# Staffpad is hands down my new favorite thing



## DennyB

I was so caught up in libraries and VSTs and daws and the rest that I couldn’t quite seem to get any music momentum. With staffpad, all of that goes away. The few available libraries are great, so they are easily good enough and now GAS is simply a non issue. It’s not even the pen input thing; it’s the clarity. I can see the whole world at once. My music quality and speed has gone up 20x in just the two weeks I’ve had it. I got more done sitting on the couch and in Starbucks than I did worrying about library reviews for my cubase rig.

I am a total fanboy now, and they have totally earned any good things that come their way.

K, fanboy rant done, but I just had to get it out. What a breath of fresh air.


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## Uncle Peter

DennyB said:


> it’s the clarity. I can see the whole world at once.


Fully agree, the quality of my compositions is getting better as a result. It's also great that I can sit on the sofa with it - minding the kids with my earphones in while they kill each other


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## nas

I love it - it's really been something of a revelation and dream come true for me.


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## Vlzmusic

I love it, but on the other hand, it underlined for me the importance of many small adjustments we do in DAW without even noticing. Back to the firm notation, I sometimes feel helpless, if the playback misses the intended phrasing.


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## handz

It looks like great stuff for people who are skilled with notation. Which I am not. 

I want a staff pad key roll edition.


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## dcoscina

Vlzmusic said:


> I love it, but on the other hand, it underlined for me the importance of many small adjustments we do in DAW without even noticing. Back to the firm notation, I sometimes feel helpless, if the playback misses the intended phrasing.


There is an automation feature for tweaking dynamics- also try changing technique- say from an accent to marcato or vide versa, depending on which sound library you are working with. I’ve had good successes trying alternate ideas like this.


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## dcoscina

handz said:


> It looks like great stuff for people who are skilled with notation. Which I am not.
> 
> I want a staff pad key roll edition.


no offence but there are already a ton of apps like that. StaffPad is a great tool for writing music in the traditional way. And it helps with pitch and interval recognition and sight-reading. It can only improve your music skills in its present incarnation. Why drag it down to the level of a plethora of other software music apps that already do this????


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## Uncle Peter

dcoscina said:


> no offence but there are already a ton of apps like that. StaffPad is a great tool for writing music in the traditional way. And it helps with pitch and interval recognition and sight-reading. It can only improve your music skills in its present incarnation. Why drag it down to the level of a plethora of other software music apps that already do this????


Agreed - also, the Dorico iPad app looks a total mess. It looks like a bastardised DAW, samples sound shite. They don't get it.


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## handz

dcoscina said:


> no offence but there are already a ton of apps like that. StaffPad is a great tool for writing music in the traditional way. And it helps with pitch and interval recognition and sight-reading. It can only improve your music skills in its present incarnation. Why drag it down to the level of a plethora of other software music apps that already do this????


Show me one good app - not some pathetic ios daw that can't do anything well, just a keyroll sequencer for sketching projects with midi export. Writing score when your final product is midi mockup is not what I would call a good thing. 

There is also a ton of traditional scoring aps but nobody cares about them but Staff Pad finally seems to change the business.


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## Vlzmusic

dcoscina said:


> There is an automation feature for tweaking dynamics- also try changing technique- say from an accent to marcato or vide versa, depending on which sound library you are working with. I’ve had good successes trying alternate ideas like this.


Sure it is an option, but I miss some of the old Sibelius tricks like per note inspector etc. If integrated, Staffpad will be close to perfect in terms of playback quality.


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## dcoscina

Vlzmusic said:


> Sure it is an option, but I miss some of the old Sibelius tricks like per note inspector etc. If integrated, Staffpad will be close to perfect in terms of playback quality.


Well I would brush up on your MuseScore skills because at some point StaffPad playback will merge with it- at least that is likely because they were acquired by the same company.


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## dcoscina

handz said:


> Show me one good app - not some pathetic ios daw that can't do anything well, just a keyroll sequencer for sketching projects with midi export. Writing score when your final product is midi mockup is not what I would call a good thing.
> 
> There is also a ton of traditional scoring aps but nobody cares about them but Staff Pad finally seems to change the business.


I know there are big plans for StaffPad, as I've talked to David quite a lot. So it's likely StaffPad will embrace some more editing and professional features of DAWs. I'm just hoping it doesn't abandon its roots where people can draw in notes like they would using pencil and manuscript. For me and lots of others, this aspect is really the main attraction of composing on this app.


