<s>
Overture	B-Application
is	O
a	O
music	O
notation	O
(	O
scorewriter	B-Application
)	O
program	O
for	O
Windows	O
and	O
Macintosh	O
platforms	O
,	O
published	O
and	O
developed	O
by	O
Sonic	O
Scores	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Overture	B-Application
is	O
primarily	O
a	O
scorewriter	B-Application
program	O
,	O
it	O
also	O
allows	O
editing	O
the	O
score	O
's	O
MIDI	O
audio	O
playback	O
data	O
in	O
the	O
manner	O
of	O
sequencer	O
and	O
digital	B-General_Concept
audio	I-General_Concept
workstation	I-General_Concept
(	O
DAW	B-General_Concept
)	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
facilitate	O
film	O
scoring	O
,	O
Overture	B-Application
has	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
play	O
film	O
video	O
footage	O
synchronized	O
to	O
the	O
score	O
playback	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
insert	O
precise	O
time	O
markers	O
into	O
the	O
score	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overture	B-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
scorewriter	B-Application
to	O
feature	O
full	O
Virtual	B-Application
Studio	I-Application
Technology	I-Application
(	O
VST	O
)	O
hosting	O
,	O
allowing	O
audio	O
playback	O
of	O
the	O
score	O
with	O
virtual	B-Application
instruments	I-Application
,	O
controlled	O
by	O
the	O
program	O
's	O
mixing-desk	O
style	O
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Overture	B-Application
was	O
developed	O
,	O
the	O
developer	O
aimed	O
to	O
retain	O
Encore	B-Application
's	O
previous	O
user-friendly	O
interface	O
design	O
,	O
but	O
included	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
notate	O
elements	O
regarded	O
as	O
complex	O
at	O
that	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
the	O
first	O
music	O
scorewriter	B-Application
software	O
that	O
gave	O
users	O
control	O
over	O
all	O
MIDI	O
playback	O
data	O
such	O
as	O
note	O
velocity	O
,	O
pitch	O
bend	O
and	O
duration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overture	B-Application
5	O
and	O
higher	O
supports	O
editing	O
and	O
page	O
navigation	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
pinch-to-zoom	O
,	O
using	O
one	O
's	O
fingers	O
or	O
a	O
stylus	O
on	O
touch	O
screens	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Overture	B-Application
,	O
input	O
of	O
note	O
data	O
can	O
be	O
done	O
by	O
any	O
of	O
several	O
methods	O
:	O
via	O
an	O
onscreen	O
virtual	O
piano	O
keyboard	O
;	O
via	O
the	O
computer	O
keyboard	O
;	O
directly	O
onto	O
the	O
staves	O
with	O
the	O
mouse	O
;	O
or	O
with	O
a	O
MIDI	O
keyboard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
keyboard	O
note	O
entry	O
in	O
Overture	B-Application
5	O
is	O
performed	O
by	O
typing	O
the	O
letter	O
name	O
of	O
the	O
musical	O
pitches	O
(	O
optionally	O
followed	O
by	O
the	O
Enter	O
key	O
,	O
depending	O
on	O
user	O
settings	O
)	O
,	O
followed	O
by	O
the	O
letter	O
"	O
o	O
"	O
or	O
"	O
O	O
"	O
if	O
an	O
octave	O
change	O
upwards	O
or	O
downwards	O
,	O
respectively	O
,	O
is	O
required	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
can	O
be	O
done	O
either	O
on	O
the	O
score	O
itself	O
,	O
or	O
via	O
a	O
scrolling	O
view	O
in	O
the	O
style	O
of	O
a	O
DAW	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
early	O
1990s	O
,	O
the	O
music	B-Application
notation	I-Application
software	I-Application
market	O
was	O
dominated	O
by	O
the	O
Finale	B-Application
program	O
,	O
published	O
by	O
Coda	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
notation	O
programs	O
with	O
different	O
interfaces	O
were	O
eventually	O
developed	O
,	O
including	O
Encore	B-Application
,	O
which	O
Williams	O
had	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Encore	B-Application
featured	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
add	O
notes	O
by	O
simply	O
selecting	O
the	O
note	O
value	O
on	O
a	O
palette	O
and	O
placing	O
it	O
in	O
the	O
required	O
position	O
on	O
a	O
staff	O
;	O
most	O
notational	O
elements	O
could	O
also	O
be	O
selected	O
with	O
the	O
mouse	O
,	O
but	O
unlike	O
Finale	B-Application
