Melody Assistant - 7.4.7c

The app is OK but the claim of free upgrades is BS. The Intel upgrade is a "payed" upgrade for all those folks who bought it even though it was and still is stated that ALL FUTURE UPGRADES are free. Very bad form on the developers part. And the price listed above is incorrect. It's $25 new and $19 as an upgrade/ Not only is it not free it's almost full price!

The product produces unreadable renderings (both on screen and in print) in very basic situations (e.g. dotted half followed by 16th with alterations in 4/4). The notes and the accidentals end up on top of each other and there is no way to manually fix the placement. This is with the paying version, and the only answer from support is that this is on purpose, and that you have to go and purchase the more expensive Harmony Assistant product to be able to freely place the notes in the bar. I would strongly recommend against that product unless you are looking for endless headaches to create the most basic scores.

I know I don't get close to using all the abilities of this software ... but for rehearsing choral works, it's superb. Working with public domain midi files, you can isolate or emphasise particular voices (and slow it all down for the trickiest passages), see the score onscreen as it plays ... with the option of exporting to mp3 to singalong and rehearse with in-car (or on-bike!) iPod. We use it in two of the choirs I sing with, and it helps me (and others!) enormously! For the price of a couple of those choral tutor tapes, you've got the ability to create endless personalised versions to help you learn the notes (especially useful if you're pretty slow to pick out your notes on the piano!) ... I'd have to say the interface can be confusing (so many options, and different windows - some of the less computer-literate singers are frightened away) and it doesn't look very pretty ... but then neither do I! Put the Highly Recommended sticker on this one!

Okay, I'm sure this is a good program for the price, but this is a big peeve of mine: To the programmers: time the trial period, if you want, but don't disable something as fundamental as time signature. Sure I'm frustrated because I suddenly needed software for music notation, quickly, only the song happened to be in 3/4. Can't do it.

And I am someone who does pay for shareware. But if the shareware is downright antagonistic when I'm trying it out (I keep bumping into "you have to register to use this feature") I tend to get so annoyed I'm not inclined to ever use the thing, or recommend it again.

So be warned. I feel like I wasted my time with this program. Programmers, have a litte more faith in people, or don't be in the shareware business, IMHO.

At this price, it's unbeatable. The UI is very clunky and un-Apple like (think Sibelius next time, please). Also, the developers should post WHAT'S NEW on VT for each individual apps/OS, instead of sending the customers to their website where bug fixes/new features from all applications and all OS's are mixed together in an incomprehensible mess.

Still, if you're a composer and can't afford the high end solutions, this program is HIGHLY recommended.