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## Markrs

I am a big fan of StaffPad. Its USP is that it takes notation and utilises great sample libraries in iOS. I don't think they will move too far away from that. 

However, there is a lack of a professional DAW on iOS and not a lot of Sample Libraries, especially any high-quality ones optimized to have a smaller footprint. I would love to have Logic X or a Cubase on iOS with the StaffPad Sample Libraries. As iOS has top-tier FX (Fabfilter, etc) and some very good Synths, adding a strong DAW and optimized Libraries would really be a game changer for iPad Pro, especially with the versions with 16GB of RAM. For now, I continue with using, the Stems from StaffPad, SWAM instruments and DecentSampler in Cubasis.


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## blaggins

I feel like I must be only person who just doesn't get the StaffPad hype. I'm a total beginner at composition and orchestration, although I have no problem reading music since I am reasonably proficient at piano. I thought StaffPad would be the perfect learning companion for me, something to write in while I go through Scoreclub classes.... Well... after about a week of struggling with what 
(to me at least) was atrocious note entry recognition I was forced to concede defeat. I was left with the unfortunate conclusion that I'd never be faster at entering and editing notes with a touch pen vs a computer keyboard.

With StaffPad I often had to resort to a "three pass" kind of deal, where I would write a measure using over-simplified rhythms, or single notes where I was intending to write a chord. Then I click out of the measure, then back in so I can go edit the noteheads or add notes to the chords, or change the flags. There seemed to be no chance in hell StaffPad would ever recognize a full chord all at once, or even handle different noteheads and flags all at the same time in a single pass. Dragging notes left and right to change the duration was extremely error prone for me as well. 

The whole experience left me scratching my head since I consider myself a fairly tech-savvy person. Being defeated by an app was a somewhat new experience for me... but in the end I couldn't possibly imaging continuing on with Staffpad given how reasonable (perhaps old fashioned in a touch screen day and age, but seemingly much more straightforward) note entry is in Musescore or Dorico.


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## dcoscina

@tpoots what hardware are you running StaffPad on? Is it iOS or Windows? iPad air, basic or Pro? or Surface? 

I'm left handed and when SP first debuted, I went all in and bought a Surface Pro and pen but its hand recognition in 2015 was horrid and, like you, I stopped using it. but in 2020, it came out for iOS and I bought an Air 3 then upgraded to a Pro 11" because I was writing large compositions using the expansions. I found the more I used it, the more it became accustomed to my handwriting. I also became adept at working around its shortcomings and can still write and orchestrate a piece far faster than on Dorico or Sibelius. And the sound is way the heck better. 

I've been playing piano since 1979 and while I like it, I find it liberating NOT being constrained by muscle memory or patterns I've gotten used to when I enter notes or chords on a keyboard. My mind is free to try any number of options with StaffPad. I'd say, stick with it if you can. Start slow and don't be hard on yourself. If sketching on Sibelius or Dorico or MuseScore first then importing into SP is the best method for now, go with it.


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## blaggins

dcoscina said:


> @tpoots what hardware are you running StaffPad on? Is it iOS or Windows? iPad air, basic or Pro? or Surface?


This was on a brand new Surface Pro 7 actually, but it's too late now since I returned the Surface finding it impossible to justify having one if I wasn't going to be using it all the time to learn/write music. I did find the StaffPad playback to be quite nice, so I'm sorry to lose that aspect of things. I have read that folks find Noteperformer pretty good too though (I have not tried it yet but may at some point since they have a 30-day trial) so maybe that is the direction I'll end up taking? I have no idea how Noteperformer and StaffPad would stack up against each other though....

In any case I appreciate your perspective on StaffPad @dcoscina, your posts on the subject on this forum were a significant part of why I wanted to try and and like in in the first place.


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## dcoscina

tpoots said:


> This was on a brand new Surface Pro 7 actually, but it's too late now since I returned the Surface finding it impossible to justify having one if I wasn't going to be using it all the time to learn/write music. I did find the StaffPad playback to be quite nice, so I'm sorry to lose that aspect of things. I have read that folks find Noteperformer pretty good too though (I have not tried it yet but may at some point since they have a 30-day trial) so maybe that is the direction I'll end up taking? I have no idea how Noteperformer and StaffPad would stack up against each other though....
> 
> In any case I appreciate your perspective on StaffPad @dcoscina, your posts on the subject on this forum were a significant part of why I wanted to try and and like in in the first place.


