Saguaro Studios today shipped version 1.0 of Oratorio, a software solution designed to meet the unique needs of churches and church musicians. Combining a music library with presentation abilities, the cross-platform package allows its users to assemble visuals for a complete service or event within minutes, simply by selecting songs from the library and customizing them for the event.
"This kind of software has not been available for the Macintosh before," McMains went on. "By supporting Mac OS X, older versions of the Mac OS, and Windows, we provide unparalleled flexibility for our customers. Volunteers can use their Mac at home to prepare a presentation to run on a PC on Sunday morning, or vice versa. The computing platform is no longer a stumbling block."
Oratoriois features include:
- Mac OS X, Macintosh Classic, and Windows versions mean that a volunteer or staff member can assemble a presentation at home on her Mac, and then display it on the churchis PC, or vice versa.
- An extensible music library that comes with over 100 public-domain hymns, and which can be easily expanded to include any additional songs the church uses.
- Streamlined, easy-to-use interface makes it possible to assemble visuals for a service in minutes.
- XML file formats make it easy for Oratorio to interoperate with other software.
- Electronic software distribution keeps the cost of the software low and makes it easy to upgrade to the newest versions.
Oratorio is available for US$49. You can find more information at the Saguaro Studios Web site.