I am a classical music composer and do a lot of notation editing on scores. I thought Staff Pad would save me time so I picked up the Staff Pad and even had to buy a Surface pro tablet to use it. Well, it didn't. It was so time-consuming to use it---- even if I knew the software up and down. It isn't as easy as portrayed. I reverted to paper and pencil. Maybe AI might help in the future?
You just made make a personal budget to get both an Ipad and staff pad! The fact that those awesome libraries can be used, and how you can write music-as with paper and pen-plus the quality of the sounds and the capability of adding mp3 and creating the music over it is just fascinating! Thanks for sharing, It's what many musicians have been dreaming about!
I am so excited to have found your channel! For the last few years I thought I was the only person using my iPad on stage and in multiple groups (including a jazz band and wwind for pit orchestras) and being a composer who is responsible for creating lead sheets for an integrated rock band with professionals and musicians with disabilities. I need to change keys and write out parts, sometimes on the fly, and in the format most appropriate for a particular person’s disability. The information you share is extremely helpful and I can’t wait to download Staffpad on my iPad Pro (you need one of these 😉) and get to work! I hope the files migrate with Finale as well as they do with Sibelius! Thank you for all the great info!! Keep it coming!
I just bought this on the Surface Pro-it’s $50 off at the moment. The app actually came out for the Surface Pro before the iPad, since it requires a pen. I chuckled a bit to myself when you mentioned the dichotomy between tablet and desktop, since I don't have to worry about that.
Excellent observations, and still totally valid a few years later. I'm like you, long time Sibelius user, and I agree that StaffPad shouldn't try to 'replace' Sibelius a desktop notation program....it's a great additional composing tool for composers/arrangers who are ultimately working with live musicians. I agree with everything in your video now that I'm very familiar with StaffPad, and the handwriting recognition will continue to improve in recognizing certain little things that can slow you down. But, all in all, it's utterly amazing and is the standard-bearer for what it does on a tablet. Thanks for the channel!
Sorry that I missed this comment. Thanks for the assessment. I totally agree that it can slow down the workflow. I think this will only be a useful tool for those that really value the pen to paper connection.
I totally agree with you about Sibelius! I would add that the same lack of care for maintaining/updating their software applies to AVID the company as a whole. Everything I've used that is made by AVID has been way behind the curve and most of the time gave me little to no hope that it would be any different in the future. I have had to stop using hardware I bought because they, for years, did not try to catch up with their software/drivers which rendered the products nearly useless. I write this comment in hopes of deterring people from buying any of their products and having to go through the many headaches that go along with them. Paying customers deserve more, especially at the prices they ask for. That's my opinion. Maybe I'm alone in this but I think not.
This is absolutely so on point! I've always felt that way about AVID. ProTools hasn't really had many updates, with the exception of the last major facelift, and they've been hanging on the term "industry standard" for too long as other softwares add new amazing features, although it's still a rock-solid program. Sibelius is probably the worst user interface of any software I've ever used in my life. The navigation bar is so incredibly dense and overcrowded with no apparent method. It just needs to be started from scratch. I have no idea what AVID does at their headquarters.
Thank you for the information! Your videos are very helpfull. Is this program usefull for writing didactic music books? O is it only for composers? Thank you.
Very clear vidéo, thanks. Have a question. I m looking for exactly the same Kind of app with the possibility to add your own plugins in it. Any ideas? Thanks again ❤
"...really brings back that composer to paper connection." This is, in my opinion, an understatement. I still write pencil to paper, especially when working out counterpoint. It's interesting, to say the least. Staff Pad facilitates a traditional method in a most technological way. It's a brilliant idea of which I thought:)
I’m looking for an app to write drum parts for my students. Right now this is the only serious app I’ve found for iPad. How good is the drum notation system on Staffpad? Tnx for the vid!
Worth every penny...and my budget is extreeemly limited. I just spent the past year saving for an iPad just for this app. It's not perfect and not for everyone. For instance, it doesn't include guitar sounds, but you can buy a guitar sound pack for $20...though it's still not that great. As a piano player, I like the stock piano, but StaffPad screwed up the grace note function, so I have to manually set the timing of notes to accommodate for these notes. Most of the people using Staffpad on the forums are expert orchestral composers, which is a real inspiration in learning this kind of music, but if you are not into that kind of music, you are extremely limited on the number of people and RUclips videos for help. With all that said, I still love it. I've written out dozens of my piano scores into StaffPad and really enjoy adding extra elements such as Cello (I bought the excellent Tina Guo Cello set), or bongo drums (I bought the most awesome CinePerc set for this). Now I'm able to customize my sheet music with accompaniments such as I've always wanted and use it as nice playable music whenever I want it, and edit it when I want as well.
Hey David, thanks for the info. It's funny to hear about the grace notes. It seems like there are some quirks and quarks to get around, but I've been enjoying the experience with it quite a lot. I know what you mean about the orchestral compositions. I was on the forum today and found it to be quite intimidating, but it seems like people are genuinely happy to share the process with this app. Very much looking forward to experimenting more with it.
