A review of the leading iPad score reader apps — forScore, Newzik, and nkoda — to assess the current state of the category, and to help musicians decide which of the excellent options best suits their needs.
ios
Music notation software, macOS Ventura, and Apple Silicon [updated]
A summary of desktop notation software compatibility with macOS Ventura (macOS 13) and Apple Silicon-powered Macs: How Sibelius, Finale, Dorico, MuseScore, and Notion are faring on Apple’s latest operating system and hardware.
Sibelius for Mobile adds transpose feature; perpetual license upgrades are back (again) [updated]
The latest update for Sibelius for Mobile adds transposing for both staff and system selections, along with other improvements. Separately, Avid is once again bringing back upgrades for perpetual license users who have older versions.
PlayScore 2 adds text, lyrics, guitar chords, and more
The most recent updates to PlayScore 2 support lyrics, guitar chords, and multi-measure rests. A count-in feature, better rehearsal instrument support, and more improvements are also included. Plus, a preview of what’s to come.
Dorico for iPad 2.0 brings over many desktop features, plus annotations
Steinberg has released Dorico 2.0 for iPad, a major update to the app that shares many features with its desktop counterpart. Many of the additions in Dorico 4 are now available on the mobile platform, as well as a bonus: freehand annotation for marking up scores in Read mode.
Dynamic parts come to Sibelius for Mobile
The latest update to Sibelius for Mobile for iOS and iPadOS supports dynamic parts for the first time. The update also includes a few usability enhancements.
StaffPad brings live recordings into your scores with Audio Update
The StaffPad “Audio Update” brings new features like audio staves, tempo mapping, adaptive audio to keep your audio in sync with your score tempo, royalty-free production sounds and loops, and studio-quality effects, along with more improvements.
Avid introduces new license activation system alongside Sibelius 2021.12 update
Avid has introduced a new licensing system with the intent of making it easier for a single user to activate and use Sibelius on multiple computers. Sibelius 2021.12 for both desktop and mobile apps is out; headlining the improvements is a new way of entering percussion notation.
Sibelius for Mobile update adds MIDI support and more
The latest update to Sibelius for Mobile brings step-time note entry via a MIDI keyboard. Support for pickup bars, merging bars, and better keyboard integration round out this update.
Newzik Maestria review: The score reader that promises to read scores
Maestria is a technology that allows Newzik to not just display a score, but also to understand it musically. The resulting score is a LiveScore, which includes the ability to view the score as with any other, and also the ability to play it back and export it.