# Dorico on iPad or notebook



## ptram (May 21, 2022)

Hi,

May you lend me your brain? Mine is not enough to solve this dilemma!

I use Dorico on my desktop Mac, and can use it on my old 13" MacBook Pro. Dorico now also runs on the iPad. I don't own an iPad Pro, but could purchase it (it is currently under heavy discount on some shops).

Most of the other programs I use run on the iPad (Pro). All of them run on the Mac.

Thinking to what I regularly use for work and leisure: Google Docs, Apple Pages, Microsoft Word, Apple Numbers, all work on both the Mac and the iPad. Ulysses runs on both, and Scrivener more or less also works on the iPad. Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo work on both platforms. The best mindmapping app I own (iThoughts) runs on the iPad.

InDesign doesn't work on the iPad. Affinity Publisher not yet, and in any case it is not yet ready to replace InDesign for me. The best tool to read and annotate PDF files (GoodReader) runs on the iPad.

Logic doesn't work on the iPad, but I wouldn't use it there. GarageBand would suffice, if I need something of that kind while far from the desk.

Composing far from the desk may be refreshing. StaffPad would, obviously, a reason to purchase the iPad Pro. But what about Dorico? The neutered experience I can have of it on my old iPad mini is nice, despite the slowness in some operations. It's mostly like the desktop version, minus NotePerformer. It's not like StaffPad, where you write freehand, but entering notes by tapping a virtual keyboard may be more satisfying than typing the name of the note in the Mac version.

Would you just get the iPad Pro, and feel free from the desk? Or would all this babbling about freedom cease, when you find that the iPad is not really replacing a Mac*?

Paolo

*The main omission the iPad has, compared to a Mac, for me? Not letting me use my custom keyboard layout. The modern fake Italian layout is simply foolish, if you want to type fast – many important characters have been moved to the second position. I need my modernized classic Italian layout, with its beautiful 'à', 'è', 'é', 'ì', 'ò', 'ù', all a single finger away from the page.


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## Pappaus (May 23, 2022)

I can’t speak to all your questions, but I will put out some thoughts as an owner of an iPad Pro, StaffPad And Dorico (IOS and PC. )

An IPad will not give you the variety of articulations that you can get on the Mac. 
Dorico has very little use as a stand-alone for iPad. The sounds are terrible. It is a great product, good playback is not one of the design goals. It seems to be for the Dorico user who might want the flexibility and portability of your iPad while interfacing with a PC for finalizing things or file sharing through the Dorico reader app. 

Staffpad has very nice sounds and is easy to use (once you get past the initial handwriting hurdles). I am not a pro and so StaffPad is really doing it for me. I haven’t booted up my Pc in a few weeks. Of course you need to be sure you know where left Your Apple Pencil.

I realize that this only scratches one surface of your question. Good luck!!


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## ptram (Jul 9, 2022)

One thing that the latest version(s) of Dorico for iPad does very well is entering notes in the piano roll. It's very much as I like drafting sometimes. Select the pencil tool, and draw the note length. If you want to scroll the piano roll, you don't have to select a different tool, because Dorico understands you are not entering a note (it's a matter of starting the gesture slightly up or down).

The score is shown above the piano roll, and finishing it with articulations, slurs and dynamics can be done there. Everything is done without having to continually move between the keyboard and the touchpad.

Paolo


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## ssnowe (Jul 9, 2022)

Composing on Dorico ipad is much easier than composing in Staffpad. 

However, the Dorico sound library on the ipad sounds like it is straight from a 1990's Soundblaster soundcard. You can use other ipad sound libraries but there is no articulation editor to customize how they are used. Staffpad simply smokes Dorico in terms of its libraries and sound quality.

What I often do is rough in my score on Dorico ipad, export to xml and then load it into Staffpad to finish it out.


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## jonnybutter (Jul 9, 2022)

A key difference between Staffpad and Dorico is that the basic version of Dorico for iOS is free - and by the way, it feels pretty solid (to the extent that anything feels solid on iOS). On the other hand there’s no way to try Staffpad to see if you like it (unless you have an IRL friend who has it), so that will cost you 50, plus a magic pencil (100+). I couldn’t get into Staffpad, so I use Dorico on both iPad and desktop Mac, but I’ll be getting a new MacBook Pro soon, and given the choice I won’t be using the iPad for Dorico or any music apps once that happens. But if you like Staffpad, I’m sure it’s a wonderful set up.

I do not love iOS, but it does some things well, and I understand you can get some good deals on iPad pros. No matter what you decide, it is so great to get out of the studio! For some reason it can make a huge difference sometimes. It’s similar to playing mixes for someone else vs listening alone: nothing material really changes, but your *head* changes. 🤓. Good luck


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## dcoscina (Jul 9, 2022)

I have both and agree with other posts. Staffpad sound is amazing and I’m pretty quick with composing on it, even as a left hander. Dorico is a great program on my Mac and I’ve dabbled with the iPad version. The sound is really off putting for orchestral work but I’ve had fun using third party synths as inserts for some work. I thought I read that they were looking into at least porting over the halion orchestra. Heck, they should strike up a deal with Spitfire and do a version of BBCSO since the free version is like 200mb.


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## Jett Hitt (Jul 9, 2022)

I think that the limitation for sound in Dorico is going to be RAM. DWH made very specific libraries for StaffPad with pared down samples. I don't see how any of the basic libraries will work with Dorico unless they are tailor made.


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## ptram (Jul 9, 2022)

dcoscina said:


> Heck, they should strike up a deal with Spitfire and do a version of BBCSO since the free version is like 200mb.


They already have a deal with Orchestral Tools for Iconica. Maybe they can't make it cost too little, and reach parity with StaffPad's expansion prices.

Otherwise, I think it would work very well. On the contrary, porting the obsolete Halion Orchestra would be, in my view, a loss of time.

Paolo


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## rsg22 (Jul 9, 2022)

ssnowe said:


> What I often do is rough in my score on Dorico ipad, export to xml and then load it into Staffpad to finish it out.


That's intriguing and something I'd like to try. I'm assuming you have the full unlock for Dorico on iPad, then you're using a MIDI interface and keyboard for input?


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