Thank you, Randy. A fair and candid overview. I’m an old guy (70) intending on finally getting off my butt and learning to score music from scratch. As I have only minimal experience with notation software (with Logic Pro and MuseScore only), I have no conventions to “unlearn”, so figure that StaffPad might be a reasonable way to begin. I’ll take the leap and let you know how it goes. Thanks for running a great channel. Cheers. (Brian in Ottawa.)
Thanks for the kind words Brian! I’m just down the road in London by the way! I think you’ll be in a good place to master it. My biggest bit of advice would be to watch all of their tutorial videos. They’re quite short and easy to follow, and they uncover a world of hidden commands that make things much quicker and more intuitive.
@@randyrektor I'd love to upload some of my tracks to impress those folks but I'm bound my the fact that I have to wait until the fangame releases. Nevertheless, I'd love to have connections like that!
Can I ask how this compares to both notion and symphony pro. I own both and they are so complicated and don’t record midi correctly. I asked both developers for support and neither even bothered to respond. However, this app is way more expensive? Thanks in advance. By the way. Great Chanel.
@@randyrektor NotePerformer is a game-changer for Sibelius, and Finale, and even Dorico. Perfect price point against the big symphonic libraries like East-West and good quality sounds for composing & arranging work.
Great video, thanks so much! A question: I'm using Staffpad on an old Surface Pro 3 but I want to move to an iPad Pro 128Gb. Can I download and install the same Staffpad license or I have to buy another one specific for iPad? Thanks a lot in advance!
Well my bf studied music science and is very satisfied with Sibelius 7 with all extensions. The sound data files are huge and sound perfect if you know how to use it proper. You already know that you can make different dynamic on every single note? You even can change tempo while it's hidden in the scores.
Thank you, Randy. Just discovered your channel today. thank you so much for this video, I am a big Sabella is fine, and the application is great, but it’s annoying that they do not let you buy the software, but make you “rent” it. Also, I’m finding it frustrating that in the free version of it, they don’t let you use the chord changes. Of course, I would pay 100$ or more to buy it, but they don’t let us 😅 Looking for other good Apps to compare 😊 thank you for helping out with my research. All the best to you and your channel! 🎉
Hello thanks for the great video ! Do you know if it is possible to export the file from staffpad into a daw like logic pro and use different sound library ?
Great video Randy. Helpful. Am a singer-songwriter and Gordon Lightfoot Tribute artist. I have been looking for a way to improve my charts and move quickly from composition of original songs to production. Am hopeful that Staffpad is the answer for now. Thanks again!
Question: my music university uses Musescore a lot for homework and theory assignments. There is however no Musescore for ipad. Can staff pad open mscz files? Is there any common ground between the 2 where I can take files from one to the other?
Interesting! I believe both can use xlm files, but I worry that there may be some information that gets misinterpreted in the translation. It’s definitely worth trying. Maybe see if you can get a trial?
*QUESTION:* I still have a A1893 iPad model (6th generation) and I bought now StaffPad app. Is it possible to use with both 1th and 2th Apple Pencil or any other? Thank you.
Good question, Im not totally sure. They are pretty quick with responses if you contact them. I'd imagine any apple pencil should work, but not sure, sorry!
Thanks for the detailed description. I watched your video, got inspired and bought the staffpad app for my iPad. But as soon as I started work, I immediately met two problems. And now I really hope that you can help me. 1. Please tell me how I can move the cello position above the piano in the score. Now I am writing an arrangement for saxophone, cello and piano. I faced such a problem when the saxophone was placed on the first line, the piano was placed on the second and third line, and only the cello is on the fourth line. But how to move the cello position to the position as in a chamber ensemble - above the piano? 2. How can I go to the layout of individual parts from the score and get a pdf of the parts? Pleeeeeas, help me!
Thank you for your video. I used Sibelius and switch to Dorico who is great! Don’t you struggle with input rhythms more complicated than 8th notes with StaffPad? I do. I gave many try but get back to Dorico as the time to fix the missed input slow my work too much.
Hey Robin, I certainly do find it challenging sometimes. The majority of the work I am doing is with lead sheets and relatively simple pop rhythms, so it’s not too bad. I imagine it would be quite slow with more complicated rhythmic patterns. I’ll have to try dorico!
@@randyrektor Thank you for your super quick reply. I agree that with pop rhythms it would be ok. Dorico and its community are fantastic and the forum is really responsive. You'll find plenty of comprehensive tutorials made by the staff. As the workflow is quite different from Sibelius, the learning curve is a little challenging at first though.
I just got into StaffPad. It won't write notes in the beginning. Pencil works fine but only gives me that problem when I'm willing to put some notes. You would know a solution?
Whatever happens in bar 3 of Claire de lune or with Timps at New World Symphony? Both in StaffPad. I agree the sound is much better in StaffPad, if you don’t use helping sound software as NotePerformer, but the errors I experienced with StaffPad are too serious to keep working on it. At least, for now.
@@martinisaksson87 the most recent one was when it crashed each time I was touching the screen with my Apple Pencil. It left me with the only option of exporting manually that music in Sibelius.
