Newzik or Forscore, that's the question

Choosing an application to accompany us during our concerts and rehearsals is a step to be taken seriously. It's sometimes difficult to know which interface will be the best, and which one will best accompany you during your sessions.

Forscore and Newzik are two high-performance digital score platforms that don't appeal to the same users. But how do you know which one is right for you? Here are the questions you need to ask yourself to make your choice.

Collaborative or individual?

How are your scores used? When you use digital scores, is it as part of a group, a class or an orchestra? Or is it exclusively for individual use?

These initial questions will help you make your choice.

Forscore and Newzik are two applications that let you work on your scores individually. The possibilities are endless. You can modify your scores with color, add different media or change the order of the sheets in a piece.

Nothing is set in stone.

You can send your annotated and enhanced scores to other musicians via various channels.

This is where Newzik is different. Much more than a score-working application, Newzik lets users work together directly on the platform.

The platform's organization allows you to organize your work sessions as you see fit. On the one hand, your library and setlists correspond to your score repertoires, and on the other, you can collaborate with other musicians in a dedicated collective space.

This gives you access to each other's comments and lets you know about potential changes in real time.

This is very practical for the concertmaster, for example. When he wishes to specify the bow stroke to his entire section, he simply indicates it on the score, and each musician is kept informed. Once the bow stroke has been recorded by the first violinist, it is permanently integrated into the instrumentalists' score.

Let's take this example again. With Forscore, each member of the orchestra must note on his score the bow stroke indicated by the first violin, and make sure that the platform he uses will always be the same until the day of the performance. Data added to Forscore scores is stored locally, not on a cloud like Newzik.

Apple or multiplatform?

The Forscore application is available on iOS and MacOs. You can download it to your iPhone, iPad or iPod. When you save your annotations, they are stored in your app on your device.

Newzik is also available on iOS on these different supports, but has also developed a Web version that lets you access your work from any computer, phone or tablet.

Thanks to the Newzik cloud, you can access your content and all your notes and files from any device. Create your Newzik account and log in wherever you like.

As you can see, the App and the Web give you greater flexibility in your organization. The two platforms synchronize so that you can access your data from different services. In this way, you can adapt your working environment

Simplicity or complexity?

We're all familiar with Forscore. This interface is known for its many features, but also for its complexity. As a user, you have access to a large number of tools for modifying and enriching your scores.

The application performs well, that's not the point. But it's easy to get lost and hard to find your way around. The application's sheer number of functionalities makes it difficult to read the interface and complicates the musical experience.

Newzik is known for being a comprehensive but above all intuitive surface. It's an application designed by musicians, for musicians. Users speak of it as an interface that's easy to manipulate and where you can easily find your bearings.

The various services of the Forscore application are arranged in a toolbar at the top of the screen. The list of your tracks and libraries, but also all your tools and services. It's hard to get organized.

In this respect, Newzik has taken the decision to divide the platform into several areas (collective or individual), and all your tools can be found in the toolbar and settings of each of your tracks. This layout enables users to divide up and organize their work in a fluid and clear manner.

Support or not?

Newzik has a highly responsive free customer service. Members of the startup answer your needs and questions, and guide you through your first steps with the interface. This active service guarantees a response within 48 hours at the latest.

We attach great importance to the relationship we have with our users. They can trust us and rely on us at all times.

We've also set up an Instagram account and a Facebook group where all users can ask questions on the wall, and everyone can respond and share their experiences with the interface.

Forscore, on the other hand, offers its users paid customer service.

Free?

First and foremost, neither application is free! With Newzik you can create a free account. You'll be able to try out most of the app's features, even if some are limited (you can only download 3 tracks to your library). You can always start using the interface with this version, and subscribe later when you're more familiar with its various features.

Newzik and Forscore have very different prices. The American app has opted for a fixed price.

Newzik offers a monthly or yearly renewable subscription. It's up to you to decide at the end of each term whether or not you want to continue.

Newzik's price is higher than Forscore's, and for good reason. As you can see, the services you have access to are many and varied. You can import an unlimited number of scores into your storage space, and collaborate with other musicians in real time, whether you're in the same room or not.

Newzik user status gives you access to a special status. Your requests and queries have priority over others.

As you can see, the two interfaces are very different, and it's not a question of which one is the most complete or the most widely used, but which one would be the best asset for your rehearsals and sessions.

To find out more, take a look at our our website. You can also reach us at contact@newzik.com