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NoteAbility Pro

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Notability
Notability

NoteAbility Pro

NoteAbility Pro is a professional music notation package for macOS developed by Dr. Keith Hamel at the University of British Columbia.

NoteAbility combines both musical intelligence and notational flexibility in a direct and intuitive graphical user interface. Notate anything from simple melodies to complex avant garde orchestral music, play the score on your MIDI synthesizer or using built-in instrumental samples and print a publishable copy of your score on any compatible printer.

The Standard Features of NoteAbility Pro are:

  • Complete set of standard and extended music images (including graphical versions of most images that can be placed anywhere on the page).
  • A wide variety of entry methods including mouse, on-screen keyboard, MIDI step time, MIDI real time and QuickScrawl (gesture recognition).
  • No limits on score size, image size, number of staves, rhythmic complexity, chord complexity, beaming, tuplet groupings, etc.
  • On-screen inspector for modifying the attributes of images and altering the layout of your score.
  • Selection options include shift-selection and selection across multiple pages for efficient editing of your score.
  • Drag and drop TIFF or PDF graphics from a library of custom images.
  • Extensive import and export options.
  • Automatic part extraction.
  • Playback through MIDI and/or QuickTime.
  • Complete on-line help (HTML and PDF).
  • Unlimited number of pages per document.
  • Unlimited page size (width and height).
  • User-specified margins.
  • Up to 40 systems per page.
  • Up to 40 staves per system.
  • Up to 16 measures per system (expandable after setup).
  • Standard clefs (treble, alto, tenor, bass, soprano, treble-tenor, octave-bass, percussion).
  • Variable number of lines in staff (1 – 6).
  • Staff type (number of lines) may change at any location.
  • Staff segments may be hidden at any location.
  • Standard key signatures.
  • All time signatures from 1/1 to 32/32 plus complex time signatures (eg. 1/4 + 3/8).
  • Standard and custom braces on each system (including nested braces).
  • Standard & custom barlines on each system.
  • Staff labels (right or left justified in any font & font size).
  • Automatic addition of pages as needed.
  • Document display from 25% to 1000%.
  • Adjustable page size.

System & Page Formatting Specifications:

  • On-screen adjustment of all beat positions in all systems.
  • On-screen adjustment of all margins, vertical & horizontal positioning of systems, vertical position of staves, vertical position of lyrics (relative to staff) & horizontal position of the staff labels.
  • Re-position page numbers (locations, font, etc.).
  • Re-position measure numbers (frequency of appearance, location, font, etc.).
  • Change number of systems on the page.
  • Change the number of measures in the system.
  • Change the number of staves in the system (insertion, deletion, hiding & showing of staves).
  • Change the size of any staff.
  • Change key signature (all staves in the system or single staves).
  • Change the time signature (automatic realignment of notes).
  • Change the barline type and format.
  • Change the brace type and format.
  • Change clef (15 clefs available) at any beat location within the score).
  • Add partial measures (e.g. upbeat measures).

Input Methods:

  • Mouse input (image drags and note sounds while the mouse is down).
  • On-screen piano keyboard.
  • Step-time entry from MIDI keyboard.
  • Real-time entry from MIDI keyboard (via MIDI Recorder).
  • Quickscrawl entry (gesture recognition).
  • Import of MIDI files, or GUIDO files.

Audio Specifications:

  • Audio MIDI synthesizers and/or QuickTime.
  • Audio during note entry (all methods).
  • Audio during single note adjustment.
  • Staves may be freely linked to outgoing MIDI channels.
  • MIDI output can be mapped to 8 different banks (each of 16 channels).
  • Programmable MIDI and QuickTime drum kits.
  • Support for Inter-application MIDI connections.
  • Tempo map can be specified for the score.
  • Playback of individual staves.
  • Playback of selected notes.
  • Playback map allows repetitions of scores sections.
  • Transposition of staves on input and playback can be specified.

Music Specifications:

  • Complete set of standard music symbols (from double whole to = 128th notes and rests).
  • Supports all accidentals (including quarter sharps and flats – which can be set to playback through MIDI).
  • Simple graphics (rectangles, circles, lines in grayscale, filled or framed).
  • Any image can be any size and any colour.
  • Unlimited number of voices per staff (default set at 3).
  • Unlimited number of notes per chord.
  • Permits extreme rhythmic complexity.
  • Flexible beaming of notes (e.g. across staves and barlines).
  • Correct placement of notes in chord clusters.
  • Correct placement of accidentals in chords.
  • Correct vertical alignment of all music images.
  • Correct beaming of notes (beam angle and vertical position).
  • Correct system formatting according to a complex spacing algorithm.
  • Automatic tieing of notes which exceed the measure duration.
  • User can adjust the positions of accidentals, noteheads, stems, etc.

