overture, version 2.0.2b music notation software

Overture, Version 2.0.2b Music Notation SoftwareReview by: Ross WhitneyNotes, Second Series, Vol. 54, No. 2 (Dec., 1997), pp. 538-541Published by: Music Library AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/899559 .

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NOTES, December 1997 NOTES, December 1997

Many tracks require mouse clicks within them. During several video clips, the viewer is instructed to click on the pause button in order to click on a demo button to hear a relevant sound clip, which might easily have been included in the video clip itself.

Some screens have a "ConNex" button, which leads to text that elaborates on the subject at hand in a hypertext format. Clicking on a highlighted word will then lead to a relevant video clip. Although the ConNex button is valuable, it appears in- frequently and often in a cluttered context. On at least one screen, the viewer is already faced with the above-mentioned need to pause in order to choose from several audio clips, and it is easy to miss the appear- ance of the ConNex button. Further, it is not always easy to retrace steps: the "Go Back" button sometimes delivers the viewer to an unexpected place, particularly when backing out of the occasional ConNex gloss.

Despite these organizational and naviga- tional difficulties, Computer Music has a lot to offer. Some of the most effective aspects of the program include narrated anima- tions of dynamic processes involving basic parameters of sound and digital manipulation, which are difficult to demonstrate effectively in a conventional classroom situation. Not surprisingly, some of the most informative and natural contributions come from the professional teachers in-

Many tracks require mouse clicks within them. During several video clips, the viewer is instructed to click on the pause button in order to click on a demo button to hear a relevant sound clip, which might easily have been included in the video clip itself.

Some screens have a "ConNex" button, which leads to text that elaborates on the subject at hand in a hypertext format. Clicking on a highlighted word will then lead to a relevant video clip. Although the ConNex button is valuable, it appears in- frequently and often in a cluttered context. On at least one screen, the viewer is already faced with the above-mentioned need to pause in order to choose from several audio clips, and it is easy to miss the appear- ance of the ConNex button. Further, it is not always easy to retrace steps: the "Go Back" button sometimes delivers the viewer to an unexpected place, particularly when backing out of the occasional ConNex gloss.

Despite these organizational and naviga- tional difficulties, Computer Music has a lot to offer. Some of the most effective aspects of the program include narrated anima- tions of dynamic processes involving basic parameters of sound and digital manipulation, which are difficult to demonstrate effectively in a conventional classroom situation. Not surprisingly, some of the most informative and natural contributions come from the professional teachers in-

volved in the project, including Peter Elsea and David Cope of the University of Cal- ifornia at Santa Cruz. The guided tour in- side the synthesizer by Dana Massie of E-MU Systems demystifies pertinent computer processes and is sure to calm the nerves of even the most intimidated view- ers.

In a future incarnation, Computer Music would be improved by highlighting and en- hancing its text-only historical overview with pictures and sounds of early comput- ers and the designers and composers who used them, and this segment could be more prominently displayed. But even with that improvement, the heterogeneous nature of the content and the organization of this product renders it inappropriate as the central source of information in a computer-music class, although its avail- ability would be valuable in the introduc- tory stages. Computer Music is rather like a hypermagazine, with some similarity to Electronic Musician or Keyboard Magazine-a mixture of helpful technical explanations and chatty interviews viewable in any order according to whim. As such, it should reach a wide audience, and it will likely serve the laudable purpose of arousing interest in an important topic among the curious while clarifying many basic issues for the enthu- siast.

TOM FLAHERTY Pomona College

volved in the project, including Peter Elsea and David Cope of the University of Cal- ifornia at Santa Cruz. The guided tour in- side the synthesizer by Dana Massie of E-MU Systems demystifies pertinent computer processes and is sure to calm the nerves of even the most intimidated view- ers.

