All user reviews of 5/5 for the LilyPond.org LilyPond [Freeware]

Free software and GPL (public domain) http://lilypond.org/web/

<p class="bbcode-cite"> Quote: <span>Some free software outperform their competitors homeowners; DEFINITIONS is the case with GNU LilyPond, its authors, Han-Wen Nienhuys and Jan Nieuwenhuizen, dissatisfied with the appearance of partitions such mcanique es by the existing computer programs have cr with the primary concern of finding the grave beauty of the partitions by hand. Since 1 April [2004], a new major version of LilyPond, 2.2.0, is available.

Defines a language LilyPond music notation trs expressive, concise, and easily expandable by users thanks Guile Scheme. The compiler lilypond product from text files in that language composs scoring, scores in PostScript and PDF.

LilyPond is available from other GNU / Linux, FreeBSD, Mac OS X and MS Windows (via cygwin).</span>

The manual is printable (PostScript) and online in HTML format.
Other sources of information are available by searching the mailing list for user: http://mail.gnu.org/archive/html/lilypond-user/.
Examples of sources and rsultats: http://lilypond.org/doc/v2.2/examples.html

SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

Addresses both the old notation, the grgorien, tablature, chords, bass figure, scoring today.
Provides a driver or a solo without difficulty.
Allows, with LaTex (trs Systm powerful composing text), the shuffled score, text and images.
Impcablement turns on P III 450 with 128 MB of RAM.

OVERALL OPINION

APRS three years of use, the other singers are delighted to audio CDs that I prpare for their work at home, and TOC scores greatly reduced.

The only thing to know about the habits of the click-click the mouse: Lilypond is a description language score, not a software interface. We called partition with editor texts any (emacs in my case) and one passes file obtained Lylipond that emerges printable versions (postscript and PDF) and MIDI. In practice, the description language is simple and logical, and APRS few hours of practice you can go faster trs.

There are also graphical interfaces for gnrer Lilypond files, but I have never seen a really usable.

The software is very simple to install Linux, MacOSX little more complicated (just use fink). I did not test other platforms.

SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

For my meager needs (rarely more than 2 or 3 pages for 2 or 3 instruments), Lilypond works perfectly on my two machines (Athlon XP1800/512 MB / Linux and iBook G3 500 / 320 MB / MacOSX). For this type of partition, the gnration gure does a few seconds. I have never met a problem due to the software itself, for cons, some GUI code gnrent limit so impractical that we must use them with the exact version Lilypond of t for which they have Designed.

OVERALL OPINION

I use occasionally Lilypond about two years. Is the only editor Partitions srieux I utilis; I also somewhat got at description language ABC although simplest quickly limit. I see no reason to change.

On Windows, the installation has now become easy with a installer, under debian, no major problems. Lilypond is a bit like LaTeX: you have to delve a bit into it to get to do something, there is a time of learning unlike other software, but nothing insurmountable.

SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

The performances are excellent (of course the software is a bit slower on windows)
the rendering quality is amazing, it looks like a professional score! more, you get a pdf file which is very convenient (even if we can export to other formats for web-pages)
the software is very stable (no bugs apparent) and finally easier and faster to use as a software graphical user interface (once you get used to) ...

OVERALL OPINION

I use this software for 2 months, the most impressive is the final rendering. This software has four advantages: it is completely free (so in particular free) and so it is evolving very fast (bug fixes etc ...) and it works under different OS.

Installing Windows is now very easy. Under Linux, this can sometimes be complicated because of the many distributions and dependencies. Not tried on Mac OS X, but must go alone. Trs software evolves quickly, and frequently changes release.
It is recommended that both Linux on Windows or MacOS to also install the free text editor jEdit (requires Java) which, using an extension facilitates Whereas the WRITING of text file that will create the partition (assistants, using the WRITING, syntax).
Under Linux, it can be very useful to install rosegarden4 because it benefitted from its publisher WYSYWYG partition. It then exports in Lilypond, and converted (by hand, in a console ...) file export the very latest version of Lilypond we install. I did not even test me, but Lilypond can also import files generated by Final!
The online manual is clear trs is sufficient, but must speak English and spend 365 sheets of paper to print the complete manual PDF. In French, it was just an online tutorial that allows you to put your foot the sort.
Since Lilypond is multiplatform and can write his scores in any text editor, it MRIT the highest score!

SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

I do run on many computers, the less powerful with PIII 600 MHz, the faster a P4 3 GHz. Compiling a source file (mode of Lilypond) is relatively slow, but it's not really teachers (except with one big partition on slow computers). With practice, it does not compile his life.
The set is perfectly stable. The problem is more than matrise user WRITING syntax of a source file that Lilypond program itself (a simple compiler)

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for eight months. I love the extraordinary quality of printed output produced: one would swear by a partition serious matre of yesteryear! The various outputs are universally usable. It also produces a MIDI file of CONTRL, sometimes quite useful. Lilypond is also free software (and free), which runs on both Linux and Windows. If - like me - is used squenceur rosegarden4 Linux, it was almost a WYSYWYG interface, and the work of the output file in a simple text editor allows to make almost perfect so-adj entered.
on the other hand, if compltement product "by hand" the source file dcrivant the partition (such as a computer program), it requires a learning time (relatively short), but which, by the result of move quickly if used regularly.
Lilypond gure can be compared to a partition editor WYSYWYG (usable Fawn playful and instinctive, but gives a partition "tinker"). It is simpler and more powerful than MusiXTeX, a system that now deprecated only feature specialist in only).
The report qualitprix is ​​irrelevant to such software. The only cost is to put the time to learn the syntax WRITING (which is logical and clear). It is worth if we write a lot of partitions. In this case, I think it's the best Systm production of high quality scores.
After learning that, in view about the results obtained, I do not think anyone regrets that choice (free software) ...
To be convinced of the quality achieved, to load some of the scores produced by the project bnvoles Mutopia:
http://www.mutopiaproject.org/
and see the quality. pdf files!

Easy installation, no inconsistency noted. The online doc is very thorough (I downloaded) and convenient to use with links to html. Even the French translation is nickel, not everything is translated in English but I found everything I was looking for, and more is not devoid of informative and educational.

SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

On a PC brand MEDION PIV 3MHz and 512MB of RAM which has already 5 years. Sound card series to test the midi files generated by the software, and it allows me to preview and detect data entry errors. The execution times are quite acceptable: approx 30s to generate a pdf file + midi + file system partition on 10 pages.

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for 4 months, it asked me for a bit of work to read a minimum of documentation and do some tests, say 2 or 3 days, then it progresses to appreciate the difficulty. You just follow the syntax exactly, and here I acknowledge that my VBA programming experience put me at ease quickly. I never tried another program, or considering to buy one considering the price, but then for this freeware no hesitate a second.
The print quality is very clean, precise. The use may apply to a wide variety of music styles, from classical, jazz and why not the song with chord notation, or tablature for guitar.
Of course you have to type all the mimine but at least we know what we do, this is not an automatic thing where you do not understand what's happening inside. It is a product that has tremendous potential.

Installation nickel and excellent manual in French (thankfully also because you have to go there) ...

SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

Extremely light (normal, no GUI just how html code) ... Note however that the minutes of the partition can take quite a while ...

OVERALL OPINION

I zyeuter this little program for quite some time. At first I was very reluctant to work in code rather than GUI like Sybélius or Finale ...

And then I ended up making the pitch and there in a few days I am completely convinced. it is true that the ownership of the code takes some time, but finally no more than understanding the logic of Sybélius example (it's been 6 years that I use sybélius, and each time I provided for the galley layout, lyrics ..). Here with the help of the manual in a few hours you master the basic tools, knowing that we have more advanced functions if you need it one day ...

The philosophy of working code is to know exactly what we do and everything under control ... and it changes everything. In addition you can copy and paste lines of code so a thousand times more intuitive and efficient than the copies in a graphics editor ...

Here we see that if a GUI can be very handy for certain things, there's cases where it is really a smokescreen to give the impression of a grip so obvious that 'In fact this is not the case ...

On the other hand there 's something absolutely brilliant, is the integration of lily-ponds-Open Office ... For an educational book or musical score is very good ... you type a code, and wham! it generates the partition as an image directly into the document ... if you want to change something, click on the partition and you can edit the code ... a quick export to pdf and it was something really super clean and pro ...

And all this free software. Frankly, why bother with anything else?