X-Canorus

Ever since technology reached a boom, the computer became a multifunctional tool. Among other activities, it can even help build and write music, eliminating the need for actual instruments almost entirely. In this regard, X-Canorus wants to help you write all your creations on a neat stave and print out on a sheet of paper.

First of all, this is the edition of Canorus which doesn’t require an installation, but it’s not really the official portable edition, so it’s best to also keep an eye on the original in case any updates show up. As a portable app, it can easily be carried around on a thumb drive, without leaving any traces in registry entries on the target PC.

You’re taken to the creation process right from the start, with a large canvas covering most of the space. A couple of staves are there so you can start adding notes according to your ideas. A sidebar holds most editing options, as well as a toggle button to switch to selection mode instead of editing.

It can take a bit of accommodation, especially since adding and switching notes is mostly done through keyboard hotkey commands. However, placing them on a staff requires a single press of a button, while the right mouse button places a pause, or stop symbol. There are various view and insert options with which to customize the view, add notes, clefs, signatures, and more.

In terms of file support, the application is quite flexible, allowing you to manipulate files under formats like LY, representative of LilyPond, XML, MIDI, SVG, including PDF. Playback is also included, making it possible to generate audio preview for an enhanced experience.

All things considered, we can state that X-Canorus is sure to come in handy to musicians which want to write songs in an intuitive, powerful environment. Edit operations allow you to easily add all kinds of notes, with built-in playback support so you can actually hear your ideas come to life.