,	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
Encore	B-Application
was	O
unable	O
to	O
handle	O
many	O
unconventional	O
notation	O
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1994	O
,	O
Professor	O
Alan	O
Belkin	O
of	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Montreal	O
published	O
a	O
study	O
of	O
notation	B-Application
software	I-Application
available	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
(	O
dominated	O
by	O
programs	O
for	O
Macintosh	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Among	O
other	O
things	O
,	O
it	O
described	O
the	O
advantages	O
and	O
disadvantages	O
of	O
the	O
mouse	O
-	O
and	O
keyboard-driven	O
approaches	O
to	O
notation-interface	O
design	O
,	O
which	O
he	O
exemplified	O
referring	O
to	O
Encore	B-Application
and	O
Finale	B-Application
,	O
respectively	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
software	O
packages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
its	O
release	O
in	O
1994	O
,	O
Overture	B-Application
's	O
interface	O
combined	O
features	O
of	O
two	O
of	O
Williams	O
 '	O
earlier	O
software	O
projects	O
:	O
Overture	B-Application
's	O
score	O
interface	O
resembled	O
Encore	B-Application
;	O
with	O
its	O
MIDI	O
data	O
editing	O
view	O
resembling	O
the	O
piano-roll	O
view	O
of	O
Master	O
Tracks	O
Pro	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
first	O
released	O
in	O
1994	O
,	O
Overture	B-Application
always	O
showed	O
the	O
score	O
in	O
a	O
fully	O
editable	O
WYSIWYG	B-Application
page	O
view	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
all	O
notational	O
elements	O
could	O
be	O
entered	O
or	O
edited	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
contrasted	O
with	O
Finale	B-Application
,	O
in	O
which	O
,	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
the	O
user	O
had	O
to	O
select	O
between	O
a	O
large	O
number	O
of	O
editing	O
modes	O
before	O
performing	O
different	O
types	O
of	O
edits	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
versions	O
of	O
Overture	B-Application
also	O
introduced	O
a	O
scrolling	O
linear	O
view	O
,	O
which	O
enabled	O
editing	O
of	O
both	O
notational	O
elements	O
and	O
playback	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
previous	O
notation	O
programs	O
either	O
lacked	O
an	O
editable	O
WYSIWYG	B-Application
page	O
view	O
,	O
or	O
switched	O
between	O
a	O
scrolling	O
linear	O
view	O
used	O
for	O
editing	O
;	O
and	O
a	O
page	O
view	O
used	O
for	O
print	O
previews	O
with	O
limited	O
editing	O
functions	O
only	O
,	O
as	O
in	O
Finale	B-Application
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2017	O
,	O
Overture	B-Application
supports	O
synchronized	O
film/video	O
playback	O
,	O
and	O
plugins	O
such	O
as	O
Garritan	O
instrument	O
libraries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2018	O
,	O
Sonic	O
Scores	O
announced	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Amadeus	O
Symphonic	O
Orchestra	O
sampled	O
instrument	O
library	O
,	O
accessible	O
in	O
Overture	B-Application
using	O
the	O
Kontakt	O
instrument	O
library	O
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
at	O
June	O
2021	O
,	O
Overture	B-Application
is	O
in	O
version	O
5.6.3-3	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overture	B-Application
has	O
been	O
continuously	O
maintained	O
by	O
the	O
developer	O
since	O
it	O
was	O
first	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
Opcode	O
ceased	O
product	O
development	O
in	O
1999	O
,	O
having	O
been	O
bought	O
out	O
by	O
Gibson	O
Brands	O
,	O
Overture	B-Application
found	O
a	O
new	O
publisher	O
,	O
Cakewalk	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2001	O
,	O
Williams	O
 '	O
own	O
company	O
,	O
GenieSoft	O
–	O
now	O
known	O
as	O
Sonic	O
Scores	O
–	O
purchased	O
Overture	B-Application
from	O
Cakewalk	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GenieSoft	O
later	O
changed	O
its	O
name	O
to	O
Sonic	O
Scores	O
,	O
and	O
has	O
published	O
and	O
developed	O
Overture	B-Application
since	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	O
Scores	O
also	O
markets	O
Score	O
Writer	O
,	O
a	O
less	O
