Dual Monitors?

Hey,

A question to those of you who use...well, any notation software and or sequencers really.

Is there any advantage to having a dual monitor set up that you know of? Or is it something that maybe makes navigation a bit easier but not worth the money?

Thanks for any input, I'm to-ing and fro-ing over whether I want one in a couple of months when I set up my new computer, to go with Sibelius 5 and Cubase 4.

Fox.

Dual monitor setups increase productivity by increasing the amount of information available at any given time for pretty much every application that doesn't lock the second monitor out like games, so their use is general and widely applicable. I've used a two-monitor setup for over a year now and absolutely would not use anything less. Then again, I got my second monitor for free, and it's the same model as the one I had, so I didn't have to worry about size pairing and costs.

For notation, just stretch the program across both screens. It's amazing how much more productive you can feel when you have double the work space and no longer have to minimize windows.

Definitely go for it if the costs aren't prohibitive. It isn't worth upgrading graphics cards if you only have a single-head card, unless you need a new card anyway.

Depends on how you use your sequencer and your notation software.

I don't have 2 monitors and don't really feel the need at the moment.

If, however, I had to score a movie, or something, I would LOVE to have 2 monitors, since I could arrange the movie to show in the 2nd one, along with the mixer, maybe, and the instrument and the rest in the 1st monitor!;)

Or buy a really big monitor.

I don't think I could ever go back after getting my 24" with portrait swivel mode...

I'm looking at getting one of those.

Unfortunately, I don't have the funds to purchase the special monitors they use for medical imaging machines, like MRI machines. They're large and ultra-high resolution. I believe Dell and maybe HP have some very tantalizing monitors in the medical field.

I'm still debating whether or not I'll save up longer and get a capacitance touchscreen monitor. I'd really like one.

I use dual screens and they are really really useful. Sequencing is awesome as I can have te vst instruments on the right with the arrange page on the left. Notation's prety much the same but unlike Galt I just put all the input tools on the rigt hand side so I have an uncluttered workspace on the left.

If you can get them! They are awesome!

dual wide screen is the way to go.

I do use dual monitors, but they are different sizes, so I don't stretch finale across them - I just keep one available for watching videos and episodes etc. while I do the normal stuff on the other monitor.

But here is what my optimal layout would be if I could afford it - two widescreen monitors of the same size next to eachother - but SIDEWISE. I've tried using my monitor sidewise (like a piece of legal-size paper) on finale when orchestrating my opera, and it helped a lot because I could see many more instruments at once, but then I couldn't see far enough ahead or behind the measure I was working on. But if I had dual screens that were sidewise, it would both be long and wide, and it would make finale easier. I would consider doing that if you are using lots of instruments.

Ooh, I don't know if I could deal with two monitors like the one I have in portrait mode. That's a lot of desk space and it would be tough to use when you wanted them in landscape mode... you'd have to continually shuffle them around the desk.