In a future incarnation, Computer Music would be improved by highlighting and en- hancing its text-only historical overview with pictures and sounds of early comput- ers and the designers and composers who used them, and this segment could be more prominently displayed. But even with that improvement, the heterogeneous nature of the content and the organization of this product renders it inappropriate as the central source of information in a computer-music class, although its avail- ability would be valuable in the introduc- tory stages. Computer Music is rather like a hypermagazine, with some similarity to Electronic Musician or Keyboard Magazine-a mixture of helpful technical explanations and chatty interviews viewable in any order according to whim. As such, it should reach a wide audience, and it will likely serve the laudable purpose of arousing interest in an important topic among the curious while clarifying many basic issues for the enthu- siast.

TOM FLAHERTY Pomona College

Overture, version 2.0.2b music notation software. Opcode Systems, Inc., 1997. Macintosh platform only. $495 (academic price, $250; lab pack of 5, $750). Requires system 7.0 or later, 2 MB RAM on 680xx; 4 MB RAM on Power Macintosh (native), and 3 MB hard-disk space.

Overture, version 2.0.2b music notation software. Opcode Systems, Inc., 1997. Macintosh platform only. $495 (academic price, $250; lab pack of 5, $750). Requires system 7.0 or later, 2 MB RAM on 680xx; 4 MB RAM on Power Macintosh (native), and 3 MB hard-disk space.

Overture is a relatively recent addition to the half dozen or so programs commonly used in academic music libraries and computer labs. Although the company has had a steering influence among music-software manufacturers for about a decade, Overture is only in its second version. Built on a solid base of experience and insight from the company's other successful products, however, the program can hardly be consid- ered immature. Its design is essentially intuitive, efficient, and flexible. Overture ac- commodates virtually every standard no- tational practice of Western music used by educators, professional composers, arrang-

Overture is a relatively recent addition to the half dozen or so programs commonly used in academic music libraries and computer labs. Although the company has had a steering influence among music-software manufacturers for about a decade, Overture is only in its second version. Built on a solid base of experience and insight from the company's other successful products, however, the program can hardly be consid- ered immature. Its design is essentially intuitive, efficient, and flexible. Overture ac- commodates virtually every standard no- tational practice of Western music used by educators, professional composers, arrang-

ers, and copyists. Thus it deserves the scru- tiny of music-library and computer-lab administrators who serve a broad range of users with a limited number of support staff.

Like most programs of its kind, Overture opens with a customizable default score setup, tool bar, and window controls. It comes with more than twenty score tem- plates for such standard ensembles as string quartet and orchestra, and users can create an unlimited number of custom tem- plates as Macintosh stationery pads to suit individual needs. Most functions can be accessed through the primary window with-

ers, and copyists. Thus it deserves the scru- tiny of music-library and computer-lab administrators who serve a broad range of users with a limited number of support staff.

Like most programs of its kind, Overture opens with a customizable default score setup, tool bar, and window controls. It comes with more than twenty score tem- plates for such standard ensembles as string quartet and orchestra, and users can create an unlimited number of custom tem- plates as Macintosh stationery pads to suit individual needs. Most functions can be accessed through the primary window with-

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out having to switch modes, and the display is exceptionally versatile. Single or multiple scrolling pages can be displayed at a range of magnification from 40% to 999%. This replaces the usual piano-scroll metaphor and is quite useful for score overview, spacing adjustments, and page turns. The interface is sophisticated and at the same time replete with thoughtful, time-saving amenities. The mouse pointer changes to a "drag cursor" when crossing hidden control points called "handles." The user places and edits systems, staves, measures, and notes, using the drag cursor to locate handles without having to display them or toggle between modalities. Symbols and text are organized into palettes, or "pop-up tool menus," most of which can be activated through keyboard shortcuts or "torn off" from the tool bar and floated anywhere on screen in vertical or horizontal orientation, Palettes usually do not need to be open on the desktop, and the program expediently remembers the last function used. Menus are needed mainly for preference settings, and are generally decipherable at first glance. Dialog boxes are kept to a mini- mum and often include a "next" button that allows changes to additional related areas without reselecting. Launch time, scrolling, data entry, editing, and even printing are very fast, indicating a lean underlying program design.

