Scoretester

Scoretester is a software tool designed to analyze and validate musical scores and related score data. It provides automated checks for engraving quality, consistency of notation, and structural integrity, helping publishers, editors, educators, and composers identify formatting or data errors before printing or distribution.

Core features include syntax validation for score files, layout and spacing analysis, checks for note and rest durations, bar counts, and cross-references between parts. It supports common score formats such as MusicXML and MIDI, as well as export formats used in publishing, and can import raster or vector PDFs for reference comparison. The tool can generate annotated reports, propose fixes, and track changes over time.

Scoretester is designed to fit into existing publishing pipelines. It offers command-line and graphical interfaces, batch processing for large libraries, and options to integrate with version control systems and continuous integration workflows. It can be configured with engraving rulesets to reflect different publishers’ standards and can run automated checks as part of a preflight stage prior to production.

Impact and limitations: user communities have cited improvements in production efficiency and consistency. Limitations include the challenge of encoding all engraving conventions, potential false positives, and reliance on the quality and completeness of input score data. It is often used in conjunction with human proofing to ensure musical accuracy and readability.

See also: music notation, music engraving, MusicXML, prepress quality assurance.