# Recommendations for MacOSX music composition software

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-macosx-music-composition-software/448511>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [May 8, 2008, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-macosx-music-composition-software/448511 "2008-05-08T01:57:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-macosx-music-composition-software/448511/1 "2008-05-08T01:57:49Z")

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Does anybody have a recommendation for a good software package for music composition on OSX? All I need is a basic note editor that can output decent looking sheet music (preferably both scores and parts, but scores alone would be fine.)

A bonus would be if it can use Apple’s MIDI instruments, so I can make it sound as good as GarageBand. (GarageBand is so totally rad, but limited.)

I played around with a demo of Sibelius a while ago but found the interface extremely obtuse and couldn’t get it to work. Maybe I’ll try it again.

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-macosx-music-composition-software/448511/2 "2008-05-08T18:01:36Z")

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Bumpily-dumpily, neighborino.

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**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-macosx-music-composition-software/448511/3 "2008-05-08T18:59:46Z")

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You might try [Melody Assistant](http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/4911/melody-assistant) ($20), or possibly also [Harmony Assistant](http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/5533/harmony-assistant) ($70), both from Myriad Software. The downloads on those pages are demos you can try out.

I’m not a musician or a composer, but these programs have been around a long time (I did toy with them once, years ago), and the user reviews are pretty favorable.

Hope this is helpful.