My Code Here: My Music (MuseScore and Friends)

Suddenly I'm getting quite a lot of questions about these little MuseScore projects. So, here's a central summary page which I'll try to keep up-to-date with information, and all associated links, relating to the various ~~tools~~ instruments involved; how these are used; and the compositions and other arrangements that I've used them in.

The Instruments

MuseScore 1.0

Free music composition & notation software.

MuseScore is a free cross-platform WYSIWYG music notation program, that offers a cost-effective alternative to professional programs such as Sibelius and Finale. You can print beautifully engraved sheet music or save it as PDF or MIDI file.

There are two main MuseScore related websites of importance. First there's http://musescore.org/, which is the place to go for the actual software, documentation, handbook, video tutorials, and forums. Also for all information regarding development, including how to contribute to this great project, whether technically or financially. Then there's the hosting site http://musescore.com/, where you can find sheet music written or arranged by other MuseScore users, or upload your own scores. This site is currently a free private beta (an alpha, in other words), you'll have to register using a valid email address. Once fully debugged, the plan is to charge for score hosting here.

RenderSoft CamStudio™ Version 2.00

Free, open source, streaming video recording software. Used to capture the video component of a MuseScore playback (for quality reasons I generate the audio track separately, using MuseScore's Save As exporting feature).

CamStudio is able to record all screen and audio activity on your computer and create industry-standard AVI video files and using its built-in SWF Producer can turn those AVIs into lean, mean, bandwidth-friendly Streaming Flash videos (SWFs).

GoldWave v5.58

Audio editor, recorder, converter, restoration & analysis software. Used to clean up the audio generated by the MuseScore synthesiser.

GoldWave is a highly rated, professional digital audio editor. It's fully loaded to do everything from the simplest recording and editing to the most sophisticated audio processing, restoration, enhancements, and conversions.

Audacity 1.3.12

GoldWave isn't free, but the open source, cross-platform sound editor Audacity is.

For recording and editing sounds; available for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems.

Windows Live™ Movie Maker Version 2011

A free Windows 7 and Windows Vista program, for making polished movies from photos and videos. Used to combine the audio and video components by MuseScore into a self-contained animation.

With Windows Live Movie Maker, you can quickly turn your photos and videos into polished movies. Add special effects, transitions, sound, and captions to help tell your story.

The Music

Opus 1: The Drummer's Hashpipe

A comic rearrangement of an 18th century dance, for tortured timpani.