So, it'd be nice if Aria could host third-party VSTs (virtual instruments).Īlso, the efficacy of controls (pan, reverb.) could be improved. a note just a half-step apart may suddenly sound a very different pitch, even timbre (decreasing the volume of the offending note usually softens the effect).
![transpose in aria maestosa transpose in aria maestosa](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LrTB4iMxn2U/maxresdefault.jpg)
While the plethora of native instruments are for the most part of unexpectedly decent quality, they can sometimes sound weird and 'artificial'-no surprise there: e.g. allows multilple tags), then when one of them has been heavily edited, a user can quickly listen to the difference in the other. When you keep changing the position of a note (or a bunch of 'em!), passing thru every pitch/postion in between (say you're doing it with the keyboard), or changing any other note attributes, and you want to go back, the usefulness of redo/undo may not be overestimated! The current workaround is to make regular saves, then when things go messy, close the project and reopen it! Or open the project file + a *copy* simultaneously (yes, A.M. I mainly use the Piano Roll, and about the only feature I'm missing is *any* Redo + plenty more Undo.
![transpose in aria maestosa transpose in aria maestosa](https://www.lago.it/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/04_FI3A8571.jpg)
The program page keeps an exhaustive and well-explained list of bugs and missing features, and the conclusion is clear: for *scoring* and/or printing sheet music, you're better off with a dedicated "scorewriter". Additionally, there're welcome bells and whistles: notes appear darker/lighter in color as you change their volume, etc. Other features are a few clicks away, and most can be applied to individual notes or a group.
![transpose in aria maestosa transpose in aria maestosa](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/warcompresse-141202082119-conversion-gate01/95/warcom-9-638.jpg)
This way, one can clearly see and compare tracks (and if there's a lot of 'em, one has only to scroll!) Changing the size, or order, of tracks is as easy as holding down the mouse button and dragging! There's also a universal Zoom, but it's rather awkward, as it only makes notes appear more elongated/shorter, as opposed to bigger/smaller.Īria also features some neat time-savers, which I think are absent even from some higher-end music software: Shift+up/down arrows move highlighted note(s) by an octave Shift+right/left arrows move note(s) by a bar Ctrl+right/left arrows change note duration, etc. The biggest draw for me is the layout: tracks are stacked atop each other. Aria Maestosa is a surprisingly intuitive, easy-to-use and potent music composition software that surpasses its price tag (but quality "free" software has been going up in number lately, which is a good thing!)