capella professional

capella is one of the world's most popular notation programs

No other notation program will take you by the hand and gently guide you towards your own first score in the manner in which capella does it. There is no need to be fully computer literate - you just follow your musical imagination and capella does the rest. Within no time you will have completed your first score sheet.

In the country of Beethoven, Bach, and Reger, capella has become the first choice for notation editors among musicians from all walks of life. While beginners will immediately be able to record their creative ideas, professionals will continue to enjoy the immense depth. capella's value for the money is unsurpassed.

Notation solutions for professionals and hobbyists

PC Keyboard

Real-time and step-entry notation using your MIDI keyboard

Mouse notation

MousePiano

Simply click on the MousePiano's keys to enter notes. Here too, notes are entered lightning fast using the built- in note entry aids ("zebra-crossing mode", shortcut key).

Notation fonts and styles

Given that capella lets you present notes without stems and/or without heads, those who like experimenting will find almost no limits to the possibilities available in defining individual notations.

Click any clef to see a notation example.

Listening and playback

capella supports the unique capella-tune technology, putting you in complete control of capella's tonal palette. Ornaments like trills, dynamic gradations, support for capella Vienna orchestra, echo effects and playback according to swing or Waltz rhythms are all reflected during playback. Read more about capella-tune.

Adding graphics to the score

Graphic objects are selected from pre-defined palettes using the mouse. Experts can define their own individual palettes from the symbols available in capella's character set.

A graphics gallery can be created for and attached to each score. The gallery stores your regularly used graphic objects. capella comes complete with several interesting galleries that contain special notations, guitar frets and much more.

All graphic objects can be scaled, stretched and compressed and can be placed in front or behind the notes. This way watermarks covering the entire page can be placed underneath the score.

Always in touch with other musicians

Because more than 300,000 registered users are already working with capella, capella's file format has become a standard as far as notation programs are concerned. Indeed, you will find thousands of free scores in private collections across the Internet.

Import & Export (I): MusicXML

capella imports and exports MusicXML files. This feature facilitates import of score sheets from Finale® or Sibelius® while maintaining their layout as far as it complies with MusicXML specifications.

Import & Export (II): MIDI

capella can read standard MIDI files (format 0 and 1) and write format 1. This means that the entire MIDI world is available as both source and target for all your score printing and music publishing needs.

Import & Export (III): Graphics

You can insert any graphic object or image that has been created using other Windows applications into your capella score via the copy-and-paste function. Conversely, you can export the capella score (also in color) using any of the common graphic file formats.

Import & Export (IV): Web Publishing

As far as your capella scores are concerned, the Internet is only a few mouse clicks away. capella's web site export does not require you to have any knowledge of coding web sites. Click the icon on the toolbar and within no time you have a completely formatted web page displaying your score and with an embedded player. Visitors to your web site can therefore listen to your work however large it might be. Automatically embedded links allow the visitor to flip through all pages of a large score.

Don't buy a pig in a poke!

Form your own impression: Download the current demo version here and test the software to your heart's content. This demo version has no time limit and is only restricted in a few functions (e.g. file save).

