NIFF
Encyclopedia
Notation Interchange File Format (NIFF) is a music notation file format used primarily for transferring music notation between different scorewriter
s.
The NIFF project was started in February 1994 to create an open format that would allow exchange of music between various scanning / Music OCR
, editing and typesetting programs. The project was sponsored by several music notation software publishers.
The NIFF format itself is based upon RIFF (Resource Interchange File Format), a file structure provided by Microsoft, in which data is divided into Lists, Chunks and Tags. Almost all data in a NIFF file are optional. The level of detail contained can range from just the pitch and timing (akin to MIDI) to a precise page layout, embedded graphics and embedded MIDI information.
Though detailed and comprehensive, the standard never really caught on except for limited interchange between music OCR software and scorewriting software. Three of the music OCR
programs in widespread use – PhotoScore, SharpEye, and SmartScore
– export NIFF files. NIFF is now considered obsolete mainly due to the MusicXML
format. As of February 2006 the NIFF project web site has been closed. The NIFF SDK is available at the The NIFF SDK Archive for educational usage.
Scorewriter
A scorewriter, or music notation program, is software used for creating sheet music.A scorewriter is to music notation what a word processor is to text.-Comparison with multitrack sequencer software:...
s.
The NIFF project was started in February 1994 to create an open format that would allow exchange of music between various scanning / Music OCR
Music OCR
Music OCR is the application of optical character recognition to interpret sheet music or printed scores into editable and, often, playable form. Once captured digitally, the music can be saved in commonly used file formats, e.g...
, editing and typesetting programs. The project was sponsored by several music notation software publishers.
The NIFF format itself is based upon RIFF (Resource Interchange File Format), a file structure provided by Microsoft, in which data is divided into Lists, Chunks and Tags. Almost all data in a NIFF file are optional. The level of detail contained can range from just the pitch and timing (akin to MIDI) to a precise page layout, embedded graphics and embedded MIDI information.
Though detailed and comprehensive, the standard never really caught on except for limited interchange between music OCR software and scorewriting software. Three of the music OCR
Music OCR
Music OCR is the application of optical character recognition to interpret sheet music or printed scores into editable and, often, playable form. Once captured digitally, the music can be saved in commonly used file formats, e.g...
programs in widespread use – PhotoScore, SharpEye, and SmartScore
SmartScore
SmartScore is a music OCR and scorewriter program, developed, published and distributed by Musitek Corporation based in Ojai, California, . As of March 2010, there are over 35,000 registered users of Musitek software worldwide....
– export NIFF files. NIFF is now considered obsolete mainly due to the MusicXML
MusicXML
MusicXML is an open, XML-based music notation file format.It was developed by Recordare LLC, deriving several key concepts from existing academic formats . It is designed for the interchange of scores, particularly between different scorewriters.Version 1.0 was released in January 2004...
format. As of February 2006 the NIFF project web site has been closed. The NIFF SDK is available at the The NIFF SDK Archive for educational usage.