Although notation-software veterans will adapt quickly to the interface and soon speed through almost any task, there are some shortcomings for the typical computer lab that needs to address varying lev- els of interest, experience, and need. Im- mediately noticeable is the lack of color or dimension in the display. Color would be a useful organizing tool to differentiate areas, functions, and voice layers and would motivate interest among first-time users. Of course, color consumes resources and slows display functions, so it might best be added as an option. In any case, color is a con- spicuous feature of Opcode's sequencing programs, and it is reasonable to assume that as Overture's popularity develops, so will its look. Another potential drawback for novices is the absence of such visual cues as labels on tool-bar buttons. Although most of the icons are self-explanatory, some may be frustrating to learn or difficult to remember without consulting the

program's Quick Reference card or the user's manual. Furthermore, the tool bar cannot be customized to provide easier access to menu items.

Some limitations undermine the execu- tion of global adjustments. For example, there are no measure-range settings in frequently used dialog boxes such as "Set Meter" or "Set Tempo." Changes automatically apply to the next meter or tempo, making specific insertions or a simple change from a given point to the last measure of the score more difficult than should be necessary. Despite preference settings, there is no automatic system or staff- centering command that will take into ac- count different numbers of systems or staves. A "Recalculate Layout" command adjusts the spacing of every measure in the score regardless of the starting point. That can mean a lot of fine-tuning to individual measures later. Default note spacings can be edited in "allotment tables" that, while adding another level of control, will probably never be understood or even inves- tigated by most users. While not absolutely prohibitive, these complications reduce the programs efficacy in a computer lab, where customization or work-arounds become im- practical.

Overture's input and output are logical, flexible, and very stable. Notes, symbols, and text are entered and edited easily. MIDI features are excellent, as one should expect from a company that produces some of the industry's best-loved MIDI software and hardware. Layout controls are numerous and even allow the side-by-side place- ment of separate systems on a page. With its nearly thirty notehead shapes, variable one- to sixteen-line staves, movable C-clefs, and symbol sets for jazz, percussion, and guitar, the program can accommodate con- ventions of many idioms and historical pe- riods. Feathered beams, composite meters, and graphic drawing tools are available for modern notation. Besides offering the option of placing individual notes into the score from tool palettes, Overture supports both real-time note entry and step-time entry, using both computer and music key- boards. Some input preferences can be pre- set, such as stem direction or enharmonics. Notes can be continuously deleted back- ward, dragged chromatically or diatoni- cally, assigned courtesy accidentals (without

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parentheses!), and grouped into tuplets or tied-all from within step-input mode. Many articulations and ancillaries can be applied in groups by activating symbols and selecting the notes to which they apply. Notes and symbols can be selected and re- positioned individually or in groups. Slurs automatically adjust when moving notes. Cross-staff beaming, common in keyboard music (and a convoluted process in some programs) is accomplished effortlessly by selecting and assigning notes to the desired staff. Most elements can also be made "in- visible" or scaled between 10% and 250%. Automated proofing tools speed up the proofreading process by checking the music for instrumental range errors and in- correct rhythms. Even the mouse's capabilities are strategically employed in such features as repeating actions and incre- menting text-box numericals by pointing while holding down the button.

Using Overture to enter, edit, and play MIDI events is almost like using a sequencer. Setups facilitate percussion map- ping, instrument transposition, and accu- rate playback of all types of MIDI events. Overture uses the Opcode Music System (OMS) to communicate with MIDI key- boards and other devices, and it can use the company's Galaxy librarian/editor software to control specific synthesizers from within the program. An editing window that graphically represents the MIDI data and a controller data strip chart that modifies the data with a drawing tool help to max- imize performance and playback options, and they add a realm of creative possibil- ities that similar programs lack. Symbols -including dynamic markings (except for hairpins!), trills, and tremolos-are recog- nized and played back accurately. As with a good sequencer, "punch-in" MIDI re- cording allows players to replace selected areas of a performance without affecting the parts they wish to keep. This is particularly friendly to an improvisational ap- proach to composition. The addition of a few advanced features-such as quantiza- tion, overdubbing, and looping-would ad- vance Overture's MIDI component signifi- cantly, but the program is fully compatible with Opcode's powerful Vision sequencing software for more elaborate manipulation. It will share standard MIDI files with other sequencing programs as well. Unfortu-

nately, although Overture is General-MIDI capable, no synthesizer patch-name lists are included in the documentation.

