Brian
Ferneyhough: La terre est une homme
Guitar tablature
Ooloi is built to handle the full range of professional music notation — from early polyphony to the most demanding contemporary scores. It is open-source, free to use, and designed for musicians who expect precision, clarity, and durability.
What It Can Do
The core system covers the entire Western art-music repertoire: orchestral, operatic, chamber, and solo works from Bach to Ligeti. It handles microtonal notation, cross-staff writing, complex tuplets, and extended techniques as naturally as common practice notation.
This is the standard of the open-source core itself — not an add-on, not a “pro edition.” The bar is set at professional engraving quality for the complete repertoire.
Extending Ooloi
Specialised notations and workflows—guitar tablature, drum and jazz notation, playback systems, analytical or educational tools—are implemented as plugins.
The plugin architecture allows anyone to add or commission new capabilities without altering the core or waiting for a release cycle. Community innovation defines the horizon.
One Score, Many Views
Scores and parts live in the same document. Change a note in the full score or in an extracted part, and the update propagates everywhere instantly. No manual part extraction, no duplicated files—only one authoritative source.
Writing Music
Ooloi’s input system follows the principle that notation entry should feel musical, not clerical. Building on lessons from Igor Engraver’s fast, modal workflow, Ooloi aims for a similarly natural flow: gestures that mirror how musicians think rather than how computers expect them to.
Visual Precision
Ooloi uses SMuFL-compliant fonts such as Bravura and Petaluma, giving access to the full modern symbol set. All elements—noteheads, dynamics, slurs, lyrics, brackets—are placed intelligently but remain freely adjustable. Every engraving parameter can be customised: fonts, line weights, distances, curvature, layout.
Output and Exchange
Professional printing and PDF generation are included in the core. A free MusicXML plugin provides import and export to and from other notation software, maintaining fidelity across systems. MusicXML interoperability is important for Ooloi.
In Practice
Whether sketching a solo line or engraving a complete opera, Ooloi’s architecture keeps pace with professional work. Large scores stay responsive, parts stay synchronised, and the music remains yours—open, precise, and alive.
What It Can Do
The core system covers the entire Western art-music repertoire: orchestral, operatic, chamber, and solo works from Bach to Ligeti. It handles microtonal notation, cross-staff writing, complex tuplets, and extended techniques as naturally as common practice notation.
This is the standard of the open-source core itself — not an add-on, not a “pro edition.” The bar is set at professional engraving quality for the complete repertoire.
Extending Ooloi
Specialised notations and workflows—guitar tablature, drum and jazz notation, playback systems, analytical or educational tools—are implemented as plugins.
The plugin architecture allows anyone to add or commission new capabilities without altering the core or waiting for a release cycle. Community innovation defines the horizon.
One Score, Many Views
Scores and parts live in the same document. Change a note in the full score or in an extracted part, and the update propagates everywhere instantly. No manual part extraction, no duplicated files—only one authoritative source.
Writing Music
Ooloi’s input system follows the principle that notation entry should feel musical, not clerical. Building on lessons from Igor Engraver’s fast, modal workflow, Ooloi aims for a similarly natural flow: gestures that mirror how musicians think rather than how computers expect them to.
Visual Precision
Ooloi uses SMuFL-compliant fonts such as Bravura and Petaluma, giving access to the full modern symbol set. All elements—noteheads, dynamics, slurs, lyrics, brackets—are placed intelligently but remain freely adjustable. Every engraving parameter can be customised: fonts, line weights, distances, curvature, layout.
Output and Exchange
Professional printing and PDF generation are included in the core. A free MusicXML plugin provides import and export to and from other notation software, maintaining fidelity across systems. MusicXML interoperability is important for Ooloi.
In Practice
Whether sketching a solo line or engraving a complete opera, Ooloi’s architecture keeps pace with professional work. Large scores stay responsive, parts stay synchronised, and the music remains yours—open, precise, and alive.