Dude I just picked this up for iPad! I'm using it exclusively for drum notation but the 2nd voice (feet) keeps messing up for me and not recognising my handwriting, it's quite frustrating!
Oh really?? I haven’t tried percussion at all. I saw this in the help section and it looked pretty full-featured, but disappointing to hear it’s kinda buggy staffpad.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002334177-Respacing-Notation
@@randyrektor Yeah, so much trouble with handwriting recognition but I'm trying to improve my notation much like you said! I literally just bough this late last week and here's your video! ha I'm going to give it some more time and see if I can't figure out if I'm doing something wrong. Great review man
Oh thats too funny. Man, I heard somewhere that it's adaptive and gets better with you overtime. I couldn't remember if I was imagining it, so I cut that part of the video, but I think I remember hearing that it gets better at understanding your input. Thanks so much dude!
I haven’t found the issue to exist anymore. I think it may have been because the iPad I was using just came out and I think the program reacted differently with the new style of display. Seems to work fine for me now :)
Does the app allow you to search for a note while HEARING each note BEFORE you actually permanently place the note on the staff? Logic Pro’s notation software does that and I’ve discovered that no other notation app does this! I don’t have perfect pitch so relying on the note to play for me is an immense help that aids in my workflow.
Hey there, if I’m following you correctly, I believe this will work for you. You have to draw a note value, like a quarter note for instance, once it commits it to music notation, you can drag them around anywhere you’d like. Hope this helps
@@randyrektor Thank you so much for getting back to me! I just saw your reply! So to confirm, will I be able to HEAR the note when I drag it around? For example, let’s say I write down a note and it ‘commits it to music notation’. Let’s say I wrote down C#. But now I decide that I don’t want that note and want to change it to a different note. But I’m not sure what note I want to change it to just yet. Can I hold and drag that C# up and down the staff while HEARING the note change each time I drag it to a new note? So when I drag the C# to a D note (without permanently placing the note as a D just yet) will the software play the note for me so I know what it sounds like?
Ahhh yes I just tested. It does exactly that. After it commits to notation you can hold down and it plays then you can drag and hear the notes until you release. One thing to note is if you scroll up or down, it will maintain the accidental attached, so for instance, C sharp up to D sharp up to E sharp at F sharp etc. If you don’t have an accidental written, it will just go through the diatonic notes. Hope this helps!
You’ll be fine on any of the iPads! As for storage, the files are quite small, as they are just data based, but the instrument packs can get a bit large
@@randyrektor Thanks. Also, did I hear correctly that the staffpad stock sounds are very useable? It sounded like night and day compared to Sibelius. I won't use it for anything other than writing scores...not intended for 2track playback really, so i don't need it to sound as good as my DAW.
Hi Randy, thanks for this great video! I definitely subscribed. Did you try exporting from StaffPad and continuing to finish the score in Sibelius? Just wondering how well that works as I would be starting w StaffPad and finishing in Dorico? Thanks!
Hey thanks for the sub Mike! Yea, that definitely works! There are some translation issues from what I remember, especially with the more advanced notation, so you’ll want to be careful. I think it’s probably best if you’re doing the more basic work on the iPad and sending it off as an XML file to Dorico. I also haven’t tried it with Dorico, but it should be doable!
I just did some digging around in a forum and it looks like people have expressed exactly this issue. The translation of the music XML file is less than perfect, unfortunately. I still imagine it would work fine for scores with low complexity, notes, basic parts, etc.
Hey thanks Randy for letting me know! I’ll have to save up for and iPad that will use a pencil. For a guy like me who grew up writing to paper this is very exciting!
@@mikevirtualteacher Be prepared to be slightly frustrated at first. I only say this because I see so many people saying it was too frustrating to make the switch. Helping set expectations :)
@@randyrektor ha ha! Yes good point, I’ve been wanting something like this for years. I’ll give it a go when I can afford it. Thanks Randy for all your help!
I agree with these comments. The input with the Apple Pencil is absolutely hopeless - you have to input the notes, sharps, etc VERY accurately for it to work. It is VERY time consuming as you have to repeat entries which means erasing your existing entry and trying again. Not good at all.
I learned sibelius in school, but I've been reluctant to buy it, even though I saw a use for it. Staff pad IMO just makes the most sense to me, because if I'm gonna use staff paper, I'd rather just pen and paper it. Staff pad is a godsend since you don't have to do the work twice. And unlike regular paper, the staff pad will play the music back for you, so you don't need to worry about not being good at an instrument while also being a composer. $90 bucks for this app is actually a steal.
This is so well said. The paper being able to play the music back to you is a game changer for young composers who compose better by ear or with the help of being able to hear it in real-time 🙌🏻🙌🏻
@@randyrektor I was trying to figure out how to get my music books in digital format, and I can just basically hand copy it myself now, not everyone is up to that, but for 90 bucks I totally am (the alternatives cost more) .
Hey Wilber, I don't have experience with this function specifically, but when I was in chats with Staffpad's team, they mentioned "being able to copy and paste music into other apps,.. import tempo tracks from MIDI files, all sorts of things!" So I think that would mean it's possible. I know you can import XML files, no problem. That's what I did to get the same music on screen in this experiment. Hope this is useful!