Sorry it didn't work out for you. However, if you are using MuseScore, I do think at some point, StaffPad playability will cross paths with it as they are both owned by the same parent company. It might be a long wait but I think there is that objective at some point. 

Perhaps jumping on an iPad Air 4 at some point might change your mind. I had no luck on the MS Surface either...


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## gives19

Yeah, This thing is great. .When I first went to LA in the late 70's I used to work for a copy service doing copy work. This comes close to the conception I have been hoping for.. Old school meeting the new in translation. Great!


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## DennyB

I went whole hog and bought an iPad Pro 11, figuring I had two weeks to return it. I used to have a surface and the pen was ok, but the pencil on the iPad is great; I can reliably delete a stacatto dot without erasing the other objects around it; super accurate. So that might be a bit of a tipping point for the fans like me vs people who are having a hard time. Something to think about if you have the cash to try it.


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## Gingerbread

@dcoscina Can I ask how much RAM your current Ipad Pro has? I'm loving Staffpad and have gotten pretty good at entering notes quickly and accurately, but with my 4GB RAM Ipad Pro (2017), Staffpad tends to freeze and get sluggish, especially which longer/denser pieces. Do you have these problems?


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## jonathanparham

tpoots said:


> I feel like I must be only person who just doesn't get the StaffPad hype. I'm a total beginner at composition and orchestration, although I have no problem reading music since I am reasonably proficient at piano. I thought StaffPad would be the perfect learning companion for me, something to write in while I go through Scoreclub classes.... Well... after about a week of struggling with what
> (to me at least) was atrocious note entry recognition I was forced to concede defeat. I was left with the unfortunate conclusion that I'd never be faster at entering and editing notes with a touch pen vs a computer keyboard.


This is exactly what I did. I did Scoreclub OTL 1 & 2 with pencil and paper. I had an old surface 3 and heard about 2020 libraries through VI. I said I'll just try it. I bought Berlin strings and was hooked! I started OTL 3 last year. I took the lesson notes on staff paper but did all the exercises in Staffpad. It felt so good I thought Jesus came back lol!

But yea, I think the handwriting is the hurdle. Believe me, it is light-years from the 2015 version but sometimes it doesn't work for folks. For me, it means less PROGRAMMING in my DAW and more time COMPOSING. I can tweak a passage to my heart's content moving notes and dynamics and rhythms to get exactly what I want. I still have to fiddle with the entry every now and then, but better than me getting frustrated writing to the samples.

I tell my composer and songwriting friends, 'It's a composing tool, not an engraving tool.'


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## jonathanparham

DennyB said:


> I was so caught up in libraries and VSTs and daws and the rest that I couldn’t quite seem to get any music momentum. With staffpad, all of that goes away. The few available libraries are great, so they are easily good enough and now GAS is simply a non issue.


I hear you. StaffPad has really slowed my purchases. There's stuff I want, I just can wait because of the good playback to my music is StaffPad.


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## dcoscina

Gingerbread said:


> @dcoscina Can I ask how much RAM your current Ipad Pro has? I'm loving Staffpad and have gotten pretty good at entering notes quickly and accurately, but with my 4GB RAM Ipad Pro (2017), Staffpad tends to freeze and get sluggish, especially which longer/denser pieces. Do you have these problems?


I have a 2020 Pro which has 6gb. I've had no issues on large works to date. Using a boatload of expansion libraries (I have them all).


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## gives19

DennyB said:


> I went whole hog and bought an iPad Pro 11, figuring I had two weeks to return it. I used to have a surface and the pen was ok, but the pencil on the iPad is great; I can reliably delete a stacatto dot without erasing the other objects around it; super accurate. So that might be a bit of a tipping point for the fans like me vs people who are having a hard time. Something to think about if you have the cash to try it.


I had just purchase a ten year upgrade to a new iPad Pro 12.9" and it was mainly for a control surface for Atmos panning. Now I have another use as well-


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## Sean J

Uncle Peter said:


> Fully agree, the quality of my compositions is getting better as a result. It's also great that I can sit on the sofa with it - minding the kids with my earphones in while they kill each other


Same here.
1. Writing is improving at a rate that like comparing Warp 9 to riding a toy tricycle.
2. Sofa, outside, in the car at the store, under a random tree cause the wind feels nice.
3. The idea of owning a desk again.... it's like a typewriter. Why? Just why!?
4. The pen, after finishing a song to 'get it', is now mightier than the mouse.

