At the end of 2023, there were changes to the technically supported versions of Finale family products. As of January 4th, 2024, Finale technical support covers the following:
Finale v27 Japanese version purchased after 2021 (including updated versions)
PrintMusic for Windows (PrintMusic 2014) Japanese version purchased after 2021 (including updated version)
This means that Finale v26, PrintMusic for Windows purchased before December 31, 2020, and all PrintMusic 2014 versions, which were all previously supported, will no longer be eligible for technical support except for license authorization.
1. Finale v26
Finale v26 is a product whose original English version v26.0 was released in 2018, and the final version v26.3.1 free updater was released in June 2020.
The operating environment for the Mac version is up to macOS 12 Monterey released in 2021, but so far there have been no major problems as long as it is used on macOS 12 or earlier.
Considering that the latest stable version of the macOS 12.7.2 was released in December 2023 which is relatively new, as long as you use macOS without updating to 13 or higher, though you will not be able to receive technical support, I think v26 still works.
As for the Windows version, although it is compatible with the latest OS, Windows 11, there are quite a few problems where it cannot launch due to conflicts with the drivers in the OS.
In particular, if the following problems occur, they are unlikely to be resolved.
▼Cannot start Finale (Startup screen "Not responding": Finale 26 or earlier, Windows)
Although it may cause some inconvenience, I don't think it is a fatal problem as there is a workaround. But if you are concerned, we recommend upgrading to the latest v27, which has resolved this issue. (Finale version upgrade version is download version only, 16,500 yen)
2. PrintMusic for Windows (PrintMusic 2014)
PrintMusic is the intermediate version of the Finale family of products, which in the past had four types: free version, for beginners, for intermediates, and for professionals.
Although this has many functional limitations and hardly allows for special expressions, it has gained a certain amount of popularity as it allows you to create beautiful, Finale-like scores at an affordable price.
PrintMusic for Windows is essentially the same as PrintMusic 2014 released in September 2014.
At the time of its release, PrintMusic 2014 could be used on both Mac and Windows like previous versions, but in October 2017, the Mac version was removed as it was no longer compatible with the OS, and the product name was changed to Windows only, continuing to be sold at a lower price.
The English version of PrintMusic, for which the 2014.5 updater was released in November 2015, is still being sold exclusively for Windows, but the Japanese version, which has not evolved for 10 years since the earliest version 2014a, was discontinued at the end of 2023. As of January 2024, technical support is limited to products sold after 2021.
Given this situation, I think it's time for PrintMusic users to consider upgrading to the high-end product Finale or switching to another company's product for the next one or two years. (Finale upgrade version is download version only, 52,800 yen)
Examples of other products include the following ones. All of them support reading and writing of MusicXML, so files created with PrintMusic can be used continuously to some extent by saving them in MusicXML format.
Additionally, all of these products are compatible with both Mac & Windows.
(1) Notion 6
It has features such as cross-platform with the iOS version, cooperation with PreSonus DAW Studio One, handwriting input function, and realistic sound sources, making it more suitable for composition and arrangement.
Although Notion does not have a lineup of high-end products, its collaboration with Studio One is attractive, and is recommended for those who use a DAW or want to use it in the future.
▼Notion product page
17,600 yen (download version,)
(2) Sibelius Artist
The first version of Sibelius was released in 1998, it has a long history second to Finale, which was released in 1989. Sibelius is a traditional and proven product that is said to have half the market share with Finale worldwide (in other words, it has a large number of users). Sibelius Artist is the amateur version of the series, and it has the high-end products called Sibelius Ultimate (98,450 yen).
There are several places to purchase Sibelius series products, and the following is one of them: TAC System Co., Ltd.'s online store.
▼Sibelius Artist perpetual license version (TAC Online Store)
23,320 yen
(3) Dorico Elements 5
This is an amateur version of Dorico, a brand new music notation software developed under Steinberg by engineers who were involved in the development of Sibelius and released in 2016. Playback can also be edited like a DAW, giving a new feel everywhere.
Dorico Pro (69,300 yen) is a top product.
▼Dorico Elements 5
13,200 yen
(4) Guitar Pro 8
Although the product name suggests it is for guitars only, the variety of instruments you can choose from is the same as or even better than PrintMusic. It also has a function that is useful for transcribing by importing audio tracks and linking the measures with the score, which makes it can also be used as a practice tool.
Like Notion, there is no higher-end version, but I think it's worth a try, especially for those who want to write guitar scores, because of its rich functionality and reasonable price.
▼Frontier Factory Online Store
14,300 yen
(5) MuseScore 4.2
It is a free but high-performance music notation software, and the current version “4” has undergone further evolution, not only improving performance but also improving ease of use.
No matter what you ultimately choose, we recommend downloading this and trying it out first of all.
▼MuseScore official website
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We can provide support for switching from PrintMusic to the above products, including setup and lectures on basic usage, so if you need any assistance, please contact us.
▼Lessons & consulting services
(The prices of each product listed in this article are tax-included prices as of January 4th, 2024, and unless otherwise specified, are downloadable versions. )