Igor Engraver: Comparison

...Thank you for this awesome program. I have Finale and now I regret ever having bought it. I suppose Coda must now start quaking in their boots...

...I just wanted you to know how grateful I am for this AWESOME program. I was able to try it out on Mac (I have a Windows PC) and its soooo great compared to anything I've tried (Finale, Cakewalk Overture, Encore). ... You guys are awesome, and keep up the good...hell...great work and finish the Windows version for us non-Macs. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!

...A confirmed Igorist now, I paid for the upgrade to Finale 2002, I have hardly touched it; the much talked about new engraver slurs are not a patch on Igor's.

...Every time I go back to Sibelius after having worked with Igor it's like going back to a nagging old wife after having been with a beautiful young mistress. (Fortunately my wife is isn't old and nagging.)

... Last week I purchased Igor Engraver. It's fantastic compared with other software (Finale, Sibelius).

...Two big differences between Finale and Igor: You can select anything you want, anywhere you want, any time you want to in Igor, with no special tools. Also, there's no "Mass Mover" - operations are simpler and more direct, and there's no "little red truck" icon. If you want to copy-paste, transpose, add articulations, whatever, you just select and do; or you can do these things on-the-fly during note-entry.

...fabulous program, searching for years for this, threw out Sibelius immediately... good luck, keep it coming!

...As a long time user of Finale I can only say that the change-over is simplicity itself, the best thing to do is download Igor (it is fully working for 30 days, make sure you check for patches) and try it.
       I find entry to be quicker than Finale's speedy entry, with or without keyboard. In Igor you can enter notes, dynamics, articulations, slurs all at the same time. ... Many things seem better within Igor, not least the handling of slurs and in particular the playback - try getting a cresc. or dim over a note's length of a sforzando to play back correctly without any hassle in any other program. This alone makes Igor worth its weight in gold.
       Give it a try, I did, I was so impressed that I have now moved nearly all my production to Igor.

...Sibelius was among the first software packages for composers and, alongside its best-selling rival, Finale, it has proved a commercial and critical success. But that hasn't stopped Swedish composer Peter Bengtson, along with conductor and composer Esa-Pekka Salonen, from trying to come up with something better. Their baby is called Igor Engraver. It is strikingly easy to use, controlled from the keyboard, according to the user's own layout preferences, rather like a 'shoot 'em up' PC game. Yet it is also remarkably sophisticated, able to handle everything from large-scale orchestral scores, complete with ensembles and instrument sections, down to the simplest guitar tablatures. It will play your creations back in tolerable 'natural' playback sound.
--Paul Lay, BBC Music Magazine (06/2001)

...I have just downloaded IGOR, looks a great software, I am impressed, Logic Audio has a lot to learn from IGOR. (I have used Logic for many years.)

...I've been using Mosaic for years, tried Sibelius and given up! Igor has it all worked out! ... A fantastic program!

...I've been working with Finale since 1993, and know that one quite well. But Igor that's what I go for now! All the best for the Igor team!

...Bravo! Thank you thank you thank you for designing and developing a sensible music notation application! All prior notation applications are so frustratingly idiotic and unstable that they can only be used with a sedative prescription.

...Just to back up one or two other comments about Finale. The immediate thing that struck me about computer keyboard (as opposed to midi keyboard) input with Igor was the speed. Ergonomically, I found it much more satisfying. I feel that it is especially good for post-tonal / atonal musics where there is potentially a greater variety of rhythmic values and leaps of pitch, but commensurately less jumping around for the fingers.

...a strong competitor to Finale and Sibelius ... a very powerful and professional program. A find for composers and arrangers.
--Musikkultur (Norway's largest Music Magazine, 11/2000)

..Even in its present state it knocks Sibelius for six!!

...BTW: I just found Igor and am testing the windows demo. I purchased Finale 2001 last year, and have just gotten out of the sanitarium. My Finale Recovery meetings have been very helpful. Fortunately, it wasn't an addiction, just a nightmare.
        I like what I see in Igor so far.

...One thing that really is crucial when composing is that the software works with, and not against the composer. When you create a new piece, initially you are totally free to do anything you want, but as soon as you have drawn your first line, your imagination is no longer free. Therefore, the program you use must really support your creativity - not hinder it. The better the tool, the less you are aware of it. In my experience, Igor is by far the best in this respect.
--Anders Hillborg, Composer

...Of all the software I have tried this looks like the most promising!

...Thanks for your help. I successfully purchased Igor last night. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that I can install Igor on two machines, so that covers both work and home. I've completely given up on Finale's hopelessly muddled user interface. Sibelius (at least in their evaluation versions) I never found as easy or intuitive as they claim. Cakewalk Scorewriter is intuitive but far too limited and it doesn't produce satisfying printout. Igor is the only thing I've found that comes close to what I've wanted. Again, thank you.

...You know every day that program still amazes me. Every time I go back to Sibelius after having worked with Igor it's like going back to a nagging old wife after having been with a beautiful young mistress. (Fortunately my own wife isn't old and nagging)

...Thank you for making Igor Engraver! I'm using the Mac version, and finding it very useful, certainly better than any other notation program I've tried.

...First, I'd like to say Igor is one of the best programs I've seen in a very long time! I have worked a lot with both Finale and Cubase Score, but these pale in comparison!

...Igor is a wonderful surprise in the world of music notation for the Macintosh ... true engraving software ... it is no less performing than its competitors, and at times, even better! ... We were totally seduced by Igor Engraver.
--Macworld France (12, 2000)

...Igor seems to be the best software for notation.

...Gentlemen/Ladies: I am just beginning to use Igor, and already I am excited about it. I think it may be the best music program on the planet.

...So I was saving to buy Sibelius. I had already sold my dog, my wife and my children to obtain the necessary funds to buy the program.
       Then came Igor.
I hope that Igor comes thru, because I'd like to get them back. Especially the dog.

...Bravissimi for a wonderful program that promises to help all of us frustrated with clunkier out moded lemons!

...Thanks & I love the look of your product. (Better than Sibelius)