No expression maps
No program changes / cc / bank / midi
No re-installing an OS, then DAW, VST's, assigning VST folders, keyboard shortcuts, etc.
No plugin rabbit holes
No annual googling of "better DAW than Cubase / S1 / FL Studio" etc.

Sharing a template, an mp3, or a staffpad file by 2-3 taps (export + sms) is fast and a nice luxury. Tapping to swap a Berlin bass for a Spitfire bass.... tappa tappa. It's beautiful! I keep Infinite Brass and Woods for improv days. I keep Gullfoss. Other than that, I'm never looking back to the DAW world... for anything.


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## Daniel James

DennyB said:


> I was so caught up in libraries and VSTs and daws and the rest that I couldn’t quite seem to get any music momentum. With staffpad, all of that goes away. The few available libraries are great, so they are easily good enough and now GAS is simply a non issue. It’s not even the pen input thing; it’s the clarity. I can see the whole world at once. My music quality and speed has gone up 20x in just the two weeks I’ve had it. I got more done sitting on the couch and in Starbucks than I did worrying about library reviews for my cubase rig.
> 
> I am a total fanboy now, and they have totally earned any good things that come their way.
> 
> K, fanboy rant done, but I just had to get it out. What a breath of fresh air.


Thats awesome! if you find something that works for you, whatever it is....lean HARD into it. It's what will separate you from the crowd trying to do it the 'right' way.

Happy for you mate!

-DJ


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## dcoscina

Sean J said:


> Same here.
> 1. Writing is improving at a rate that like comparing Warp 9 to riding a toy tricycle.
> 2. Sofa, outside, in the car at the store, under a random tree cause the wind feels nice.
> 3. The idea of owning a desk again.... it's like a typewriter. Why? Just why!?
> 4. The pen, after finishing a song to 'get it', is now mightier than the mouse.
> 
> No expression maps
> No program changes / cc / bank / midi
> No re-installing an OS, then DAW, VST's, assigning VST folders, keyboard shortcuts, etc.
> No plugin rabbit holes
> No annual googling of "better DAW than Cubase / S1 / FL Studio" etc.
> 
> Sharing a template, an mp3, or a staffpad file by 2-3 taps (export + sms) is fast and a nice luxury. Tapping to swap a Berlin bass for a Spitfire bass.... tappa tappa. It's beautiful! I keep Infinite Brass and Woods for improv days. I keep Gullfoss. Other than that, I'm never looking back to the DAW world... for anything.


I worked on a piece in the car while my wife was at an appointment. StaffPad makes me develop pieces now whereas my DAW work would always be fleeting and largely unfinished. And it's so easy to chip away at large works. A wrote 3 concert pieces last year, all of which were over 8 minutes in length. For me, that's quite a feat compared to the 4 or 5-minute works I'd completed earlier on in my career. 

I also find the translation of what I hear in my head is much faster and more direct using StaffPad. I don't have to search forever for the right sample or articulation in my DAW. I just write it and boom it gets played. Like you, sometimes I mix libraries... I've subbed out the Berlin marimba for CinePerc marimba because it cuts through at lower dynamics. It's a snap. Same with Harps or whatever. sometimes, I will add muted brass which only CineBrass can do at this point (no mutes in Berlin Brass... boooo). It all sounds pretty seamless, however.


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## Gingerbread

dcoscina said:


> I have a 2020 Pro which has 6gb. I've had no issues on large works to date. Using a boatload of expansion libraries (I have them all).


Thanks for your reply. Mine is struggling a little bit, so it looks like an upgrade is in my future. I'll either get the 8gb, or future-proof it with the 16gb 12.9".


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## dcoscina

Gingerbread said:


> Thanks for your reply. Mine is struggling a little bit, so it looks like an upgrade is in my future. I'll either get the 8gb, or future-proof it with the 16gb 12.9".


If you write a lot of larger orchestral works I would recommend it. I haven’t looked back since I went up to the pro


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## PaulieDC

DennyB said:


> I was so caught up in libraries and VSTs and daws and the rest that I couldn’t quite seem to get any music momentum. With staffpad, all of that goes away. The few available libraries are great, so they are easily good enough and now GAS is simply a non issue. It’s not even the pen input thing; it’s the clarity. I can see the whole world at once. My music quality and speed has gone up 20x in just the two weeks I’ve had it. I got more done sitting on the couch and in Starbucks than I did worrying about library reviews for my cubase rig.
> 
> I am a total fanboy now, and they have totally earned any good things that come their way.
> 
> K, fanboy rant done, but I just had to get it out. What a breath of fresh air.