@@randyrektor Thanks for fast answer , I will like the optiont o import some midi files and of course maybe I need to edit some minor changes. by the way I still dont buy it but maybe I'll do it now.
Hi again , do you maybe another App , that scann the score , export to midi and then edit the score ? I use Noten Scanner but I could only import as midi , MusicXML. Or should I scann , then import to MusicXML and then import again to StaffPad , if will be an easier method that will be cool. Happy New Year !
Ooooo interesting question. I don’t have any experience with scanning scores unfortunately. I work between staffpad and Sibelius. Sorry I can’t be much help. Happy new year to you too!
I feel you. I get why it’s priced how it is to be honest. The amount of hidden features is crazy for an iPad app. I get it though, if this isn’t something necessary for your workflow, it may be hard to justify. What’re you using now? Curious to see what people prefer :)
Yea I think it’s an incredibly cool app with a very big learning curve.s maybe some people get discouraged when it doesn’t do what they want right away?
How it sounds is totally irrelevant. Any DAW wil provide you with more options to make it sound good. Essential is how it looks after printing. Ad is it really easy to use ? By the way, it is a writers tool, not a composers tool. When you can write a letter, it does not mean you are a novelist. The same applies to music.
The first line on their website calls it a composers tool. But yes, you can find plugins to manipulate the patches if you’d like. To some, it’s important to know the sound quality of the stock instruments while arranging.
absolutely not worth it. the handwriting recognition is crap - there wasn't a single moment when the app wasn't "fighting" against my handwriting, not to mention the number of instruments it supports is bafflingly small. 100 dollars for this??
Yeah, the handwriting apparently learns your writing habits, but I found it to be clunky as well. I think with AI implementations, this app could be outstanding, but it’s needs some finesse for sure. I will say. The built in sounds and simplicity made it really useful for my as someone who really only needs to jot down ideas from time to time.
I am a classical music composer and do a lot of notation editing on scores. I thought Staff Pad would save me time so I picked up the Staff Pad and even had to buy a Surface pro tablet to use it. Well, it didn't. It was so time-consuming to use it---- even if I knew the software up and down. It isn't as easy as portrayed. I reverted to paper and pencil. Maybe AI might help in the future?
You just made make a personal budget to get both an Ipad and staff pad! The fact that those awesome libraries can be used, and how you can write music-as with paper and pen-plus the quality of the sounds and the capability of adding mp3 and creating the music over it is just fascinating! Thanks for sharing, It's what many musicians have been dreaming about!
This s so awesome to hear! I hope you really enjoy the software. It was a bit of a learning curve, but really awesome once you get the hang of it.
I am so excited to have found your channel! For the last few years I thought I was the only person using my iPad on stage and in multiple groups (including a jazz band and wwind for pit orchestras) and being a composer who is responsible for creating lead sheets for an integrated rock band with professionals and musicians with disabilities. I need to change keys and write out parts, sometimes on the fly, and in the format most appropriate for a particular person’s disability. The information you share is extremely helpful and I can’t wait to download Staffpad on my iPad Pro (you need one of these 😉) and get to work! I hope the files migrate with Finale as well as they do with Sibelius! Thank you for all the great info!! Keep it coming!
Thank you for the video! I've just ordered a surface to compose with staffpad... I can't wait to try it!
Fantastic! I hope it's a blast.
Good informative and well-made video. You deserve to have more views than this for sure. Thanks!
Hey Tim, thanks so much for the kind words. I really appreciate it!
It's amazing for transcribing on the fly. Especially in jam sessions etc. I almost never use pen and paper anymore.
That’s awesome :) I can’t wait until jam sessions can happen again haha!
I just bought this on the Surface Pro-it’s $50 off at the moment. The app actually came out for the Surface Pro before the iPad, since it requires a pen. I chuckled a bit to myself when you mentioned the dichotomy between tablet and desktop, since I don't have to worry about that.
Ooo this is great to hear! I'd be curious to try the app on a Surface as well to see the main differences. The display size looks amazing
Noice review, thanks dude!
Thanks for watching :)
Excellent observations, and still totally valid a few years later. I'm like you, long time Sibelius user, and I agree that StaffPad shouldn't try to 'replace' Sibelius a desktop notation program....it's a great additional composing tool for composers/arrangers who are ultimately working with live musicians. I agree with everything in your video now that I'm very familiar with StaffPad, and the handwriting recognition will continue to improve in recognizing certain little things that can slow you down. But, all in all, it's utterly amazing and is the standard-bearer for what it does on a tablet. Thanks for the channel!
Sorry that I missed this comment. Thanks for the assessment. I totally agree that it can slow down the workflow. I think this will only be a useful tool for those that really value the pen to paper connection.
I totally agree with you about Sibelius! I would add that the same lack of care for maintaining/updating their software applies to AVID the company as a whole. Everything I've used that is made by AVID has been way behind the curve and most of the time gave me little to no hope that it would be any different in the future. I have had to stop using hardware I bought because they, for years, did not try to catch up with their software/drivers which rendered the products nearly useless. I write this comment in hopes of deterring people from buying any of their products and having to go through the many headaches that go along with them. Paying customers deserve more, especially at the prices they ask for. That's my opinion. Maybe I'm alone in this but I think not.
