Are any of you long-time Finale users like me? When I purchased a new laptop a number of years ago that would require purchasing a new version of Finale, I thought I would try foregoing the purchase to save some money and opted to just use MuseScore instead. That decision didn’t last long. I needed all the notation bells and whistles that I was used to in the robust Finale software, so I forked over several hundred dollars. Figured it was a trade-off preferable to pulling all my hair out over the frustrations of trying to use a new software.
So when I got the shocking announcement this week from Make Music that they were discontinuing Finale, I was horrified! Even though I will still be able to use Finale in its current version on my current laptop, I know that it will see a quick death in the world of ever-advancing technology. To soften the blow, Finale users are receiving a heavily discounted price to purchase the latest version of Dorico Pro (regularly $579.99; available to Finale users for $149). Perhaps I’ve had my head buried in Finale scores too long, but I’d never even heard of Dorico, let alone have any desire to learn an entirely new notation software. Nevertheless, I began researching as much as I could to determine if Dorico would be a worthwhile alternative to Finale (or if I should look into Sibelius, which I was tempted to do more for spiteful reasons than pragmatic ones!). I couldn’t find much useful information, but did run across a succinct comparison at Berklee Online of the four leading notation software programs (MuseScore, Finale, Sibelius, and Dorico) that gave me a glimmer of hope.
Sibelius got ruled out the instant I discovered that it’s a subscription model. Dorico has an SE version that you can download and use for free, so I figured that would give me an idea of the interface, user-friendliness, and capabilities of the program. Creating a new document was intuitive and quick. I’ve just barely scratched the surface so far, but I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised. I was able to get the hang of inputting notes manually and adding various markings to the score. The process for some of them is even preferable to how it worked in Finale. For example, adding pedal markings in Finale was a huge pain, but in Dorico it’s simple and looks great! Anything I couldn’t figure out quickly from the main screen, I did a quick Google search for and the Dorico Help pages provided answers (although a few more screen shots would be nice!).
Since I often use notation software to create music worksheets and flashcards and games for my students, I wanted to be sure that I could export graphic excerpts from the document. Turns out I needed the Engrave Toolbox, only available in Dorico Pro, in order to do that. The crossgrade offer for $149 convinced me to take the plunge and start learning all that I can little by little while I still have access to Finale so that by the time I have to completely switch over I’ll be proficient. The Graphic Slices process is another functionality that I like better than the Export Graphic process in Finale. In Dorico you can create a bunch of slices that are stored in the window on the side panel and then export them all at once. This could save me a ton of time in the future!
D
orico has a YouTube channel with lots of tutorials and informational videos for those who want to find out more about this notation software. And if you’re in the same boat as me and having to make the switch from Finale, there’s a playlist specifically for that purpose. I think the thing I’m dreading the most is having to convert all my Finale files to XML files and then importing them into Dorico. I’ve already tried it with one file and there are enough engraving differences that it will take some time to tweak each file as necessary. I probably have several hundred Finale files, so I can’t even imagine the nightmare this prospect is for those who have thousands. Yikes.
All in all, after just some preliminary exploring, I think I will like Dorico and it will be a suitable, if not superior, replacement for Finale. Obviously there will be a learning curve, but I’m hopeful that the time and effort will be worth it. Is anyone else out there an abandoned Finale user? How are you moving forward? Or is anyone already a Dorico user? I’d love to know what you think of the software!
Susanna says
Thank you for asking! Thank you also for the helpful information you provided.
Like you, I think I’ll be purchasing Dorico, which (talk about spite!) I’ve temporarily named Doritos. Never heard of it before, although of course Sibelius and MuseScore are both on my radar. I suspect a lot of Finale users were unaware of Dorico’s existence, which might help partly explain the reaction MakeMusic is getting.
I’m concerned about the XML file transfer, as well; even exporting an XML file from elsewhere and opening in Finale has proven anywhere from awkward to downright arduous.
I read elsewhere ( https://blog.dorico.com/2024/08/finale-sunset/ ) that Finales users have the option to “install [their] Finale license on a virtual machine that will run on any modern computer”…I admit I don’t understand exactly how to implement that, but I definitely intend to look into it.
Thanks, again for sharing and inviting others’ feedback. It’s been a rough week for Finale users….and it’s only Tuesday!
natalie says
Thanks for your input, Susanna! It’s helpful to know that we’re all in this together, and maybe someone will come up with a better option for converting all the Finale files to Dorico!
Jason says
Just some background, Dorico is created by the ex Sibelius team, Steinberg snapped them up when Avid downsized. So there is a long predigree in scoring applications behind the Dorico team.
natalie says
That is helpful to know and very reassuring! Thanks for sharing, Jason!
John Birch says
I bought Dorico shortly after Finale’s announcement. Having used Finale for over thirty years, it has been a very steep learning curve trying to change to a new programme. I find that Dorico tries to be too clever at times and it is sometimes difficult to control it to do what I want it to do and not what it wants to do. Overall, I find it very difficult to control and have spent many, many frustrating hours trying to change some things to what I want. The Anthony Hughes videos available make it all seem so easy and straight forward. Maybe I should spend more time watching them!
natalie says
Oh my, John, that sounds very frustrating. I have put it all on the back burner, so I haven’t delved into it anymore (I think I’m putting it off for fear of exactly what you described!).