MusicXML, NIFF and PDF files |
What is a MusicXML file ? [Professional] [Notation] We have seen that a MIDI file contains all information to
reproduce the playing of a score. On the other hand, the MIDI
file does not contain any information about the graphism of a
score, its page layout, the number of measures per system, the
exact layout of the contents of measures,
Two music
softwares exchanging MIDI files thus lose all graphic information
in the transfer. The problem of creating a more general
interchange file format for a score thus arose. The NIFF file
format was the first solution proposed by the collaboration of
several music software publishers, but it was unable to impose
itself on the market. Later, the MusicXML file format appeared
and it has now been largely adopted by music software to exchange
music scores. NIFF is the abbreviation of Notation Interchange File
Format. This format theoretically allows the exchange of
scores between various music softwares. With version 3.0,
Pizzicato can read the contents of such a file and adapt it to
the Pizzicato format so you can use the score with Pizzicato. MusicXML is based on the XML standard of information exchange
and since version 3.3, Pizzicato Professional and Notation
can import and export MusicXML files to echange music scores
with other music notation software. The other Pizzicato versions
can only export in MusicXML. For compatibility, Pizzicato Professional
and Notation still import NIFF files, but wherever
possible you should use the MusicXML file format, as it is more
efficient. A music scanning software allows to scan a printed score and
to recognize many of the musical symbols with the purpose of
being able to edit, transpose and modify a score that only exists
on paper. It is the equivalent of an OCR software (Optical
Character Recognition) but for music. Such a software exports its
results in NIFF or MusicXML format, readable by many music
software. With version 3 of Pizzicato, you can henceforth use this
possibility via a scanning software. To prepare the MusicXML (or
NIFF) file import function, we have bought and tested two
scanning softwares: SharpEye (from Visiv) and SmartScore,
Songbook Edition (from Musitek). Regarding the recognition
quality level, we found out that SharpEye is more subtle and
generally recognizes more than SmartScore. Regarding the user
interface, SharpEye is more rudimentary. But since Pizzicato lets
you make the corrections in the recognized score, this aspect is
negligible and we thus advise the use of SharpEye in addition to
Pizzicato. With regard to SharpEye, there is currently no Mac
version, as opposed to SmartScore. So the Mac users do not have
the choice. Other software exist to scan music score, you can
discover them on the Internet. You may download an evaluation version of SharpEye on the site
of the editor: Once installed, this version may be used freely during one
month. You can thus carry out your tests and import them in
Pizzicato during one month. Download version 2, which is more
complete and effective. With regard to SmartScore, you may download the demonstration
versions on the site of the editor: The demonstration versions of SmartScore may be used with no
time limit, but without saving the results. You can thus test the
recognition of your scores but you will not be able to export
them in MusicXML or NIFF files and to import them in Pizzicato as
long as you don't buy the product. Import a MusicXML or NIFF file in Pizzicato [Professional] [Notation] The MusicXML file importation is done through the menu File,
Import a Music XML file... An open dialog lets you select
the file with the ".XML" extension. Once the file is
selected, click on Open... The score appears in the
score edit window. With it, you can import music scores that were
created with Finale, Sibelius or many other software that can
export their music scores into MusicXML files. Notice that
Pizzicato uses the MusicXML 2.0 version, but it can import
MusicXML files 1.0 and 1.1 also. Since version 3.6.1, Pizzicato also imports musicXML files 3.0
as well as compressed musicXML files (extension mxl). The NIFF file importation is done through the menu File,
Import NIFF file... An open dialog lets you select the file
with the ".NIF" extension. Once the file is selected,
click on Open... and the following dialog box appears: With this dialog you may select some automatic actions that
make it more easy to adapt the file to the Pizzicato format and
avoid some additional treatments of the score: It should be stated that currently there seems to be no music
software that recognizes the content of a printed score
perfectly, with a 100 % result (except of course for simple
scores). As soon as the score becomes somewhat more complex, a
certain percentage of the symbols are no more recognized and thus
are missing in the score imported in Pizzicato. The missing
symbols are very random. They can be a note right in the middle
of a series of recognized notes, an accidental, a nuance symbol,
a clef, a time signature,...anything possible. The two above mentioned scanning softwares contain tools to
correct these missing symbols and to add symbols on a graphic
level. The advantage is that they display the original scanned
score in parallel, which allows to review the score and compare
it to the original to correct the errors. Once the score has been imported in Pizzicato, you can use all
the Pizzicato tools to modify it, transpose it, add accompaniment
to it
Export a score in MusicXML [Light] [Beginner] [Professional] [Notation] [Composition Light] [Composition Pro] [Drums and Percussion] [Guitar] [Choir] [Keyboard] [Soloist] Since version 3.3, all Pizzicato versions can export a music
score to the MusicXML file format so that it can be used in other
music software or for any other reason. You can then send your
scores to friends working with other music software so that they
can listen to them and modify them. To export your score into MusicXML, open the score view and
choose Export in MusicXML... in the File menu.
A dialog asks you for the name of the file to create, which will
automatically have the ".XML" extension. Click on Save
and the file will be created. Notice that Pizzicato creates a
version 2.0 MusicXML file, which is the most recent version of
the MusicXML format at the time of the release of Pizzicato 3.3. Export to PDF [Light] [Beginner] [Professional] [Notation] [Drums and Percussion] [Guitar] [Choir] [Keyboard] [Soloist] A PDF file is a document that anybody can read, print, put on
an Internet site or transfer by email, on Mac, Windows and Linux.
It is a standardized graphic file format. Since release 3.5.2, Pizzicato can directly export a score to
a PDF file. Anybody can then see it or print it, without the need
to have Pizzicato. Most computers have Acrobat Reader installed on them. This is
the software that is responsible to display and print PDF files.
If you do not have it, you can download it for free on Adobe'site
at http://www.adobe.com/products/reader
To create a PDF file with Pizzicato 3.5.2, open the score and
go in the File menu, then choose Export, then Export
to PDF. Give a name and a location to your file and
validate. The PDF file will be created from the pages of the
score.