This is absolutely so on point! I've always felt that way about AVID. ProTools hasn't really had many updates, with the exception of the last major facelift, and they've been hanging on the term "industry standard" for too long as other softwares add new amazing features, although it's still a rock-solid program. Sibelius is probably the worst user interface of any software I've ever used in my life. The navigation bar is so incredibly dense and overcrowded with no apparent method. It just needs to be started from scratch. I have no idea what AVID does at their headquarters.
I would strongly recommend the composition Notion that the composer Essa Pekka Salonen created ! Also incredible !!!
Thanks for the comment! I have some friends that love Notion. I'll have to try it at some point
4:26 “...it just sounds awful! “ Well said!
I honestly don't understand how those sounds are supposed to be useful lol!
Brilliant vid mate
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for the information! Your videos are very helpfull. Is this program usefull for writing didactic music books? O is it only for composers? Thank you.
Very clear vidéo, thanks. Have a question. I m looking for exactly the same Kind of app with the possibility to add your own plugins in it. Any ideas? Thanks again ❤
"...really brings back that composer to paper connection." This is, in my opinion, an understatement. I still write pencil to paper, especially when working out counterpoint. It's interesting, to say the least. Staff Pad facilitates a traditional method in a most technological way. It's a brilliant idea of which I thought:)
I’m looking for an app to write drum parts for my students. Right now this is the only serious app I’ve found for iPad. How good is the drum notation system on Staffpad? Tnx for the vid!
Good review.
Thank you!
Worth every penny...and my budget is extreeemly limited. I just spent the past year saving for an iPad just for this app. It's not perfect and not for everyone. For instance, it doesn't include guitar sounds, but you can buy a guitar sound pack for $20...though it's still not that great. As a piano player, I like the stock piano, but StaffPad screwed up the grace note function, so I have to manually set the timing of notes to accommodate for these notes. Most of the people using Staffpad on the forums are expert orchestral composers, which is a real inspiration in learning this kind of music, but if you are not into that kind of music, you are extremely limited on the number of people and RUclips videos for help. With all that said, I still love it. I've written out dozens of my piano scores into StaffPad and really enjoy adding extra elements such as Cello (I bought the excellent Tina Guo Cello set), or bongo drums (I bought the most awesome CinePerc set for this). Now I'm able to customize my sheet music with accompaniments such as I've always wanted and use it as nice playable music whenever I want it, and edit it when I want as well.
Hey David, thanks for the info. It's funny to hear about the grace notes. It seems like there are some quirks and quarks to get around, but I've been enjoying the experience with it quite a lot. I know what you mean about the orchestral compositions. I was on the forum today and found it to be quite intimidating, but it seems like people are genuinely happy to share the process with this app. Very much looking forward to experimenting more with it.
Thank you, Randy. A fair and candid overview. I’m an old guy (70) intending on finally getting off my butt and learning to score music from scratch. As I have only minimal experience with notation software (with Logic Pro and MuseScore only), I have no conventions to “unlearn”, so figure that StaffPad might be a reasonable way to begin. I’ll take the leap and let you know how it goes. Thanks for running a great channel. Cheers. (Brian in Ottawa.)
Thanks for the kind words Brian! I’m just down the road in London by the way! I think you’ll be in a good place to master it. My biggest bit of advice would be to watch all of their tutorial videos. They’re quite short and easy to follow, and they uncover a world of hidden commands that make things much quicker and more intuitive.
@@randyrektor Thanks brother. I’m already doing just that! More soon. :-)
Fantastic! Best of luck :)
Awesome 👌...
Bruh imagine just *asking* Staffpad a review for free in the good faith that you'll review it. I gotta do that for Orchestral Tools lmao
Hey, it never hurts to ask. I think they saw how it fit my channel content and that I was excited about it. The team there has been really nice :)
@@randyrektor I'd love to upload some of my tracks to impress those folks but I'm bound my the fact that I have to wait until the fangame releases. Nevertheless, I'd love to have connections like that!
Can I ask how this compares to both notion and symphony pro. I own both and they are so complicated and don’t record midi correctly. I asked both developers for support and neither even bothered to respond. However, this app is way more expensive? Thanks in advance. By the way. Great Chanel.
The answer to your question at 4:26 is... NotePerformer. But you knew that.
This is news to me! I didn't know there were expansions that you could add like this. Thanks for sharing!
@@randyrektor NotePerformer is a game-changer for Sibelius, and Finale, and even Dorico. Perfect price point against the big symphonic libraries like East-West and good quality sounds for composing & arranging work.
This is great to know! Thanks for sharing this, I will have to do some digging now :) Happy to see that options like this exist.
I have heard it has some recognition issues on the iPad, is that true?
Why is only for iPad? Can you make this app for android too? I am looking for my tablet exactly this app, but I have android.
