<p>My D is about to purchase a laptop and software for college and could use some advice. She was initially lined up to audition for vocal performance programs but changed her plans after getting into Harvard early, so she's now planning to study voice on the side with a conservatory professor while pursuing an A.B. - perhaps in Music, perhaps in something else with a substantial amount of elective music coursework. She'll eventually plan to audition for a Masters in vocal performance after the bachelors degree - maybe needing some catch-up postgrad music study.</p>
<p>So, she needs the computing capabilities of a music performance major as well as the broad range of software applications that would be of use in other liberal arts disciplines. I'm assuming that she'd want access to the iSuite of Apple tools, but with what laptop and specifications? Are the Apple laptop and tools like Garage Band difficult for a Windows user to pick up or limiting in any way?</p>
<p>My son just graduated from music conservatory. He had a PC laptop. The only music software that he loaded on it was Sibelius, which he used for compostion and also found helpful for some of his theory classes. However, the Sibelius program was not required and he could have accessed it at any of the schools computers. I don't think that you will find that your daughter will need anything specific.</p>
<p>Yeah gadad....
most music majors really don't need extra software or anything.</p>
<p>Composers might find it useful to have Sibelius or Finale on their computer.
As for theory work, I'd strongly recommend using pencil and paper. </p>
<p>Sequencing software such as logic, Cubase or Performer might be a nice (but completely optional) addition to a musician's computer. Then again, it's again something more useful for composers.</p>
<p>DS has an Apple laptop. It comes with the necessary software right in it to do decent recordings. He uses it daily to record his practice sessions. He has both Finale and Sibelius on the machine. He does not need them both. He had Finale, and then got Sibelius to replace it. Both of these programs are available for PC as well as Mac. For recording purposes, I do not know what additional software you would need to add to a PC.</p>
<p>Just quizzed my S on the above issues. He says there are a number of Macs at school, but he thinks PCs still outnumber. He sees pros and cons of both Sibelius and Finale. Some things are much easier on Sibelius. He has Finale, and says it's extremely complicated. He also says that some of his friends have the newest version and love it - they say it's really good. He thinks it's a compromise between the old Finale and Sibelius - taking some of the best of both.</p>
<p>We never considered getting him anything other than a PC. We have only PCs at home (4!) and my H is quite savvy with them. When the kids have trouble, he has always been able to talk them through solutions over the phone. When we buy family packs of software, or find free downloads, we can all use the same version. To get S a Mac at this point would be to set him adrift!</p>
<p>It really depends what your daughter wants to do with it.
I am a commercial voice major and do a lot of recording as well, so I find my Powerbook G4 with Logic Pro 7 ($299 academic discount; $1000 commercial) quite useful (the PowerBook's have an useable condensor mic that's nice for free, although I prefer an mbox and a couple of low-grade studio condensors for my own project studio).</p>
<p>Almost without question, I would recommend against Sibelius or Finale for a music major (unless, possibly, they are going to do composition/theory) simply because those programs do not tend to reward musicianship and they are primarily graphical, not musical, programs--a good analogy would be whether an author would use typesetting software or a word processor. The answer is generally that the author uses a fairly normal word processor (many use MS-Word after all), whereas the <em>publisher</em> uses the typesetting software. In the same sense, composers usually don't really need a program such as finale/sibelius and actually do need realistic audio instruments such as what Logic (Mac) or Sonar (PC) provide.
In addition, these two programs offer an awesome array of audio editing, recording, sequencing, and other production tools useful to someone wanting to enter the music industry.</p>
<p>I've been thinking about this thread. The OP's daughter will not be majoring in music in the next four years. That being said, she should buy the computer that will service her needs NOW. By the time she goes to grad school, her computer will likely need to be replaced anyway. SO...if your family prefers a Mac, get a Mac. If your family prefers a PC, get a PC. BTW....DS uses his music notation software when he wants to transpose a piece and have it come out nicely printed. Sure...he could just write it out on music notation paper...or do it in his head. But, he prefers to have it. Also, he has done some arranging and composing for his own fun...not as part of a class. Again...it's easier for the musicians to read a printed score than his hand written notation. He has Logic...but he also records many of his practice sessions, plus other things as well.</p>
<p>"In the same sense, composers usually don't really need a program such as finale/sibelius and actually do need realistic audio instruments such as what Logic (Mac) or Sonar (PC) provide."</p>
<p>It really depends on what you call a composer. At most composition departments at Universities, a composer is almost certainly required to know how to properly and creatively use notation software. </p>
<p>For the composer in the classically tradition, notation of the page is vital knowledge. Simply knowing how to tinker with an audio program/midi sequencer like Logic, Sonar, or for that matter even ProTools is not enough. The reason behind this is simple: The classical composer, for the most part is responsible to write music that is performable by OTHER musicians. Notation is key. While sequencers can help generate ideas, in the end, notation software is very helpful.</p>
<p>"The Music Industry"- is a completely different animal.</p>
<p>I have a friend going to Berkelee School of Music (sp?) this coming fall, and he told me that BSM requires all their students to have a some sort of apple (I can ask him what the specifics are on that), because it comes with programs that allow you to record/edit a lot more decently than the programs that you have to buy for a hp. I'm sure that's not the only reason for it, but he kept going on and on and on about how he loves mac and how his school was "so right" about using it-- he's a smart music/computer nerd, so I'm sure his reasons are plausible. </p>
<p>And I personally think sibelius pwns. The same friend mentioned above used sibelius to write our jazz trio's music (including alto sax, piano, and set), and compared to other music programs I've seen, I think sibelius is easier to use.</p>
<p>I dunno - with finale I whipped out an 8 minute piece for full orchestra in a week and one day (sure, I didn't sleep, but I didn't have any problems with the program).</p>