expensive	O
version	O
of	O
Overture	B-Application
with	O
reduced	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
Sonic	O
Scores	O
is	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
publisher	O
of	O
the	O
Amadeus	O
Symphonic	O
Orchestra	O
sampled	O
instrument	O
library	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
compatible	O
with	O
many	O
scorewriter	B-Application
programs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Demonstration	O
versions	O
of	O
Overture	B-Application
and	O
Score	O
Writer	O
are	O
available	O
at	O
the	O
Sonic	O
Scores	O
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewers	O
of	O
Overture	B-Application
have	O
generally	O
highlighted	O
the	O
software	O
's	O
logical	O
user	O
interface	O
and	O
ease	O
of	O
use	O
,	O
although	O
some	O
reviewers	O
have	O
found	O
version	O
5	O
less	O
intuitive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1996	O
,	O
Marc	O
Battier	O
reviewed	O
version	O
1.2	O
of	O
the	O
program	O
for	O
the	O
Leonardo	O
Music	O
Journal	O
,	O
writing	O
,	O
"	O
Overture	B-Application
...	O
has	O
found	O
its	O
place	O
among	O
the	O
highly	O
regarded	O
common	O
music	B-Application
notation	I-Application
software	I-Application
for	O
the	O
Macintosh.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Battier	O
points	O
out	O
that	O
Overture	B-Application
is	O
set	O
apart	O
by	O
its	O
ability	O
to	O
edit	O
MIDI	O
playback	O
data	O
whilst	O
retaining	O
a	O
full	O
set	O
of	O
notational	O
tools	O
,	O
"	O
It	O
is	O
less	O
usual	O
to	O
see	O
notation	O
programs	O
that	O
have	O
substantial	O
MIDI	O
control	O
implementation	O
...	O
Overture	B-Application
has	O
clearly	O
inherited	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
features	O
from	O
its	O
older	O
cousin	O
,	O
the	O
well-known	O
sequencer	O
Vision	O
...	O
One	O
can	O
use	O
the	O
program	O
as	O
a	O
MIDI	O
sequencer	O
while	O
retaining	O
full	O
capability	O
of	O
editing	O
data	O
with	O
a	O
comprehensive	O
music	O
notation	O
set	O
of	O
tools.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Battier	O
felt	O
a	O
weakness	O
was	O
that	O
,	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
Overture	B-Application
lacked	O
a	O
function	O
to	O
create	O
user-drawn	O
graphics	O
,	O
he	O
points	O
out	O
that	O
these	O
can	O
be	O
imported	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
praised	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
create	O
custom	O
MIDI	O
drum	O
maps	O
,	O
and	O
Overture	B-Application
's	O
tool	O
palettes	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
put	O
out	O
of	O
the	O
way	O
of	O
the	O
score	O
workspace	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Praising	O
Overture	B-Application
's	O
design	O
,	O
he	O
wrote	O
,	O
"	O
Built	O
on	O
a	O
solid	O
base	O
of	O
experience	O
and	O
insight	O
...	O
the	O
program	O
can	O
hardly	O
be	O
considered	O
immature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
adds	O
that	O
"	O
Overture	B-Application
accommodates	O
virtually	O
every	O
standard	O
notational	O
practice	O
of	O
Western	O
music	O
used	O
by	O
educators	O
,	O
professional	O
composers	O
,	O
arrangers	O
and	O
copyists.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2012	O
,	O
Chad	O
Criswell	O
,	O
of	O
MusicEdMagic	O
,	O
reviewed	O
Overture	B-Application
version	O
4	O
,	O
writing	O
,	O
"	O
The	O
Overture	B-Application
music	O
notation	O
system	O
is	O
another	O
in	O
a	O
long	O
line	O
of	O
lesser	O
known	O
but	O
well	O
designed	O
music	O
writing	O
programs	O
...	O
the	O
Overture	B-Application
system	O
provides	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
functionality	O
and	O
capabilities	O
as	O
Finale	B-Application
or	O
Sibelius	O
but	O
does	O
so	O
in	O
a	O
lighter	O
,	O
somewhat	O
easier	O
to	O
use	O
package.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Criswell	O
observes	O
how	O
changing	O
noteheads	O
,	O
and	O
adding	O
articulations	O
and	O
markings	O
,	O
while	O
cumbersome	O
in	O
some	O
software	O
,	O
is	O
easy	O
in	O
Overture	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
writes	O
,	O
"	O
One	O
of	O
the	O
more	O