Great video, thanks so much! A question: I'm using Staffpad on an old Surface Pro 3 but I want to move to an iPad Pro 128Gb. Can I download and install the same Staffpad license or I have to buy another one specific for iPad? Thanks a lot in advance!
I’m not 100% sure! I’d reach out to their support team.
Is it possible to sign fingerings in staf pad?
Well my bf studied music science and is very satisfied with Sibelius 7 with all extensions. The sound data files are huge and sound perfect if you know how to use it proper. You already know that you can make different dynamic on every single note? You even can change tempo while it's hidden in the scores.
Thank you, Randy.
Just discovered your channel today. thank you so much for this video, I am a big Sabella is fine, and the application is great, but it’s annoying that they do not let you buy the software, but make you “rent” it. Also, I’m finding it frustrating that in the free version of it, they don’t let you use the chord changes. Of course, I would pay 100$ or more to buy it, but they don’t let us 😅
Looking for other good Apps to compare 😊 thank you for helping out with my research.
All the best to you and your channel! 🎉
Totally agree with you! Thanks so much for the kind words :)
Hello thanks for the great video ! Do you know if it is possible to export the file from staffpad into a daw like logic pro and use different sound library ?
Sure can! You can export as an XML file and assign it in your daw using midi :)
Great video Randy. Helpful. Am a singer-songwriter and Gordon Lightfoot Tribute artist. I have been looking for a way to improve my charts and move quickly from composition of original songs to production. Am hopeful that Staffpad is the answer for now. Thanks again!
Hey Eric, thanks for the kind words! That sounds awesome! Wishing you a smooth transition to the program!
Question: my music university uses Musescore a lot for homework and theory assignments. There is however no Musescore for ipad. Can staff pad open mscz files? Is there any common ground between the 2 where I can take files from one to the other?
Interesting! I believe both can use xlm files, but I worry that there may be some information that gets misinterpreted in the translation. It’s definitely worth trying. Maybe see if you can get a trial?
Thanks for the video. Is it possible to use the staff pad with tablet devices on android?
I don't believe they support android yet, unfortunately :(
Hey! Great review - I may have missed it, but are you using the iPad mini here? I’m keen to get one but not sure it’s big enough for staffpad?
Thanks man! This is an iPad Pro smallest size. :)
*QUESTION:* I still have a A1893 iPad model (6th generation) and I bought now StaffPad app. Is it possible to use with both 1th and 2th Apple Pencil or any other?
Thank you.
Good question, Im not totally sure. They are pretty quick with responses if you contact them. I'd imagine any apple pencil should work, but not sure, sorry!
@@randyrektor • Oh! Ok. Well, let's hope it works! Thanks for the answer, man!
Anytime! :)
Hey had a problem with writing chords on the same bar what should i do?
Hey Tommy, I'm not sure. I would check with their support team
Can it do multiple voices? Specifically for solo guitar?
Yup! I didn’t get a chance to play around too much but I did create some drum parts with multiple voices.
How's Finale Notepad?
Ok, rookie question. Can I use StaffPad on a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra?? Considering getting a phone over a tablet.
I’m not too sure, I’d check the system requirements on their site
Thanks for the detailed description.
I watched your video, got inspired and bought the staffpad app for my iPad.
But as soon as I started work, I immediately met two problems. And now I really hope that you can help me.
1. Please tell me how I can move the cello position above the piano in the score. Now I am writing an arrangement for saxophone, cello and piano. I faced such a problem when the saxophone was placed on the first line, the piano was placed on the second and third line, and only the cello is on the fourth line. But how to move the cello position to the position as in a chamber ensemble - above the piano?
2. How can I go to the layout of individual parts from the score and get a pdf of the parts?
Pleeeeeas, help me!
Hey there, I’d recommend checking with Staffpad Support to have your questions answered. They have a link on their site I believe :)
@@randyrektor thank you 😊
Dear master! I have a new unsolvable problem… What should I do if my piece contains parts? How to make a system break? Please help me. Thank you!
Thank you for your video.
I used Sibelius and switch to Dorico who is great!
Don’t you struggle with input rhythms more complicated than 8th notes with StaffPad?
I do. I gave many try but get back to Dorico as the time to fix the missed input slow my work too much.
Hey Robin, I certainly do find it challenging sometimes. The majority of the work I am doing is with lead sheets and relatively simple pop rhythms, so it’s not too bad. I imagine it would be quite slow with more complicated rhythmic patterns. I’ll have to try dorico!
@@randyrektor Thank you for your super quick reply. I agree that with pop rhythms it would be ok. Dorico and its community are fantastic and the forum is really responsive. You'll find plenty of comprehensive tutorials made by the staff. As the workflow is quite different from Sibelius, the learning curve is a little challenging at first though.
This is nice to know. I may have to give it a go as I've been hearing great things.
I just got into StaffPad. It won't write notes in the beginning. Pencil works fine but only gives me that problem when I'm willing to put some notes. You would know a solution?
I’m pretty sure it’s adaptive and will learn your writing style (I think!)
Could you compose drumline music on staffpad? If so how user friendly is it?
