New and improved features in Music Publisher 6

Music Publisher 6 incorporates all the optional modules of Music Publisher 5 (except the Scanning facility) and these are detailed below. A small number of the features detailed in the table were incorporated into later versions of Music Publisher 5 but the majority are quite new.

And remember that when you upgrade to Music Publisher 6 then you are buying into all the future MP6 releases. There will be a link continually available where you can download the latest for free, whether it's new features added or a simple bug fix!

Anyway, here are the new features since Music Publisher 5:

VISUAL

• Colours of objects tell their attributes.
• Colours can be changed including paper.
• Can move toolbars to other sides.
  

STAVES

• New system construction wizard.
• Replicatable objects automatically created on Add>New.
• Information optionally on screen, e.g. name and play instrument.
• Delete system command.
• Insert system command.

OBJECTS

New attributes:invisible, replicatable, immobile, global.

CLEFS

2 forms of neutral clef integrated.

KEY SIGNATURES

"C Major" is now automatic when transposing.

NOTES

• 6 New head shapes.
• Ctrl+drag a note moves complete chords.
• New shortcut keys for acciaccatura, grace notes and tremolos.
• New optional flatter tie and slur shapes.
• Dotted ties available.
• Correctly offset unisons (similar to offset intervals of a 2nd).

ACCIDENTALS

• Can be entered without entering a note first.
• Optional Quarter Tones (including playback).

LYRICS

• Extra conveniences: "-" separates syllables and is made central between syllables, and underscore forms an "automatic melisma" which stretches with the music.
• Font used is automatically the Favourite which has "Lyric" in its title.

CHORD NAMES

• New chord name mode.
• Font chosen is the Favourite which has "Chord" in its title.

SYMBOLS

New symbols: Harp muffles, baroque trills and turns.

HAIRPINS

• Printed with less jagged slopes.
• Make Uniform Size command.

LINES

Option to have arrow head(s) on lines. Various shapes.

CURVES

• New optional flat curve shape.
• Can add points to a curve.
• Can join curves.

PLAYBACK

• Can now play back systems of varying size.
• Option to ignore Mulitple Bar rests on playback.
• Playback in other temperaments.

TOOLS

• Automatic Bar (Measure) Numbering.
• Part Extraction.
• Bar length error checking.
• Create triplets quickly.
• Space out Tuplets correctly.
• Neaten is improved.
• Piano reduction of SATB/TTBB etc.
• Choice of 6 sharps / 6 flats on transpose if appropriate.

LAYOUT TOOLS

• Reflow of music. This major feature enables you to reduce or increase the density of the music in order to change the number of systems used. It means that you can increase the stave size or change the page shape much more easily.
• Simple page numbering without using Headers or Footers.
• Can join single rests into Multiple Bar Rest.
• Many new tidying tools.

GRAPHICS

• Faster file saves, and GIF format included.
• Can save many all the pages to individual files with the one operation.

GREAT HIGHLAND BAGPIPES

Changes for much greater convenience of entering notes.

OTHER

• Tempo object which governs playback tempo too.
• Locate text and Find Text in all files (use for locating that lost score!)
• Automatic barline numbering with Goto [bar number].
• abc format read and write.
• Staves have names to track the progress of parts and other functions such as selective transposition.

There are additional but often small convenient features, but that's the main list.

© Braeburn Software 2008