Text Specifications:

  • Text can appear in any font, size, or colour and can be freely edited, copied and pasted.
  • Header Text: is fixed on the page and appears on every page of your score.
  • Page Text: is fixed on the page.
  • Measure Text: adjusts to the staff and measure position.
  • Max Text: for encoding Max messages.
  • Lyrics: Are aligned to metrical positions and may have dashes and underscores connecting them to other lyrics or notes.
  • Figured Bass Symbols: Allows standard figured bass symbols and dashes to other figured bass symbols.
  • Text can be made global so that it is gathered by all parts during part extraction.
  • Frames can automatically be drawn around text.
  • Graphics (TIFF or PDF) can be dropped into text boxes.
  • Individual format rulers are available for each text box.
  • Unlimited number of verses of lyrics (leading between verses can be specified).
  • Provides a user definable Text Library.

Editing Facilities:

  • Image selection by graphical area or staff section across multiple systems and/or pages.
  • Cut and copy of all selected images.
  • Paste over, merge, and insert options.
  • Paste to other NoteAbility documents or other applications via pasteboard (as NoteAbility, TIFF, MIDI, Score, EPS/PDF, or GUIDO).
  • Can import EPS/PDF, TIFF, MIDI, Score and GUIDO via pasteboard.
  • Local adjustments to the position of all images.
  • Adjust secondary positions of images (e.g. length of stem, arc or slur, etc.).
  • Change the point size of images (any image can be any size).
  • Beam note groups (by beat or by group).
  • Automatic insertion of rests.
  • Transpose notes by interval or key.
  • Shift images from one voice to another.
  • Flip stems of notes.
  • Flip direction of ties.
  • Add accidentals to notes.
  • Add and remove ties from notes.
  • Merge tied notes into a single note of greater duration.
  • Form and alter the display of tuplets (showing bracket, ratio etc.).
  • Merge multiple rests into a single rest.
  • Add & remove articulation markings from notes.
  • Modify the duration of notes and rests.
  • Change notehead type.
  • Change playback velocity and duration.
  • Edit tie shape.
  • Increase the value of notes by eliminating following rests.
  • Reduce the duration of notes by converting to a note and a rest.
  • Change beam format (can contradict the rhythm values if desired).
  • Change line width and type (20 line types to choose from).
  • Part extraction of specified staff into a new editable document.
  • Undo is available for most editing operations.

MIDI Recording Specifications:

  • Sixteen (16) channels of MIDI recording.
  • Built-in metronome (supporting standard meters).
  • Adjustable metronome speed.
  • Reads standard MIDI files.
  • Reads NeXT .score files.
  • Quantize at standard rhythmic values.
  • Re-quantize of recorded or imported data.
  • Insert into score at any location on any staves or voices.

Control Panel Specifications:

  • Displays the current command.
  • Allows selection of current tool (and corresponding cursor).
  • Allows Entry Cursor to be moved by measure or beat.
  • Allows movement through pages.
  • Specifies tuplets (triplet, quintuplet or user defined).
  • Indicates current measure, beat position, staff number and voice number.
  • Indicates starting position of playback and current tempo.
  • Indicates last undoable operation.

File Specifications:

  • Unlimited number of open documents.
  • On-screen toolbar allows access to most panels and many editing operations.
  • Standard Open, Save, and Save As menu commands.
  • Imports .MIDI, .MID and .score files (through MIDI Recorder).
  • Imports GUIDO files which can be pasted directly into an open document.
  • Exports .MIDI, .score, NoteWriter (Macintosh), Max qlist, Max explode, EPS/PDF, JPG, GIF, PICT, and GUIDO formats.
  • Loads and saves score templates.
  • Loads and saves text libraries.

Printing Specifications:

  • Uses a customized Page Setup panel which allows you to set reduction size, margins, paper orientation, and print location on paper.
  • Prints to all compatible Mac OS X printers.
  • Saves documents in PDF or EPS format.

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