Text, lyrics, and chord symbols are both efficient and flexible to work with. Text can be entered anywhere in the score and assigned by category to individual pages, all pages, systems, or measures. Lyrics can be either entered and edited in a word processor or typed directly into Overture's Lyric Window and flowed into the score with hy- phens, melismas, and reasonably good note alignment. On the other hand, automatic- alignment methods are sometimes unreli- able, leaving lyrics, accidentals, and other symbols overlapped or oddly spaced.

Most drawbacks concern details that might be addressed in future versions. One such inconvenience is an unwieldy dialog box that opens during step-entry. More fundamental, though, is the lack of a mea- sureless music-entry mode that would allow playing into the score without having a pre- conceived or consistent meter in mind. While barlines can be hidden prior to note entry, data is organized into an underlying meter anyway. Reorganizing the music into a sensible metric scheme afterward requires some discouragingly onerous cutting and pasting. It would be a blessing to be able to insert barlines at any place in a staff and to have the program calculate the meter based on the number of beats per measure. That way, composers could enter complex, improvisatory ideas directly into the computer without first writing them out. Also absent is a "split" or "merge" command that would break piano music out to individual staves or, conversely, condense multiple staves to a single piano staff.

While probably not of publishable quality, the printed output of the music is more than adequate for most uses and allows for numerous page, margin, and tiling controls. The maximum page size is 34" x 44". Printing is remarkably fast, making the program ideal for use with a busy net- worked printer. Graphic files can be im- ported into the music, and a section or an entire score can be captured as a graphic PICT or EPS file and exported to a word processor for use in text documents. Ex- traction of parts from full score retains the positions of lyrics, rehearsal markings, and other types of text, and calculates multiple- bar rests.

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Overture's documentation consists of a comprehensive five-hundred-page Refer- ence Manual and two shorter booklets, Get- ting Started and Overture Encyclopedia. All the contents are well organized and guide the reader to clear, concise, and generously illustrated descriptions and instructions. The reference manual's extensive cross- referenced index is of additional help. And in case the program is not already easy enough to learn, basic tutorial files will get even an inexperienced computer user go- ing in a short time. If questions arise that the manuals cannot answer, help is available by phone, E-mail, or the company's Web page (http://www.opcode.com), which hosts an on-line "chat" service for custom- ers to share experiences about the program. The Web page also contains detailed product descriptions as well as information on the latest updates of Opcode's complete line of products, including Overture.

There may never be a perfect solution to music-notation software for music libraries and computer labs. Because there are any number of needs at any time, it is probably best to offer more than one program. Pro- viding both an advanced application that can do virtually everything and an easier, general-purpose application is one way to ensure that everyone's needs are met. Of course, this requires that support staff

learn two applications rather than one, and administrators must keep up with the latest developments of both. There is also a basic cost issue in purchasing and upgrading two programs with similar capabilities.

Where practicality dictates choosing only one notation program, priorities need to be settled. If absolute control over every el- ement is the priority, an advanced program is needed. If more general use is the priority, a more accessible program is appro- priate. Despite its claims, Overture belongs more to the "accessible" category of software than to the "advanced." This may soon change, however, considering the vast improvement the program has undergone since its last version, which lacked many of the features and much of the stability of the current one. Opcode plans to release a Windows version next year, and the company has gained a reputation for main- taining competitive features in all of its products. When such innovations as Web compatibility, MIDI scanning, and digital audio-to-MIDI conversion become inte- grated with publisher-quality music notation, Overture will likely hold its place among the leading-edge alternatives on the market.

Ross WHITNEY University of California, Irvine

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