CB to Finale or Finale to CB ?

Cubase
1

I would appreciate a discussion for this Newb of the relative merits and considerations of composing with a notation program and then exporting a finalized score to CB7 for fine tuning of the audible results versus composing with tracks in CB7 to end up with a finalized audio product and then exporting to a notation program for a finalized score.

I realize this is a religious question to some extent and alot is dependent upon just personal workflow preference, e.g. whether you like to compose in notation first or with tracks and VSTi’s, and whether you really need an audio file AND a score. But surely there are lots of other considerations and benefits to starting with notation or a DAW.

For example, I’ve heard exporting midi from a DAW ends up with a messy first score in a notation program and cleanup of the score is very work intensive. But I’m wondering if quantizing in the DAW prior to export fixes alot of this. But of course I don’t think there is a "humanizing " feature in a notating program to regain the performance realism that comes from a pure midi file in a DAW.

Similarly, starting with creating a final score in a notation program alleviates that problem of cleanup of a score in a DAW from a midi import. But it seems you then may have a lot of work causing all the articulations and score markings in the notation program score to export and play correctly when exported into a DAW and you might have an equally work intensive project making your notation program score sound real in a DAW. Although at least you could avail yourself of the “humanizing” feature in the DAW at least insofar as avoiding machine-like sounds are concerned when playing a notation program score in CB7.

And how many of the score details placed in a Notion score survive in the midi file exported into a DAW and are hearable ?

Is there a hybrid approach to get the best of both worlds where you do some stuff in each, and if so what is that “stuff” ?

Thanks for any insight.

2

Aloha b,

For me it depends on how I start a piece of work (from scratch).

1-If I start with a pencil/eraser and some manuscript paper,
Finale (more recently Sebelius) will be my next step.

2-If I start with a music instrument (guitar/piano/bass etc)
my next step will be in Cubase.

I have always been able to get better looking/printed stuff
from notation DAWs like Finale and Sebelius
and better sounding stuff from Cubase and ProTools.

I am sure there are users that can get good results from both
and as of C7 I am starting to do more and more notation work in Cubase.

I am now wondering if I will still working this way a year or so from now.
Time will tell.

HTH (hope this helps)
{‘-’}

3

I have Finale, and it outputs very beautiful sheet music. But I compromise on the printed look and just stay in Cubase from start to finish, since Cubase does so much in terms of editing. I get good printed results from Cubase, and the limitations don’t get in the way too much.

4

And because of users like ‘SteveInChicago’ and ‘vic france’ I have
been trying my hardest to use Cubase for both.

Be it Cubase 7 or me, something has changed
and I am slowly starting to get the hang of it.

Just need a bit more time.
{‘-’}

5

Glad you’re getting into it.

Score in Cubase has gotten better, they made the Project, Layer and Note layers more obvious, and a couple other nice things like page backgrounds. Little ergonomic touches go a long way.

It is now super quick to do lead sheets. I would use Finale for that, but now use Cubase due to the chord track, also, you can throw together a comping track for practice or teaching very quickly.

Cubase is very nice for transcribing too, using the shuttle control for half speed playback and pitch shift (up) to hear muddy bass lines.