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Per Don in another thread about VST support in Encore 6:
“At some point we plan on implementing VST support, but probably not in the initial release.”
Over in the Overture support forums, Don has posted that, when Encore 6 is released, Overture will be updated to open Encore 5 files. Overture 5 does have VST support but cannot open Encore files.
“hat I remember, E5 cannot read files that old. An intermediate save in E455 or early E5 may be needed.”
4.5.5 can often read older files, be saved so that the early version of 5 could read it, then save and be opened by the later version of 5. Getting any of this to work often requires multiple computers and a bit of sneakernet between them. Having given away all my old hardware, I can no longer do this.
“As an alternative, Harmony Assistant reads E455 files pretty well.”
In what universe? Also this: “I am working for a classical / choral music publisher”
Harmony Assistant is not only pretty terrible at reading old Encore files, it’s lyric handling stops after one verse.
Back to the OP: One of your problems will be that, even if you found a computer old enough to run E3, your original output will look terrible by any standards (printed slurs are ghastly, even in Encore 5). Another is that, even if after a few conversions you get it open in E5, MusicXML export does not handle Lyrics or Expressions — in a choral work?
You can wait for Encore 6 so that, if Andres is able to import them into E5, you might be able to open, view and export correctly. Since E6 is late, no one knows if/how well that might work. No one.
If you need to be working on these files now and you have printouts, there are a couple of decent sheet music scanners out there including SmartScore 64 Pro—best with Finale and Dorico or ScanScore Pro—best if Sibelius is the house notation app.
The last Mac version was 5.0.7 (5.0.6m on the Get Info screen) and works pretty well. There are some download sites where it can be found if you are good with a Google search.
It works as well over Mojave as any version of Encore ever. I have not tried it with a MIDI controller, however, and have no idea if that can still be made to work.
No news on a launch date.
There are no current plans to port to iPadOS.
Fender/PreSonus has recently Notion for iPad. It’s now free with in-app purchases. It works well and supports MusicXML 3.0 as well as the Apple pencil. I’ve been using it since first released about ten years ago.
Really—you were considering Score Writer? Encore has more features than that. But yes, since the Windows version of Encore still works (bugs and all), waiting for Encore 6 or Overture 6 and deciding then is the prudent thing to do. You can upgrade to one or cross grade to the other.
I’m in somewhat the same boat on the Mac side. I have both E-5 and O-5. Overture 5 does work in the current MacOS (and looks better) but it takes me longer to do anything than Encore 5 over Mojave. If Encore 6 is like E-5 but working over 64 bit, that’s what I really want. I’ll likely upgrade Overture as well but I have a ton of Encore files that I must revisit now and then.
I’m holding off on my new Mac till then since these will not let me boot from a Mojave external drive and my iMac Pro will.
The Overture 5 Manual is found under the Help Menu. You can download is as a pdf or print if you want.
The last build of Encore 5 5.0.7 (5.0.6m in the About window) for Mac is quite stable and works fine over MacOS 10.14 Mojave — much better than over the two MacOS that preceded it. Being 32 bit, it cannot run over any later OS. If Encore 6 works as well, I’ll be happy.
Finale up to 9 could import Encore 2 & 3 files but I don’t know anyone who made it work with later versions.
One of Encore’s big problems is that the current versions cannot open older Encore files. 5.0.7 for the Mac cannot open anything older than 5.0.4. Fortunately, I converted all my older files with every update.
Unfortunately, Overture 5 cannot open Encore files. This will change when Encore 6 (and, presumably Overture 6) are released.
For now, you can scan pdf printouts, MIDi Export/Import (no lyrics, text or expressions) or MusicXML Export (1.1 Windows; 1.3 Mac) and Import to Overture with some text, no lyrics or expressions. Since Overture 5 supports MusicXML 3.0, it is assumed that Encore 6 will support that, too.
I pretty much agree with the following exceptions:
Printed slurs and ties need to look good. On screen, they do; when printed, they are horrible.
Symbols need to be resizable, especially the Coda.
MusicXML import/export needs upgrading to version 3.0.
Hmmmm… Times New Roman is not a Mac System font. Mac users get it by installing Microsoft or Adobe apps. In any case, I am able to set my Template Text font in 5.0.7 for Mac. Let’s hope that we can all do this in Encore 6.
A reality check is due here.
The last paid upgrade upgrade to Encore (version 5) was 2007 under the previous ownership(s). Passport Designs/GVOX/Passport Designs under the leadership of Richard Hotchkiss is out of business and gone, gone, gone.
“We believe that (bla, bla, bla…)”
It was another company with no affiliation to the current one that let Encore go to hell.Passport Music is less than a year old and now owns the IP for Encore. It is now helmed by Don Williams who wrote Encore 1 a long time ago. Encore 6 will be Passport Music’s first release.
How many of us have a financial stake in the current product? None of us do. We have old licenses for a product that has been abandoned by the companies that sold it to us.
The only thing we have from Passport Music is a promise that there will be a new version that we can buy so we can open our old files and create new ones. It is late and we all know that but not one of us has paid for this new version from this new company. I want it as much as anyone else does.
There is no justification for your outrage unless you cross paths with Richard Hotchkiss, then I’ll be glad to hold your coat.
Have you looked at Overture 5? It has the functionality of Encore + MasterTracks Pro.
What it does not have is the ability to open Encore files — yet. Don says that a future update will.
I would download the demo and see if it does what you need. If it does, there’s an upgrade path from Encore.
Per Don in another thread:
“At some point we plan on implementing VST support, but probably not in the initial release.”
I recommend checking out Don’s other notation app, Overture 5, and downloading a trial version.
