers.com) you can't help but be impressed with the progress.
It will be interesting to see how the landscape looks a year from now.
Scott
 Post Edited (B K) : 5/18/2004 12:56:46 PM GMT | | Back to Top | |
|
papisax
Registered Member
Date Joined Jan 2004
Total Posts : 14
| Posted 5/18/2004 9:36 AM (GMT -5) | | I also agree. I have Finale 2004b running on a G4 800Mz powerbook and on a dual 1.25 G4 powermac and it is running fine. It is still a littel buggy with Human Playback and the Smart Music synth, but Finale is working!
Sincerely,
Papisax | | Back to Top | |
|
papisax
Registered Member
Date Joined Jan 2004
Total Posts : 14
| Posted 5/19/2004 3:29 AM (GMT -5) | | Just FYI:
If you think Finale bites the dust you should try out the latest version of Sibleius. 3.1.3. It sucks!!!!! My computer has crashed a zillion times and I am only working on a Jazz Quartet arrangement. Imagine if it was a big band. As bad a Finale 2004b is, at least I still can get my work done. I have been futzing around with this Sibelius crap and have lost a lot of time tonight. Also it is not intuitive like Finale. I hope I do not have to switch back to PC because make music cannot program well in OSX. I dread to go back to Windows.
Papisax | | Back to Top | |
|
martoonie
Ellington & Strayhorn - beyond category!
Date Joined Mar 2004
Total Posts : 243
| Posted 5/19/2004 9:34 AM (GMT -5) | | I may get trashed for saying this, bur Finale 2204b is running GREAT for me. I'm using the latest Panther on a 1.6G G5. I admit I use no playback and no midi at all -- I'm strictly a professional copyist, not a composer. But everything works properly, other than an annoying glitch with the message window telling me about which tool I've selected, even though it's turned off.
I had to switch back to Finale 2003 for a day last week, and thought it was horrid having to place all my expressions by hand again, or not being able to select all the articulations at once. For me, my productivity has actually increased with this version on this computer. It was slower on my 500MZ G3 iMac, though.
I'm currently preparing pop sweetener charts for full symphony orchestra. Granted, the scores are fairly light, but I'm still pleased to be able to generate a score and parts of about 100 measures in a day. 
Cast your bread upon the waters, and it will come back buttered toast. | | Back to Top | |
|
jcraig1
Registered Member
Date Joined Dec 1998
Total Posts : 842
| Posted 5/20/2004 6:37 PM (GMT -5) | | I have to chime in and support martoonie. Tho' I approached the upgrade with trepidation, due to the vast numbers of complaints on these boards, & not wishing to change over during ongoing projects and deadlines, it has basically gone very well for me and seems to be running well.
I am not experiencing any of the speed issues, I'm getting fast playback & redraws, no discernible difference from previous versions. However, I am doing a lot of rebuilding of my custom templates (many, for my clients) that I'm doing from scratch in order to incorporate my wishes into 'my' default file. Of course there is he rebuilding of the macros-aarrgghh. I also had some font issues that were fixed with the Fontpack.
Anyway, to date, about 3 weeks and 5 projects, it's going well. I wish the same to everyone else.
PowerMac G4 867 Dual, 768 Ram
OS 10.3.3, Finale 2k4b, ikeys, edirol UM-2, Yamaha PSR-220 for Midi input
Joel Craig
Craig Music Services
New York City | | Back to Top | |
|
Erling Kroner
Registered Member
Date Joined Dec 2001
Total Posts : 408
| Posted 5/21/2004 4:18 AM (GMT -5) | | I'm keeping my fingers crossed! I just registered my 2004b on two machines, G4 876MHZ, 384MB RAM and Powerbook G3, 333MHZ, 196MB RAM, both running 9.2.2 and OSX Panther. I haven't really touched it, staying with my 2002b, and don't know WHEN I'll dare digging into it (OSX) and it runs very poorly in 9.2.2 (unusable - playback issues, redraws). Superficially seems like it COULD be working all right in Panther (seems ok in pb and redraw), but can't chance it, because of no backwards compatibility, so I'll let it sit there and wait for an update that'll solve all the major issues. As a pro composer/arranger/bandleader ANYTHING I do matters. No time to f... around.
Remember older days: New version: apprehension, taking the chance, new updates ironing out major/minor issues and eventually everything she just fine. I knew. Now I lost my trust in Finale (MM). Three years (+?) promising, delaying eventually releasing a subpar 2004 that's STILL wobbling. Ohmygad! Might end up with 2002b forever - really not a problem since it works very well. But it'll keep me from ever moving into OSX. FYI I work directly in 9.2.2 NOT via Classic so no new Mac's for me (save me a lot of money/investment though).
erling | | Back to Top | |
|
Peter West
Registered Member
Date Joined Dec 2002
Total Posts : 4272
| Posted 5/21/2004 5:06 AM (GMT -5) | | Erling, I understand your feelings on the issue, but not upgrading could be costing you a lot of time. A G5, even single processor running OSX.3 will be anything up to 16 times as fast as your 876MHz G3. While Finale is a little less responsive in some respects than 2003, it is definitely no slower than 2002, and includes so many new time saving features that you would soon be wondering how you managed. Staff and score expressions, for example ar placed right where you want them. Finale script allows you to open a whole folder of files, change the preferences in one and then apply all of those preferences to all of the other open files. Imagine being able to check your e-mail or go online, or work in any other application while finale is extracting orchestral parts, which you can't do in OS9 with 2002.
Admittedly some people are having some problems with speed in certain areas, but you will see that some long term users here have stated that they are definitely not. I suspect that that is the norm.
Peter
Music Publishing Services | | Back to Top | |
|
Erling Kroner
Registered Member
Date Joined Dec 2001
Total Posts : 408
| Posted 5/21/2004 11:44 AM (GMT -5) | | Thank you all. I don't expect my PowerBook G3, 333MHZ to be able to handle OSX/Finale except in a pinch!! But it certainly works ok for much (other) work, albeit not very fast. My G4 is a single processor 867MHZ machine, and in OSX Panther, Finale 2004b seems to run all right. In 9.2.2 on same machine, 2004b can't even turn pages in playback nor give anything but a completely outa sync one (I DID up the RAM ante). No prob. in OSX. And I WANTED to wait 'till 2004 would work in 9.2.2, because I prefer that to OSX (at this time) and have no urge to getting into OSX until . . . I feel like it (read: get OSX versions of other to me important programs). My apprehension at this time involving myself with 2004b is purely the worry of getting caught in an important project and finding myself stuck in 2004b without any escape hatch (lack of backwards compability - nothing new). I've been there before, every time I upgraded to a new version, but back then, I trusted Finale to solve the possible bugs fast. The trust is shattered at this time. Is my problem. But I keep an eye out for youse guys' experiences and when (if) I feel I have regained my trust, I'll delve right into it. Thanks for the feed-back.
erling | | Back to Top | |
| 37 posts in this thread.
Viewing Page : 1 2 |
| Forum Information | Currently it is Saturday, September 30, 2023 9:15 AM (GMT -5)
There are a total of 403,820 posts in 58,165 threads.
In the last 3 days there were 0 new threads and 0 reply posts. View Active Threads
|
Forum powered by dotNetBB v2.42EC SP3
dotNetBB © 2000-2023 |
|
|