Yep. New to me also and loving it.


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## PaulieDC

Gingerbread said:


> Thanks for your reply. Mine is struggling a little bit, so it looks like an upgrade is in my future. I'll either get the 8gb, or future-proof it with the 16gb 12.9".


That 16GB was intriguing but since you have to get the 1TB or 2TB, the PRICE was a big YIKES. I went for the 512GB 12.9 which has 8GB ram and so far I've not even had a hiccup. That M1 is no slouch, and while there's a lot of videos complaining about memory limits and data transfer not matching a real MacBook (mostly video editors), I've had the 2015, 2017 and 2018 12.9 Pros and this 5th Gen 2021 with the M1 is superb. StaffPad can _breathe _now, lol!


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## Pablocrespo

I am planning on diving in and the only doibt is 8gb vs 16gb for future proofing. Since the price difference is a large one, Do you think I’ll be ok with 8gb for large orchestral scores?


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## Jett Hitt

Using the 12.9 2020 iPad Pro for very large orchestral scores is very smooth--until the piece gets too long. I have noticed that once a score's length grows beyond 10-12 minutes, my iPad gets noticeably sluggish. I often run huge templates with double string and brass sections from different libraries. The iPad handles it flawlessly until the piece grows too long. It is simple enough to compensate by working different sections of a piece in separate documents for now, but in the future, I'd like to have a 16GB iPad. The price is pretty tough to swallow though.


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## Pablocrespo

Thanks!, good to know, anyone else feel free to chime in with your opinions!


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## Nova

I attempted to find the answer to this on the StaffPad site but couldn't find anything. How do the different instrument libraries work with it? Do you purchase them all separately?

Edit: Nevermind, found the answer with some more research. A little pricey for a library that can only be used on the ipad, gives me reservations.


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## DCPImages

I use staffpad. The sounds are superb - the best available. I find that having realistic sounds makes a huge difference. The implementation of articulations and having a dynamics lane are also excellent. A big advantage is that you can be liberated from your desk and multiple monitors and take your work anywhere with some good earphones and your apple pencil. The downside of staffpad has to be the rigid approach to pen input. It took me a while to get the hang of pen input and I still find it quirky. Also, if you loose your pen or leave it behind, you are stuck. More options for note entry and editing would be great. Not everyone has such a steady hand and writes neatly, which is what you need for staffpad.


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## jonathanparham

Nova said:


> I attempted to find the answer to this on the StaffPad site but couldn't find anything. How do the different instrument libraries work with it? Do you purchase them all separately?
> 
> Edit: Nevermind, found the answer with some more research. A little pricey for a library that can only be used on the ipad, gives me reservations.


But I always say, 'Cheaper than the desktop companions.' I think I posted this on Spitfires YouTube page once; I'd like to see the Main library for your DAW then the StaffPad version released together like a companion set. I'd be willing to pay more for that.


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## Sean J

Nova said:


> I attempted to find the answer to this on the StaffPad site but couldn't find anything. How do the different instrument libraries work with it? Do you purchase them all separately?
> 
> Edit: Nevermind, found the answer with some more research. A little pricey for a library that can only be used on the ipad, gives me reservations.



I had huge reservations about re-buying and for one app alone. But... After going Surface, I discovered how much more effective I find the Apple Pencil. I rebought libraries a 3rd time, Berlin and Spitfire across the board.

I'm not made of money. I sold stuff to make all that happen.

I would have never made that decision unless one thing wasn't absolutely true: the re-edited libraries are worth far more than the standard versions. They aren't as agile as Aaron Venture's libraries, but definitely agile enough to make performances much truer to form in expressiveness than their desktop counterparts.

Just some food for thought.


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## jonathanparham

Sean J said:


> They aren't as agile as Aaron Venture's libraries, but definitely agile enough to make performances much truer to form in expressiveness than their desktop counterparts.
> 
> Just some food for thought.


I have fantasies about this; specifically his libraries. I'd also like to see other sample developers build for that platform


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## DennyB

Gingerbread said:


> I'll either get the 8gb, or future-proof it with the 16gb 12.9".


