Experiences with Scanscore Anyone?
Moderators: Peter Thomsen, miker
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Does anyone know about ScanScore? Is it worth the money? I just received a $20 voucher for it, but I don't know if it's a good deal. The product demo looks nice and it seems to do the job. But in the demo you can't export, so I don't know if it would work with Finale. https://scan-score.com/en/
- miker
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- Finale Version: Finale 27.4
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There are a number of similar apps, and they all share the same faults. They are, in effect, black boxes: you stick a scan in one end, and an XML comes out the other. I have scanned hundreds of pages of music, and never has one been perfect. These errors are incorporated into the XML, and the resulting Finale file can messed up in many ways. Hence, “scanning is no good.”
On the other hand, a full program like SmartScore gives you the opportunity to correct the scan recognition errors before you generate the XML. The downsides are cost, and the need to learn a new, fairly complex program. Once past those hurdles, though, scanning can save lots of time.
But, try ScanScore, and see what it does for you. Maybe you will be satisfied.
Keep in mind, though, that none of these programs work on handwritten scores!
On the other hand, a full program like SmartScore gives you the opportunity to correct the scan recognition errors before you generate the XML. The downsides are cost, and the need to learn a new, fairly complex program. Once past those hurdles, though, scanning can save lots of time.
But, try ScanScore, and see what it does for you. Maybe you will be satisfied.
Keep in mind, though, that none of these programs work on handwritten scores!
Finale 27 | SmartScorePro 64
Mac OS 13.2.1 Ventura
Copyist for Barbershop Harmony Society
Mac OS 13.2.1 Ventura
Copyist for Barbershop Harmony Society
- ebiggs1
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My experience with scanning music is if you have a good looking original you will get a good looking scan. On the other hand if you have a crappy, torn, yellowing original, you will get a crappy scan. GIGO rules! Sometimes it is easier to just input the notes yourself. Now would I buy a music scanning software package, absolutely. I have Smartscore X2 Pro.
Finale 27.4.1 - Perfect Layout Silver - Note Performer 4.4 - SmartScore Pro 64 - Windows 11
President, The Shawnee Concert Band, Composer/Arranger, retired Music Teacher.
President, The Shawnee Concert Band, Composer/Arranger, retired Music Teacher.
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Thanks for the comments! I tried out scanscore (super happy to have that voucher). It's definitely great to have the ability to edit the scan before exporting.
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Where did you get the voucher? And did you try with a handwritten score?
- motet
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I sprung for the full version of SmartScore and so far am not very impressed. I scanned some clean (computer-set, I think) music and it made a lot of mistakes. Perhaps there are settings I'm missing. The dumbest thing it does is misinterpret the number of beats in a measure or doesn't see a barline, and decides that what's really 4/4 must be 15/16 or 8/4 set to display as 4/4, that sort of thing.
- miker
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Yes, but those things are really easy to correct. It’s a matter of learning what to look for. It’s not misinterpreting the time signatures as long as you’re still in SmartScore; it’s missing a dot, or it dropped a note, or something similar. That’s why you have the full version. Make the corrections, and it will export properly.
I sent you a PM.
I sent you a PM.
Finale 27 | SmartScorePro 64
Mac OS 13.2.1 Ventura
Copyist for Barbershop Harmony Society
Mac OS 13.2.1 Ventura
Copyist for Barbershop Harmony Society
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Can confirm: handwritten scores don't work (or with any other music scanning software. Just too many inconsistencies with handwritten for technology to be able to pick up.)miker wrote:Matty,
Handwritten scores won’t work. Period.
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This company also has a BIAB alternative, Bandora. Anyone heard of that one? https://bandora.com/en/