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Mosaic notation program

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Pavlor (talk | contribs) at 17:26, 28 July 2017 (Mosaic release - reference is the same usenet thread as for version 2.3M (until something better is found)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Mosaic is a Macintosh application for producing music from Mark of the Unicorn company. First released as Professional Composer among the early Macintosh software in 1984, the application introduced user interface similar to word processor.[1] Main features comprised entering musical notation, printing of sheet music and support for lyrics under the score with font of choice. Notes may be selected from the user interface or entered from the keyboard. User could also change or extend tempo, key signature, meter, and other parameters.[2] Next major release, Professional Composer 2.0, supported writting on up to 40 staves and allowed to enter notes as short as 128th notes - with all operations mainly controlled by menus and dialog boxes. Version 2.0 also introduced several improvements for printing (eg. condensation of parts with several rest measures is automatic) allowing to produce professional quality scores. Although the application demanded knowledge of music theory to use its rich features, it offered only rudimentary playback capabilities. Macworld review also criticized high price (495 USD in February 1986) and no automatic scrolling when staves are filled (only via scroll bars).[3] Version 2.2 (1988) corrected number of bugs and improved compatibility with Mac Plus, SE and II.[4] Version 2.3M was the last release of Professional Composer, its successor, Mosaic, entered market in 1992.[5] Sibelius and Finale were the competitor notation packages.

References

  1. ^ McGeever, Christine (June 4, 1984). "New Programs, Macintosh carries a tune". InfoWorld. Vol. 6, no. 23. IDG. p. 44. ISSN 0199-6649.
  2. ^ Clapp, Doug; Ryall, Pat (1985). "12 Sound & Animation Software". The Complete Macintosh Sourcebook. Santa Monica, CA: InfoBooks. pp. 135–136. ISBN 0-931137-03-9.
  3. ^ Swigart, Bob (February 1986). "They´re Playing Our Song". Macworld. Vol. 3, no. 2. PC World Communications. pp. 109–112. ISSN 0741-8647.
  4. ^ "Updates, Professional Composer". Macworld. Vol. 5, no. 8. PC World Communications. August 1988. p. 230. ISSN 0741-8647.
  5. ^ "MOTU's MOSIAC". Newsgrouprec.music.synth. February 1992. Retrieved July 28, 2017.