FWIW, I got the 11" 1tb iPad pro (2021), and it's great. The 12.9 seemed just a little awkwardly large (for me, but I'm a 6' guy), but the 11" I can sit on the couch with and carry around easily (but the 1tb got me the 16 gb ram. I didn't even want 1tb, but I wanted the ram). Any way, something to keep in mind during your two week return period.


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## Dewdman42

so what are the real requirements of Staffpad in terms of the size of the libraries and ram requirements? I think I might finally get an iPad and thinking about StaffPad too. Can't find great info about the available libraries, what is in them, how much they cost, how much storage space they need...and how much RAM is needed for Staffpad to work well on iPadPro.


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## Jett Hitt

Dewdman42 said:


> so what are the real requirements of Staffpad in terms of the size of the libraries and ram requirements? I think I might finally get an iPad and thinking about StaffPad too. Can't find great info about the available libraries, what is in them, how much they cost, how much storage space they need...and how much RAM is needed for Staffpad to work well on iPadPro.


The main libraries are $99, but now there seem to be sales. Size wise, the largest is about 3GB. Owning all of the libraries requires well under 40GB of space. Apple had a restriction that apps could only use a max of 5GB of RAM, but that has now been lifted. I expect StaffPad to take advantage of that in the future, or I sure hope that they do. My 6GB iPad Pro can handle anything I throw at it. I am hoping that new libraries that require more RAM are added in the future, but at present, I can't see a reason to upgrade my 2020 iPad Pro.


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## eakwarren

jonathanparham said:


> I'd also like to see other sample developers build for that platform


@Dave Hilowitz should reach out to DWH and the Staffpad folks. 

Seriously, with the explosion of Pianobook and the simplicity and availability of Decent Sampler on iOS, it could be awesome! I’m sure there’d be some Staffpad IP that would need to be sorted so the secret sauce isn’t given away, but imagine if Decent Sampler included an approved tool that created the def.xml articulation map for Staffpad. And imagine if Staffpad recognized DS libraries loaded in iOS, perhaps as a setting toggle.

That’s a huge pandora’s box we’d open if Pianobook was available in Staffpad! I envision @christianhenson nodding in approval, “Mmmm. Sexy!” 






Decent Samples’ and Staffpad’s in-app stores appear to be similar models. And Muse Group’s direction for Staffpad and Muse Score looks to be aligned with the Decent Sampler and Pianobook philosophies. Come on Dave and David, make us a baby!

Ok, I need sleep now. Unfortunately my mind is spinning with the possibilities.


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## eakwarren

I think I just setup a blind date for a couple of dev teams. Wish me luck at playing matchmaker! (I submitted a ticket to Staffpad support floating the idea. )


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## Dewdman42

Jett Hitt said:


> The main libraries are $99, but now there seem to be sales. Size wise, the largest is about 3GB. Owning all of the libraries requires well under 40GB of space. Apple had a restriction that apps could only use a max of 5GB of RAM, but that has now been lifted. I expect StaffPad to take advantage of that in the future, or I sure hope that they do. My 6GB iPad Pro can handle anything I throw at it. I am hoping that new libraries that require more RAM are added in the future, but at present, I can't see a reason to upgrade my 2020 iPad Pro.



Thanks for this. Sounds like 512gb model may be plenty then, the larger ones are just too expensive sheesh. 

At least for now


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## Jett Hitt

Dewdman42 said:


> Thanks for this. Sounds like 512gb model may be plenty then, the larger ones are just too expensive sheesh.
> 
> At least for now


I have a 256, and if I had it to do over with, I'd buy the 128 because I am going to need a new iPad long before I use all this space. That said, I really only use my iPad for StaffPad.


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## PaulieDC

Dewdman42 said:


> Thanks for this. Sounds like 512gb model may be plenty then, the larger ones are just too expensive sheesh.
> 
> At least for now


I use my iPad for a lot of stuff, with StaffPad being the flagship app as far as CPU intensive. Even with art and drawing with ProCreate and massive note-taking and graphs and mechanical drawings, I barely use more than 150GB, even with a bunch of photos I've stored for editing. 512GB and the M1 to me IS future-proofing for quite a while to come. The 1TB and 2TB with 16GB of ram are needed tools for those who edit video using LumaFusion, ALL on the iPad. File transfer speed and local storage come into play. Christopher Lawley has a YouTube channel and does all video work exclusively on his iPad (plus he's one of the best if you REALLY want to know how to use all the iOS features). He needs lots of RAM and storage.

