I would like to compare "Finale" and "Noteworthy". I use NWC since many years but recently I try to use Finale. The first thing I noticed is that the sound in Finale is much better than in NWC. I mean that we can hear "music" instead that a sequence of notes. Try for example with the instrument "Cello" and tell me if the result is comparable! I would like to know if there is a possibility to improve this aspect in NWC. Instead the overall way of working (editing, copying, moving between staff, printing, ecc) in NWC is so far superior to Finale. Inserting "Lyrics" in Finale is almost IMPOSSIBLE while in NWC is comfortable. In Finale you do not find either the way to see a "Print preview". I wait for yours replies.
Marco Casini, Italy.
G'day Marco,
Finale ships with it's own synthesiser, made by Garriton Personal Orchestra - you can get the same sounds, or better, if you buy GPO as a standalone synth and learn how to use it.
The sounds that are output by any MIDI product are not from the product itself, but from the synthesiser it uses. NWC does not ship with a synth of any kind so you are probably hearing sounds from the standard Microsoft GS wavetable synth. This is a sound set from Roland and is very old and rather poor.
You can easily improve the sounds you are getting by using a different synth. There are many ways to go about this, by "Synthfont" and a soundfont that you like will improve things a lot.
Unfortunately I can't write more at the moment as I must leave for a rehearsal, but a search on the internet for Synthfont will find lots of information, and a look on the NWC Scriptorium will help too, as will a search of this forum.
Similar topic has been here: https://forum.noteworthycomposer.com/?topic=6235.0