Feature List

List of main features
Comfortable score wizard.
Number of notes or chords per stave: unlimited.
Number of lines per stave (usually: 5).	1-11
Number of polyphonic voices per stave	6
Number of staves per system	999
Number of systems per score: unlimited.
Small and large staves in the same score/system.
Free toolbar positioning; symbols also appear in menus.
Multiple split-score windows. Page layout view (fully editable) in all magnifications.
Powerful zoom function. An unlimited number of pages can be displayed next to each other.
Slur, beam, tie and brace smoothing function.
Numerous keyboard shortcuts for almost all menu and dialog instructions. This makes work efficient and ergonomic for all, including visually impaired users.
Split-second movement across large scores using the navigation center.
Undo and redo function, using list with clear instruction descriptions. Number of undo and redo steps:	999
Note values: Breve note to 1/128.
MusicXML import (e.g. import files from Finale or Sibelius).
MIDI import (Format 0 and 1), MIDI export (Format 1).
MusicXML export: capella files can be used by Finale and Sibelius users.
Search function for finding melodies in the score.
Search for rhythms independent of melody.
Integrated programming language (Python) to create additional features as plug-ins.
Easy to use ready-made plug-ins, downloadable free.
Future-proof data interface based on XML.
Capturing notes
Note entry via PC keyboard.
Keyboard enter-and-listen function (listen to notes as you type them).
MIDI real-time entry and MIDI step entry.
Notes entered directly into the score using the mouse.
Mouse piano (size adjustable and fully customizable).
Support for entering and playing back percussion instruments using sound mapping.
Note entry using piano roll with metronome and comfortable quantizing option.
Transposition
Transpose the entire score with one mouse click.
Transpose with or without key change: chromatic, true to interval and enharmonic transposition; diatonic shifting.
Transposing: Individual parts of the score with automatic key signature function; all transposing functions with or without key change.
Transposition of individual or multiple staves across the entire score (the other staves remain untouched).
Transposing instruments reflected during playback.
Playback
All sound cards, 128 voices, each voice can be selected.
Playback recognizes all performance marks (trills, upper mordents, mordents, or turns).
Standard pitch a' can be tuned.
Automatic scrolling during playback; can be deactivated.
Playback with any historic tuning, also pure adaptive tuning (Hermode tuning).
Tuned for collaboration with capella Vienna orchestra.
Playback reflects repeat signs: dal segno, al coda, etc.
Playback reflects user's own playback instructions: pizzicato, col legno, stopped, etc.
VST host: Support of VST samplers.
Tempo change option within the score at any note; smooth transitions, tempo recording with slide control.
Score editing
Automatic beaming and beam slope function.
Individually adjustable beam slope and stem length.
Sub-group beams.
Cross-staff beaming.
Automatic chord symbols (with analysis of chord).
Automatic lead sheet generation.
Split system at any point in the score.
Automatic wrap around (score division with optimized or selected number of bars per system).
Clefs, time signature, key signature, bar lines, etc. changeable at any point in the score, including single staves in the current system.
Course of bar lines freely adjustable, including bar lines in the gap between staves.
Automatic part extraction.
Irregular division (duplet, triplet ... up to 15-tuplet).
Diverse range of noteheads, stems, and heads without stems.
Forced accidentals (included in brackets), suppress accidentals.
Appoggiatura and cue notes.
Tremolo bars in note stems.
Edit individual noteheads in chord (accidental, head shape, mute during playback, etc.)
Automatic bar lines, fixed bar lines, individual-design bar lines.
Staccato, tenuto, staccatissimo, hard/soft attack, normal/strong accent, etc.
Definition of own articulation signs.
Cue notes, grace notes, place holders.
Multiple bar rests in various styles (traditional rest, etc.)
Split multi-voiced staves into separate staves within same system.
Guitar tablature.
Automatic horizontal spacing of notes can be overridden, e.g. for proportional spacing.
Basso continuo function.
Rest management: merge rests, fill staves with rests.
Score synthesis: combine several individual voices into one score.
Convert chord letters to chord notes and vice versa.
Sequence of staves in system can be changed at any time; ripple effect throughout the entire score.
Abbreviations, tremolo bars, and many more special functions available at the click of the mouse.
Memo function: Blocks of notes (sections from the score) can be saved as a separate file.
Position two systems side by side: perfect for coda notation and cramped spaces.
Text, symbols, graphics
Text import from other Windows applications.
Graphic import function from other Windows applications.
Text objects in RTF format with unrestricted character and paragraph formatting feature.
120 musical symbols available to insert directly from symbol palettes.
Graphic grouping feature.
Free positioning of graphics, including in front or behind notes; sequence selection of overlapping graphics.
Fret Wizard for guitar, banjo, etc.
Symbols can be transposed as you like (chord descriptions, frets, figures, etc.)
Graphics objects: line, ellipse, polygon, repeat box, triplet bracket, sloping wavy line, etc.
Wide ranging design options including dotted slurs.
Administration of personalized graphic symbols using the gallery.
Graphics export: Windows meta file (part of monitor display): Success depends on how much the target application supports this format.
Graphics export: Part of monitor display, current system, or entire page; supported by almost all Windows applications: also includes pre-printing stage for all platforms (Mac etc.); supports web publishing.
HTML export: One-click procedure to create web document; select from different styles, include embedded player.
Real modulations (two key levels).
Layout and printing
System brackets (curly brace and/or straight brackets), barlines across staves within system.
System justification for each system separately including for the entire score.
Footers, headers, page numbering.
Unrestricted formatting feature for footers, headers, automatic page numbering, watermark (including graphics).
Vertical page adjustment.
Comprehensive color options for all objects in the score (very useful for teaching purposes).
Choice of note fonts and note styles (software includes: six note fonts from renaissance to jazz; can be expanded.)
Set print size as you like.
Automatic bar numbering with dynamic refresh.
Bar numbering in variable steps, e.g. numbers at every 5th bar.
Printout on any paper supported by Windows and in all paper sizes and formats (letter, legal, A1 - 5, landscape, etc.)