Many musicians find that there aren't enough hours in the day to notate arrangements
and compositions themselves. Others may not have the tools necessary to produce
a score or songbook of a quality suitable for publication. Still other musicians
may not be able to read music to begin with, so cannot notate their compositions.
If you can relate to any of these scenarios, then Audio Graffiti can help
you!
Audio Graffiti has many years of experience in notating and transcribing music. Our current suite of tools makes it possible for use to produce professionally engraved master copies of music ready for commercial printing or immediate use by musicians.
There is no limit to the kinds of music engraving we can do for you:
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We can do all the work of converting your hand-written manuscript into high-resolution print music for you. If you don't read music at all, we can transcribe your music from CD or MP3 and then engrave it.
Unlike many businesses who offer a "notation" service, we do more than just how to "drive" a particular piece of notation software. We understand the principles of music engraving, the conventions of notation for various instruments, and established standards. We understand music.
We offer you a range of style sheets to choose from which define the "look" of the printed page. However, if you would prefer something different, or are working with a music publisher with a set "house style", we can accommodate your requirements.
When we have finished engraving your music, you will receive a high resolution PDF (ready for commercial or personal printing) of the work via email. We can also send you a printed copy with a CD containg the PDF together with any working files used to create the document. You will be able to select a style sheet for the final product if you wish.
For projects like song books, books, brochures and booklets, we can also assist you in doing the page layout work, or even help you find a graphics designer for cover art work or illustrations. We can also arrange for high-volume printing if you require it.
How to Order
Ordering is a simple as sending us a copy of
your music, either by email or mail. We will provide you with a quote
for the cost of the job based on its size, note density and complexity.
We begin work on your music when you accept the quote and formalise your order. When the work is complete, we will notify you so you can pay the balance. We will then send a draft copy for you to check. You will have the opportunity to make corrections or comment on the overall layout. When you are happy with the draft, we will then produce the final version and send it to you.
Technically, Music Notation and Music Engraving are not
the same thing. Anyone who can read and write music knows something about
"notation". But not every musician understands about music "engraving"; engraving
is music typography.
With engraving, it isn't enough to have the right notes on the right lines
or spaces, or choose the correct clefs, time signatures and fonts for lyrics.
The music must also have clarity. Subtleties of spacing and layout are of
paramount importance to the engraver.
There are many music engravers who consider their work to be an art form!
Someone once said that the difference between notation and engraving is like
the difference between handwriting and calligraphy, or between word-processing
and desktop publishing.
At Audio Graffiti, we sometimes use the words Notation and Engraving interchangeably.
But this is only because we find that many clients have never even heard the
term "engraving". But when it comes to notating your music, we consider ourselves
to be engravers!
When shopping around for someone to notate your music, make sure they know their craft, not just how to "drive" a piece of music notation software.
Our music-engraving tool of choice is Sibelius 4 . This is a superb piece of software that allows us to have absolute and precise control over virtually every aspect of a manuscript.
Have a look at some of our samples to see what it is capable of. We have not yet found a notation problem that it cannot handle. We have also reviewed nearly all the "high end" notation programs on the market and have found very few that can come close to matching it.
For preparing PDF files (for drafts or submission to printing companies) we use Adobe Acrobat. You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded from the Adobe site.