I truly believe that the M1 512GB iPad Pro is THE choice for us on here with StaffPad, Cubasis, etc. Dropping to 256GB to save some bucks is not a problem IMO. This is from a guy who has 48TB of drive space between my tower PC and external drives.


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## Pablocrespo

PaulieDC said:


> I use my iPad for a lot of stuff, with StaffPad being the flagship app as far as CPU intensive. Even with art and drawing with ProCreate and massive note-taking and graphs and mechanical drawings, I barely use more than 150GB, even with a bunch of photos I've stored for editing. 512GB and the M1 to me IS future-proofing for quite a while to come. The 1TB and 2TB with 16GB of ram are needed tools for those who edit video using LumaFusion, ALL on the iPad. File transfer speed and local storage come into play. Christopher Lawley has a YouTube channel and does all video work exclusively on his iPad (plus he's one of the best if you REALLY want to know how to use all the iOS features). He needs lots of RAM and storage.
> 
> I truly believe that the M1 512GB iPad Pro is THE choice for us on here with StaffPad, Cubasis, etc. Dropping to 256GB to save some bucks is not a problem IMO. This is from a guy who has 48TB of drive space between my tower PC and external drives.


So you don´t think 16gb is needed for staffpad?


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## PaulieDC

Pablocrespo said:


> So you don´t think 16gb is needed for staffpad?


I don't, but I f I had the funds I would have gotten the 16GB just to have it, lol. StaffPad has been running brilliantly on 8GB. I use an app to monitor RAM and it has lots of breathing room. BUT, I only run StaffPad when I use the app, I quit Safari and all that. If you want the luxury of keeping a bunch of other stuff open, and might possibly use the iPad for photo and video editing, AND you have the money, 16Gb will work the best of course. As it is, apps are only given 5GB in iOS so 16GB won't help StaffPad more than the 8GB model. But now there's talk that Apple will allow certain developers to access more. Given that StaffPad was featured as one of the developers in this latest event, StaffPad will probably be given that wiggle room.

If you really have $400 to throw at an extra 8GB of ram and 512GB more storage, then sure, go for it. But as it all stands right NOW, 16GB is not needed for StaffPad.


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## Composer 2021

I love the idea of StaffPad so much. Such a bummer that it has so much trouble reading my handwriting! I would do anything to fix it, even help them sample my handwriting to help their detection engine learn.


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## Gingerbread

Composer 2021 said:


> I love the idea of StaffPad so much. Such a bummer that it has so much trouble reading my handwriting! I would do anything to fix it, even help them sample my handwriting to help their detection engine learn.


Just in case you haven't seen this video, it really helped me improve my note entry:


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## PaulieDC

Composer 2021 said:


> I love the idea of StaffPad so much. Such a bummer that it has so much trouble reading my handwriting! I would do anything to fix it, even help them sample my handwriting to help their detection engine learn.


I took a peek at your profile... you joined on January 27th. Mozart's birthday. Nice!

That's all, not anything more to add, lol.


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## DennyB

Composer 2021 said:


> I would do anything to fix it


Mine still isn’t great, but it’s getting better. So it can be learned, just like anything. There are also workaround; for example, sp recognizes my ‘p’ for piano about 10% of the time. It’s getting better, but after a couple of tries I write an ‘f’ (which it recognizes most of the time) and then down-flick it to a piano. Not great, but certainly within the range of acceptable workarounds.


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## cedricm

dcoscina said:


> no offence but there are already a ton of apps like that. StaffPad is a great tool for writing music in the traditional way. And it helps with pitch and interval recognition and sight-reading. It can only improve your music skills in its present incarnation. Why drag it down to the level of a plethora of other software music apps that already do this????


It certainly was one of the first app of that kind with pen support, and quite intelligent support at that.
It was discovered and got help from Microsoft, as this was originally an app for Surface Tablets.
The devs are composers.


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## dcoscina

You guys ain't seen nothing yet. That's all I can say....



actually, it's all in that Apple thing that David Hearn was featured in last Spring.


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## jonathanparham

dcoscina said:


> You guys ain't seen nothing yet. That's all I can say....
> 
> 
> 
> actually, it's all in that Apple thing that David Hearn was featured in last Spring.


my fear is Microsoft is going to get left behind. But if the new stuff is like anything last year; I'll be more than satisfied


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## Gingerbread

dcoscina said:


> You guys ain't seen nothing yet. That's all I can say....
> 
> 
> 
> actually, it's all in that Apple thing that David Hearn was featured in last Spring.