Ohhhh great question, I’ve never tried. I would check to see if there are drum packs specifically for the program
Whatever happens in bar 3 of Claire de lune or with Timps at New World Symphony? Both in StaffPad. I agree the sound is much better in StaffPad, if you don’t use helping sound software as NotePerformer, but the errors I experienced with StaffPad are too serious to keep working on it. At least, for now.
What kind of errors?
@@martinisaksson87 the most recent one was when it crashed each time I was touching the screen with my Apple Pencil. It left me with the only option of exporting manually that music in Sibelius.
Dude I just picked this up for iPad! I'm using it exclusively for drum notation but the 2nd voice (feet) keeps messing up for me and not recognising my handwriting, it's quite frustrating!
Oh really?? I haven’t tried percussion at all. I saw this in the help section and it looked pretty full-featured, but disappointing to hear it’s kinda buggy staffpad.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002334177-Respacing-Notation
@@randyrektor Yeah, so much trouble with handwriting recognition but I'm trying to improve my notation much like you said! I literally just bough this late last week and here's your video! ha I'm going to give it some more time and see if I can't figure out if I'm doing something wrong. Great review man
Oh thats too funny. Man, I heard somewhere that it's adaptive and gets better with you overtime. I couldn't remember if I was imagining it, so I cut that part of the video, but I think I remember hearing that it gets better at understanding your input. Thanks so much dude!
Si this available on Android tablets? :3
Does it work with surface Go 128/8 ? thank You :)
Yes, using it on the go1 with 4gb, remember it was originally designed for the entire Surface line :)
Hey Randy!Which one do you suggest for working with Staffpad?Ipads or surface pro?as you said you had problems with the erasor…
I haven’t found the issue to exist anymore. I think it may have been because the iPad I was using just came out and I think the program reacted differently with the new style of display. Seems to work fine for me now :)
@@randyrektor Thank you for your response😬
Does the app allow you to search for a note while HEARING each note BEFORE you actually permanently place the note on the staff? Logic Pro’s notation software does that and I’ve discovered that no other notation app does this! I don’t have perfect pitch so relying on the note to play for me is an immense help that aids in my workflow.
Hey there, if I’m following you correctly, I believe this will work for you. You have to draw a note value, like a quarter note for instance, once it commits it to music notation, you can drag them around anywhere you’d like. Hope this helps
@@randyrektor Thank you so much for getting back to me! I just saw your reply! So to confirm, will I be able to HEAR the note when I drag it around? For example, let’s say I write down a note and it ‘commits it to music notation’. Let’s say I wrote down C#. But now I decide that I don’t want that note and want to change it to a different note. But I’m not sure what note I want to change it to just yet. Can I hold and drag that C# up and down the staff while HEARING the note change each time I drag it to a new note? So when I drag the C# to a D note (without permanently placing the note as a D just yet) will the software play the note for me so I know what it sounds like?
Ahhh yes I just tested. It does exactly that. After it commits to notation you can hold down and it plays then you can drag and hear the notes until you release. One thing to note is if you scroll up or down, it will maintain the accidental attached, so for instance, C sharp up to D sharp up to E sharp at F sharp etc. If you don’t have an accidental written, it will just go through the diatonic notes. Hope this helps!
@@randyrektor Thank you SO MUCH Randy! This helped immensely!
@@Crazypreeteens Happy to help! :D
Hi. Thanks for the video. How much RAM do you feel is appropriate for orchestral movie scores? I was thinking 256 on the iPad Pro? Thanks.
You’ll be fine on any of the iPads! As for storage, the files are quite small, as they are just data based, but the instrument packs can get a bit large
@@randyrektor Thanks. Also, did I hear correctly that the staffpad stock sounds are very useable? It sounded like night and day compared to Sibelius. I won't use it for anything other than writing scores...not intended for 2track playback really, so i don't need it to sound as good as my DAW.
Yup everything in this video is just the stock sounds. They are wonderfully expressive!
@@randyrektor perfect, thank you.
Staffpad compatible with Android?
can choose jazz fill? Or only orcestral
I think it depends on the sounds pack you have. You can check out the sample packs on their site - www.staffpad.net/
Hi Randy, thanks for this great video! I definitely subscribed. Did you try exporting from StaffPad and continuing to finish the score in Sibelius? Just wondering how well that works as I would be starting w StaffPad and finishing in Dorico? Thanks!
Hey thanks for the sub Mike! Yea, that definitely works! There are some translation issues from what I remember, especially with the more advanced notation, so you’ll want to be careful. I think it’s probably best if you’re doing the more basic work on the iPad and sending it off as an XML file to Dorico. I also haven’t tried it with Dorico, but it should be doable!
I just did some digging around in a forum and it looks like people have expressed exactly this issue. The translation of the music XML file is less than perfect, unfortunately. I still imagine it would work fine for scores with low complexity, notes, basic parts, etc.
Hey thanks Randy for letting me know! I’ll have to save up for and iPad that will use a pencil. For a guy like me who grew up writing to paper this is very exciting!