helpful	O
things	O
I	O
discovered	O
right	O
off	O
the	O
bat	O
in	O
Overture	B-Application
is	O
that	O
they	O
put	O
the	O
options	O
for	O
changing	O
the	O
appearance	O
of	O
music	O
note	O
heads	O
,	O
articulations	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
markings	O
right	O
up	O
front	O
in	O
easy	O
to	O
use	O
pull	O
down	O
menus	O
...	O
Overture	B-Application
makes	O
it	O
very	O
easy.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Criswell	O
also	O
notes	O
that	O
Overture	B-Application
version	O
4	O
"	O
is	O
...	O
good	O
but	O
not	O
perfect	O
"	O
,	O
pointing	O
out	O
that	O
it	O
lacked	O
instrument	O
parts	O
which	O
are	O
dynamically	O
linked	O
to	O
the	O
master	O
score	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Marculescu	O
describes	O
Overture	B-Application
as	O
"	O
an	O
advanced	O
software	O
application	O
designed	O
for	O
helping	O
composers	O
,	O
music	O
educators	O
and	O
students	O
create	O
complex	O
tabulator	O
scores.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Marculescu	O
sums	O
up	O
,	O
"	O
All	O
in	O
all	O
,	O
Overture	B-Application
includes	O
a	O
comprehensive	O
suite	O
of	O
editing	O
tools	O
and	O
symbols	O
palettes	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
by	O
professional	O
musicians	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
compose	O
music.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
has	O
the	O
same	O
scoring	O
interface	O
as	O
Overture	B-Application
,	O
but	O
with	O
a	O
lower	O
price	O
and	O
without	O
graphic	O
MIDI	O
data	O
view	O
and	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
advanced	O
features	O
available	O
in	O
Overture	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Score	O
Writer	O
,	O
the	O
score	O
page	O
view	O
zooming	O
is	O
limited	O
to	O
small	O
,	O
medium	O
and	O
large	O
sizes	O
in	O
WYSIWYG	B-Application
page	O
layout	O
view	O
only	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Among	O
the	O
more	O
advanced	O
features	O
of	O
Overture	B-Application
which	O
are	O
not	O
included	O
in	O
Score	O
Writer	O
are	O
:	O
cross-staff	O
and	O
feathered	O
beaming	O
;	O
graphic	O
view	O
MIDI	O
editing	O
(	O
although	O
MIDI	O
data	O
can	O
be	O
edited	O
on-score	O
)	O
;	O
automatic	O
and	O
customised	O
guitar	O
tablature	O
;	O
video	O
playback	O
and	O
SMPTE	O
time	O
code	O
insertion	O
into	O
the	O
score	O
;	O
compatibility	O
with	O
VST	O
and	O
the	O
Amadeus	O
Symphonic	O
Orchestra	O
instrument	O
library	O
;	O
custom	O
engraver	O
spacing	O
;	O
ability	O
to	O
hide	O
individual	O
staves	O
;	O
and	O
ossia	O
staves	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
first	O
released	O
,	O
Overture	B-Application
ran	O
only	O
on	O
Mac	B-Application
OS	I-Application
computers	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
Windows	O
version	O
being	O
added	O
in	O
a	O
later	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overture	B-Application
versions	O
from	O
3	O
onwards	O
have	O
been	O
released	O
for	O
both	O
Windows	O
and	O
Mac	B-Application
OS	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
software	O
is	O
64-bit	O
native	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
compatible	O
with	O
MacOS	B-Operating_System
11	I-Operating_System
(	O
Big	B-Operating_System
Sur	I-Operating_System
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overture	B-Application
5	O
requires	O
Windows	O
7	O
or	O
later	O
,	O
or	O
MacOS	B-Application
10.9	O
or	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2021	O
,	O
the	O
Overture	B-Application
interface	O
operates	O
in	O
English	O
,	O
French	O
,	O
Chinese	O
,	O
Norwegian	O
and	O
Spanish	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overture	B-Application
is	O
compatible	O
with	O
VST	O
and	O
Kontakt	O
player	O
libraries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
its	O
own	O
file	O
format	O
,	O
(	O
.ove	O
and	O
.ovex	O
)	O
,	O
Overture	B-Application
can	O
read	O
and	O
write	O
the	O
industry	O
standard	O
Music	O
XML	O
(	O
.musicxml	O
and	O
.mxl	O
)	O
files	O
for	O
sharing	O
scores	O
with	O
other	O
music	O
scoring	O
programs	O
.	O
</s>