Is there a link to that anywhere? Searched but couldn't find anything.


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## dcoscina

Gingerbread said:


> Is there a link to that anywhere? Searched but couldn't find anything.


it was embedded in Apple's presentation last Spring.. I cannot remember where it was. .


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## eakwarren

Gingerbread said:


> Is there a link to that anywhere? Searched but couldn't find anything.


https://www.staffpad.net/springing-forward


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## CT

I'm considering trying this out again, but between the app and the required tablet it's a bit of an investment without being certain. But, I agree about being burned out on the whole virtual instrument part of the process, so I've got to do something....


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## blaggins

I have to admit despite my rough experience with SP on the Surface Pro 7, this thread is rekindling my interest in it.  What I *did* love about it was just being able to sit on a couch and mess with a composition for a quick bit, stop, go back, stop, go back. Typically I got flustered by the handwriting recognition by the end, but still... it was nice to just open a composition in my lap. One might think (and I certainly feel) that the exact same experience should be possible with a laptop, after all, a laptop is barely bigger than a tablet... but for some reason it feels like "work" to drag the laptop out compared to just writing on the tablet screen. I'm not sure what it is... the feeling of using a pen vs. a mouse? Anyone have the same feeling?

I also noticed that MS now has a Surface 8 Pro. Hella expensive, so is the iPad though. Anyone have experience with both of them and have an idea which is the better dedicated Staffpad device? Is the Apple pen noticeably better than the Surface pen?


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## DennyB

It is a chunk. The part that made me willing to jump was apple’s two week return policy.


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## Nova

Welp, Tim Cook owes @DennyB a commission. Picked up an 11" iPad Pro and pencil today.


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## DennyB

Nova said:


> Welp, Tim Cook owes @DennyB a commission. Picked up an 11" iPad Pro and pencil today.


Uh oh, pressure’s on.


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## PaulieDC

Pablocrespo said:


> So you don´t think 16gb is needed for staffpad?


So here is a screenshot of the memory app I use. I opened a StaffPad project with strings and woodwinds and percussion that’s 50 measures long, and then I opened Procreate and load it up an artwork project that has 12 layers. Even with that, I still have 1.7 GB of RAM left.





The cool thing about this app is the hidden utility to clear ram. You just hit the scan button and it actually frees up ram that iOS doesn’t let go of. It works great on my two iPads and my iPhone. They just don’t advertise it clears ram because Apple I don’t think allows that.


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## Composer 2021

DennyB said:


> Mine still isn’t great, but it’s getting better. So it can be learned, just like anything. There are also workaround; for example, sp recognizes my ‘p’ for piano about 10% of the time. It’s getting better, but after a couple of tries I write an ‘f’ (which it recognizes most of the time) and then down-flick it to a piano. Not great, but certainly within the range of acceptable workarounds.


That video of tips says at the end that you can enter dynamics with the Insert Text function. Huge revelation for me!


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## brandowalk

Composer 2021 said:


> That video of tips says at the end that you can enter dynamics with the Insert Text function. Huge revelation for me!


That’s the only way I enter them. I don’t bother trying to write them at all.


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## mopsiflopsi

brandowalk said:


> That’s the only way I enter them. I don’t bother trying to write them at all.


I find SP can recognize f consistently, even mf is not too bad. It is p that it has the most trouble with. I often just scribble f and then drag it down to p.


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## eakwarren

eakwarren said:


> I submitted a ticket to Staffpad support floating the idea.


Staffpad support responded.


> Hi Eric- Thanks for the note, I've forwarded this along to David William Hearn. We're in the midst of a lot of different projects right now that have taken over resources to onboard new libraries into StaffPad (there is a lot that needs to be done to convert a library into StaffPad), so it is not on the radar right now, but we do have many other exciting features coming soon that can allow you to bring any audio files into StaffPad. So if you create something using Decent Samples you will be able to import that audio into StaffPad easily and we have a lot of great tools to help smooth any differences with audio files and the tempo you are using in StaffPad even.
> 
> This update should be available in the next month or so.
> 
> Best,
> Steve @ StaffPad Support


So new libraries coming (at some point) and tools "to help smooth any differences with audio files and the tempo" with an update dropping "in the next month or so."

Exciting times!


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## mopsiflopsi

New libraries at Black Friday prices would be so awesome.


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