4 comments about MakeMusic Finale 2007 Win/Mac.

1. You would be hard pressed to find something you need in your musical score that you can't do in Finale. That comes with a price however because the endless list of options means endless hours learning how to use them all. You may also find yourself spending a lot of time skipping through option windows over and over again just to repeat a simple task. But I am pleased to say that much of this work can be eliminated if you are quick with a keyboard. It just takes a while to memorize all of the hundreds of different hot keys. In short, Finale is a BIG program, so if you are BIG into creating scores then get it. Otherwise, you should get one of the downgraded Finale programs like Allegro or Print Music which have fewer options to sift through. They are also much cheaper.
   
   BEST FEATURE: Finale comes equipped to playback your scores with Garritan Personal Orchestra. It sounds incredibly real (and much better than NOTION) provided your computer can handle it. And you can get expansions from Garritan if you need more instruments than just the standard orchestra.
   
   WORST FEATURE: There is still no option (that I'm aware of) to easily insert new staves anywhere in your score using the staff wizard or otherwise. You can do it of course, but it is a needlessly laborious process. You always have to resort all the staves and then respace them. This should be automatic. But I will continue to search the endless chasm that is the user manual in case I missed it.



2. Recommended, but allow yourself a few months to learn this one. However, within a year this software can be a great timesaver for the professional musician.
   A lot of features but very difficult and complex to learn if you want to score and listen back before printing and heading to the recording studio or rehearsal.
   Complications are due to inaccessible instructions. Simple procedures are disguised in the manual index behind many uncommon terms used in place of standard music-notation and orchestration vocabulary. Plan to spend quite some time searching for answers anytime the software doesn't cooperate with you. The manufacturer appears to be overwhelmed with questions for help from consumers; submitting a question to their customer service usually results in their sending a list of clip/pasted references from the difficult manual. Be very patient and persistent and a customer service agent will usually get back to you in due time.
   A competitor could knock their socks off by coming out with a simpler version.



3. Just beware, this does NOT contain the FULL version of Garritan Orchestra.



4. I was used to Finale 2006, and regret having purchased this upgrade. It locks up; plug-ins don't work the way they should; and tech support is useless- the fixes they suggest have already been tried, and perhaps they don't realize that the program doesn't always work the way it's supposed to. I've reinstalled it twice, and still have problems. Some plug-ins and staff styles can be applied to scores (if they work), but will be cancelled in linked or extracted parts! I hate it.

No comments about IK Multimedia Amplitube 2 Metal.

No comments about No World Order.

No comments about MAGIX Music Maker DeLuxe 2000.

1 comments about Adobe Creative Suite 3.3 Design Standard Upgrade from CS3.

1. So, I purchased this product thinking it was going to upgrade my CS3 (which is precisely what both the copy on the product page and the box say). But, when I inserted the install DVD, the only product that was installed was Acrobat 9. I was perplexed but I figured, because this is a new product, there was some kind of reason for that which I would learn later. THEN, the product I DID install, Acrobat 9 Pro, did not work properly. The most important component for my purposes, the Distiller, which allows the user to create PDFs, something I do frequently, CRASHES REPEATEDLY. It "has a problem and must close" every time I start Windows up or try to print to Adobe PDF.
   
   When I contacted Adobe tech support via online chat, I provided my serial number and was told it was for Acrobat Pro 9, only and that there IS NO upgrade for CS3. I informed "Henry", my intrepid support chat guy, what the box, DVD and copy on the product support page on their site and on the reseller's mislead customers into believing and he apologized but was unswayed by the truth. (Can't confuse some people with the facts, you know?) I said, trying to quell the heat rising from my head at feeling duped, "Well, okay; at least I only paid what I would have for an Adobe Pro 9 upgrade so can we fix the distiller issue." By this time, it's twenty minutes into the chat.
   
   "Henry" informed me that I'd have to REGISTER the product, something Adobe clearly states on its site is optional, to get help with the Distiller issue! I asked him if he was kidding me. He, of course, said, "no, that's the only way to get support." By that time, I WAS heated so I just clicked the little "x" in the upper right hand side of the chat utility to end the chat instantly so I wouldn't say something that would end up posted on some blog and I registered the product against my will fearing I'd NEVER get help. By now, it's too late to call tech support on the phone and ask for some real help...if there's even such a thing.
   
   At this writing, I cannot create the PDFs that are such an integral part of my business and will need to spend more precious time trying to get the issue resolved! I just hope I can.
   
   I would NOT recommend your buying this product until Adobe decides what it really is, what it's supposed to be (DON'T look for the supposed full new versions of CS 3 design standard on this DVD because it's NOT present on the DVD) and works out the bugs, both in the product that IS on the DVD and the customer support for the product DVD. I surely wish I'd waited....

1 comments about Adobe Coldfusion Standard 8.0 Upgrade (From CSTD 6 Or 7).

1. The concept behind ColdFusion when Allaire built it was brilliant, but the program was somewhat hacky. When Macromedia bought it they made it a professional 'must have' and easy to program product for any serious web application developer. Now, with ColdFusion 8, under Adobe and merging with other Adobe technologies, the integration with PDF, .NET, Exchange Server Mail, and image rendering as a single, simple cf tag is pure genius. ColdFusion 8 is to Web Development what WYSIWYG is to Web Design.

4 comments about Microsoft Publisher with Digital Imaging 2003 [Old Version].

1. A publishing program for under $200 that works great. If you are comfortable working with Microsoft Office programs, then you'll find it easy to adapt to Microsoft Publishing. I've been using this program for about a year without any problems. Since using it, I've found that any other variations for card, flyer, newsletter creation are almost impossible. After feeling like you can do "anything" in this program, it's hard to deal with a different platform.



2. I'm finding it a little difficult to do what I want - I want to create my own designs, and the stock designs are not what I want. I found one that I am using for my business cards, but is there a way to make up my own? Also, I just haven't had time to get on and learn all there is to learn about the program, so that is my fault.



3. I recently became an editor for our Gem & Mineral Club and put out a ten page newsletter each month. Publisher is wonderful and easy to use and has been a great help. I also use Publisher for making mailing labels for our members. I have found using the help feature useful and have found solutions to my problems. I like the clip art included and use it to make the newsletter more interesting.



4. I don't understand Microsoft selling such complicated software and not including a manual for it!!! There is a comprehensive manual for the digital imaging portion, but nothing for the Publisher. I have not been able to find a manual anywhere else either. Plus, it is not always possible for a person to go online to Office Online.
   
   CJ Gribner

No comments about AVERY-DENNISON / AVE5239 / Designpro Deluxe CD-Rom Label-Printing Software / Sold as 1 EA.

1 comments about WebRazor Pro 2.0.

1. This is an excellent software for reducing the size of your graphic files in batches as well as individually. You view the results in real time and make adjustments according to your preferences and how small you want the file size to be. The quality of the finished image is professional. The browser makes indexing image files a snap. It's worth the price to save yourself time and file size without compromising quality.

No comments about Microspot Macdraft Personal Edition.