@@mikevirtualteacher Be prepared to be slightly frustrated at first. I only say this because I see so many people saying it was too frustrating to make the switch. Helping set expectations :)
@@randyrektor ha ha! Yes good point, I’ve been wanting something like this for years. I’ll give it a go when I can afford it. Thanks Randy for all your help!
I agree with these comments. The input with the Apple Pencil is absolutely hopeless - you have to input the notes, sharps, etc VERY accurately for it to work. It is VERY time consuming as you have to repeat entries which means erasing your existing entry and trying again. Not good at all.
I learned sibelius in school, but I've been reluctant to buy it, even though I saw a use for it.
Staff pad IMO just makes the most sense to me, because if I'm gonna use staff paper, I'd rather just pen and paper it.
Staff pad is a godsend since you don't have to do the work twice.
And unlike regular paper, the staff pad will play the music back for you, so you don't need to worry about not being good at an instrument while also being a composer.
$90 bucks for this app is actually a steal.
This is so well said. The paper being able to play the music back to you is a game changer for young composers who compose better by ear or with the help of being able to hear it in real-time 🙌🏻🙌🏻
@@randyrektor I was trying to figure out how to get my music books in digital format, and I can just basically hand copy it myself now, not everyone is up to that, but for 90 bucks I totally am (the alternatives cost more) .
(Staffpad + Berlin Series) >> (Sibelius +Noteperformer) lmao
Sibelius sounds like a Casio portable piano from the 90s...
Hahahahahah 💀💀💀
just restarted writing again.. i also forgot how to write quarter rests 😂😂😂😂
Z and C is all I remember from 6th grade music class lol
I wish that this app is on android and free :(
Sibelius is just old, try Dorico instead! Much better
Yea I find it really strange how few updates Sibelius gets. Needs a complete refresh in my opinion... and an iPad app while they’re at it
it's a shame it can't be used on android!
Agreed!
Can I Import midi Files in StaffPad ?
Hey Wilber, I don't have experience with this function specifically, but when I was in chats with Staffpad's team, they mentioned "being able to copy and paste music into other apps,.. import tempo tracks from MIDI files, all sorts of things!" So I think that would mean it's possible. I know you can import XML files, no problem. That's what I did to get the same music on screen in this experiment. Hope this is useful!
@@randyrektor Thanks for fast answer , I will like the optiont o import some midi files and of course maybe I need to edit some minor changes. by the way I still dont buy it but maybe I'll do it now.
Yes it should work well for that :) good luck with it!
Hi again , do you maybe another App , that scann the score , export to midi and then edit the score ? I use Noten Scanner but I could only import as midi , MusicXML. Or should I scann , then import to MusicXML and then import again to StaffPad , if will be an easier method that will be cool. Happy New Year !
Ooooo interesting question. I don’t have any experience with scanning scores unfortunately. I work between staffpad and Sibelius. Sorry I can’t be much help. Happy new year to you too!
First, so expensiveeeeeeeee
I feel you. I get why it’s priced how it is to be honest. The amount of hidden features is crazy for an iPad app. I get it though, if this isn’t something necessary for your workflow, it may be hard to justify. What’re you using now? Curious to see what people prefer :)
@@randyrektor I'm using sibelius, got it for a super large discount since I'm a student. If this was like 40 for students I would get it I think.
Ooooooo I miss student deals man.. yeaa I get that. Maybe they’ll make a student discount 🙏🏻
120 dollars!?
Randy Recter?? No relation to Ricky, well known Nashville sideman with Doby Grey, Willie Nelson etc…?
Can one write in Lyrics
Yes you can. Staffpad on RUclips has an amazing video on this.
How come it has so many bad reviews?
Yea it’s a good question. I feel like people take a long time getting used to it. It definitely isn’t for everyone
It has bad reviews? It has a 4.9/5 star rating in the app store.
The handwriting-recognition definitely takes some time to get used to though.
Yea I think it’s an incredibly cool app with a very big learning curve.s maybe some people get discouraged when it doesn’t do what they want right away?
How it sounds is totally irrelevant. Any DAW wil provide you with more options to make it sound good. Essential is how it looks after printing. Ad is it really easy to use ? By the way, it is a writers tool, not a composers tool. When you can write a letter, it does not mean you are a novelist. The same applies to music.
The first line on their website calls it a composers tool. But yes, you can find plugins to manipulate the patches if you’d like. To some, it’s important to know the sound quality of the stock instruments while arranging.
absolutely not worth it. the handwriting recognition is crap - there wasn't a single moment when the app wasn't "fighting" against my handwriting, not to mention the number of instruments it supports is bafflingly small. 100 dollars for this??
Yeah, the handwriting apparently learns your writing habits, but I found it to be clunky as well. I think with AI implementations, this app could be outstanding, but it’s needs some finesse for sure. I will say. The built in sounds and simplicity made it really useful for my as someone who really only needs to jot down ideas from time to time.
staffpad sounds awful comparing to noteperformer in Sibelius.
Free though
@@randyrektor it’s like 90 dollars on the App Store though
@@bee5607 Yes, Staffpad is, but there is no need for external sample packs. Noteperformer is an expensive add-on to Sibelius.