Palette
Palette's interface is slightly confusing at first, but one you figure out the subtleties it works admirably as a tool for composing music with MIDI instruments. Composition is based on methods of motive development. A system of mouse gestures makes selection of pitch, chord type and arrangement based on movements rather than clicks, which actually improves note placement after a little practice. I know from past experience with other composition apps that I frequently clicked in the wrong spot when placing notes, which is solved with the mouse movement method. A wide range of MIDI instruments are supported with preview playback at any point in the composition process. Building songs on a phrase-by-phrase basis may not make sense for experienced composers, but for starting out with music composition, this is an easy way to go. The app lacks a traditional installer instead containing all files in a folder easily placed anywhere on your system. [Windows 9x/2k/XP $0.00]