Notion 3 Composition Software brings together high-quality music composition software and expert sound-mixing software in one professional but affordable application. Released in 2009, it is among the earliest music notation applications capable of both jobs. These commendable capabilities paired with a simple but effective interface and multiple sound-effect options make Notion 3 our TopTenREVIEWS Bronze Award winner.
When you first open Notion 3, its staves, measures and clef signs will draw you in at an allegro pace. You will want to start inputting melodies, writing inner harmonic voices or adding dynamic markings right away. Before your composition is complete, you'll notice a mixing board that's as foreign to the world of classical music as electric guitar pickups would have been to the late Ludwig van Beethoven.
Open the window designed to mimic a soundboard and prepare to be impressed. You will find that Notion 3 can work with most audio files whether they are MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), MP3 or WAV (Waveform Audio File Format) and translate them into standard notation. You have ultimate control over everything, starting with the volume of each instrument and ending with reverb effects and tempo control. When you're ready, you can print your score online or on paper and publish your audio file all at once.
Notion 3 is a great tool for performers and producers, but it is not geared toward music education in the way that its top competitors are. This means tools like ear training and improvisation exercises are unavailable, as is the option to output notated music as a graphic file for a lecture presentation or textbook. Other extras missing from the Notion toolbox include the ability to scan sheet music, the ability to track changes while editing your composition and a database of scores written by classical composers.
Notion 3 is fully functional music composition software that will work for you whether you’re a rock artist, a master of the blues or a classically trained virtuoso. One of Notion's best features is its ability to fill in harmonies and rhythm sections while you perform. You can control the tempo like a live conductor by adding an NTempo staff above your music. Use this feature to create a recording or to perform with you as the orchestral accompaniment to your concerto. For either a performance or a recording, you can randomize the beginnings and ends of notes with this tool to give your final recording a more life-like feel.
If you're more focused on transcribing than performing, rest assured that Notion 3 has all the features you need. Whether you're composing a full symphony, writing parts for a church choir or creating lead sheets for your rock group, features such as automatic note stem placement keep your score looking polished and professional.
Notion 3 is missing some of the educational tools we looked for in premium music composition software. The application has no ready-made ear-training exercises or composition worksheets. It also lacks jazz improvisation exercises, a free reader application for students and a library of classical compositions. Fortunately, any music teacher can use Notion 3 to create theory exercises and lead sheets for her students. The tradeoff, in this instance, is a price that is less than half what other music-software publishers charge.
Like magic, Notion 3 can transform any MIDI file into transcribed music within just a few seconds. If you're MIDI is a choir, you'll see a full score with separate parts for soprano, alto, tenor and bass after you import your MIDI file. If your piece is for marching band, you'll see staves for each section and so on. You can also input and edit notes with your computer's mouse and QWERTY keyboard, a MIDI piano keyboard or a virtual guitar fretboard.
Notion's input options are impressive, but its output options are mammoth in comparison. It starts with a professional mixing board. You can add MP3 files to any piece or tap an extensive library of recorded sounds from the London Symphony Orchestra or Victor and Roy Wooten. You can then record yourself performing and mix that track with a digital score you've created. Afterwards, you can direct the application to fix any timing errors you may have made during your solo show.
You can't use a MIDI microphone to input and edit music with Notion, however. It's also impossible to track changes as you edit, though you can use the unlimited Undo function to correct errors.
Before you open a Notion 3 file, you will be guided through a wizard that create staves for each of your instruments. Then, a blank score will appear that is ready for you to manipulate. You can begin to add notes and rests right away, or you can input pre-selected files.
Later, you might want to edit your tunes. You can easily select measures, transpose chords and melodies and add lyrics with Notion 3. You can also change dynamics and copy content within measures using simple QWERTY keyboard controls.
Notion 3 is a complex piece of software, but its developers took care to make it approachable to musicians from all genres.
Band geeks, orchestra dorks and choir nerds everywhere will find features to love about Notion 3, even if those music lovers are inexperienced when it comes to computers. However, the software application is complicated and, like many of its competitors' applications, comes with a steep learning curve. You can tackle that hill with the trial-and-error method, but we recommend working through the free video tutorials on the manufacturer's website. You can also browse FAQs there, reach technical support by phone or email or browse through a 300-page user guide.
Notion 3 is an outstanding piece of software for music professionals. You can use it to compose almost any kind of music or to mix and record audio samples and full songs quickly and easily. While this music composition software lacks a few of the features we looked for, it is nevertheless fully capable. Fortunately, it comes at a fraction of the price of its top competitors' software. We highly recommend Notion 3 as a tool to enhance and improve your compositions, performances and recordings.
