Evaluating Music Software Before You Buy

by John M. Zeigler, Ph.D.
Rio Rancho, NM USA

e have reviewed lots of software on The Piano Education Page over the years. While it's hard to give any hard and fast rules for evaluating music software, since software varies so much in approach and audience, there are some issues and guideposts that we feel most people should consider as they consider purchase of music software. Before continuing on to a discussion of those specific matters, let us to direct you to our article, Choosing and Using Music Software. It provides general help for the average user of music software. An examination of our article on review procedures, where we define the criteria for our reviewers, is time well-spent for those who wish a more thorough grounding in picking quality software. With that background, what are the most important things to keep in mind as you choose software?

1. User interface - Is it appropriate to the intended audience? Is it sufficiently intuitive that most users, if familiar with Windows, will be able to use it without reference to the manual? This is critical, since most people won't read manuals (and many children can't). If the interface is unintuitive, the software will become unused "shelfware," irrespective of its inherent teaching value.

2. Audio cues - Programs directed toward smaller children will often provide audio help, in addition to written instructions. This is also helpful for all those who can't read easily. If provided, audio help should be possible to turn off, if it becomes annoying.

3. Hardware requirements - In our experience, programs which make unusually large demands for top-of-the line hardware (e.g. more than a quadruple core processor, more than 8 Gb RAM) often are difficult to get to run properly, even if your system meets the stated hardware requirements. Even though most users don't pay much attention to the manufacturer's hardware requirements, we suggest that you take the time to read them closely with a list of the hardware in your own system in hand before purchasing. For borderline hardware, the amount of RAM is the most important parameter. You can usually get by with a slightly slower processor if you have plenty of RAM. We suggest that most users of PC's in a studio environment should have the maximum amount of RAM which their system will support (check your computer documentation online for this number). Keep in mind that that the mere fact that a system meets the minimum requirements indicated by the manufacturer does not assure that the program will run acceptably fast on that system.

4. Pedagogical soundness - Fortunately, most software these days is basically pedagogically sound, even if it has some elements we would change. That said, there are a few notable exceptions. The only way the average user can address this issue is by reading KNOWLEDGEABLE reviews knowledgeably (not the kind of advertising copy that so often passes for reviews these days).

5. Help system - Look for programs with GOOD online help, since, as indicated earlier, most people won't read the software manual. These days, most software packages have little or no written manual anyway, so getting in the habit of using online Help is essential. We like to see Help systems with 2-tier designs. Initial help should be basic help with fast answers right on-tap. The second tier will contain comprehensive reference material for those who need to learn more. Since good Help systems take a lot of time and effort to write, programs with well-designed Help will usually tout it in their packaging and advertising.

6. Software setup - We have seen a few programs, some highly rated by other reviewers, that were simply unusable due to major hardware and software incompatibilities. Again, to help avoid this problem, you should check for any particularly large hardware requirements. Once, you've decided on a package, it's also a good idea to check with sales people if there have been a large number of returns of the package you're interested in and, if so, what problems other people were having. The software should also come with a money-back, no-questions-asked guarantee from the manufacturer, so that the you can return the software if you can't get it to work. That said, we think most users will be able to get most software up and running, though they may need to tweak their Windows settings in rare examples to get or produce sound.

7. "Technical Support" - In our view, manufacturers tend to tout technical support well beyond its practical value to the user. Our experience is that phone support folks, rarely available now, are incapable of handling difficult setup problems. Further, tech support is usually swamped around the holidays, right when most users need it most. We've had the best luck with companies that have extensive, well-organized Web support. If you enter a manufacturer's Web site and find only an FAQ without a searchable database to answer more detailed questions, think twice about the software. We check out the manufacturers' Web sites when we review products to make certain they have real information available. This check also gives us an idea of what kinds of problems people are having using a given software package. Often, you can find solutions to software problems simply by typing in a short description of the problem along with the program name into a search engine. If you're having a problem, chances are that someone else has already reported and solved it.

8. Getting good sound - For most music software, your enjoyment will be directly related to the quality of the sound card and speakers on your computer, even though that won't affect the feasibility of running the software, per se. Most current systems have decent wavetable sound cards with adequate, if not spectacular, speakers. If you're not pleased with the sound from a program, it will usually be due to your hardware, rather than the program itself.

9. MIDI compatibility - Look for programs that can accept input from an attached MIDI keyboard, in addition to simple keyboard input. MIDI is the accepted standard for communicating with external music devices. It's also easiest to set up from both a hardware and software standpoint.

10. Reporting - If you're a teacher, you'll want the software you choose to have well-organized reporting of student progress built into the software. This may require you to buy a "studio" or "teacher's" version, but it's well worth the small amount of extra money. You'll not only want to be able to track the student's progress through the program, but also find out from the reporting where he is having problems, so that you can work with the student on those areas during lessons.

11. Try-before-you-buy - Limited demo versions of some programs are often downloadable free from the Internet. It's worthwhile to get these, especially if you are a teacher. You don't want to commit the time required to learn and help students use software, only to find that it doesn't really do what you want it to do.