Dorico - Compose Music 4+

Music Notation & Score Creator

Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH

    • 4.7 • 247 Ratings
    • Free
    • Offers In-App Purchases

iPad Screenshots

Description

Compose your own music for free with Dorico. Create beautiful music notation for up to eight instruments quickly and easily with the on-screen keyboard, drum pads and fretboard. Play back instantly with the included sounds and shape the performance with powerful MIDI editing tools. When your piece is finished, share it as PDF, audio or MusicXML, or print directly to your AirPrint-enabled printer. Perform using the built-in read mode, and annotate with your Apple Pencil.

Dorico is the award-winning music notation and composition software from Steinberg for macOS, Windows, and iPadOS. It’s easy enough to learn and use that it is used by students in schools, and deep enough that it satisfies the needs of the most demanding professionals in the worlds of concert music, music for film and TV, and music publishing. Dorico for iPad is fully compatible with Dorico for macOS and Windows, so you can work on your projects on the move on your iPad and in your studio on your desktop or laptop computer, or share projects with musicians using Dorico on any platform.

Dorico’s interface is split into four modes. In Setup mode, you can add and change instruments, create and reorder sections of music (called “flows”), and choose how your music will be formatted for your musicians into layouts. In Write mode, you can input and edit music and other notations using simple, well-organized toolboxes and panels. In Engrave mode (included if you buy a paid subscription to Dorico’s advanced features), you can make graphical tweaks to every item in your project. Finally, in Play mode, you have access to powerful sequencer-style MIDI editing tools, including piano roll and velocity editors.

Dorico includes built-in virtual instruments and effects to allow you to play back your compositions, and you can also easily use any compatible Audio Unit plug-in or external MIDI device (with optional subscription or Lifetime Unlock in-app purchase), and tweak playback using the on-screen Mixer.

Input music using an on-screen piano keyboard, or by connecting a MIDI keyboard to your iPad directly via USB or using a compatible USB-to-Lightning adaptor. If you have a Magic Keyboard or other external keyboard, you can make use of extensive keyboard shortcuts to work quickly and efficiently.

Dorico is free to use, allowing you to write for ensembles of up to four players. Register with your free Steinberg ID to increase the player limit to eight, allowing you to write for ensembles like string or wind quartet, or SATB choir. If you want to take your composition and arranging to the next level, you can buy an optional subscription or Lifetime Unlock in-app purchase to access more features and power: write for ensembles of any number of players, and gain access to Engrave mode, allowing you to make graphical tweaks to individual items anywhere in your project.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Best automatic engraving of any software
• Easy note input using on-screen keyboard, MIDI keyboard, or external keyboard
• Intelligently adjusts notation as you write
• Any number of movements or pieces in a single project
• Automatic layout of instrumental parts
• Expressive playback using included sounds and effects
• Supports Audio Unit virtual instruments and effects processors
• Sequencer-style piano roll MIDI editor
• Sophisticated chord symbols, unpitched percussion and drum set notation
• Unbarred music, tuplets across barlines, etc. all handled correctly — no workarounds
• Transfer to and from other apps via MusicXML, MIDI, PDF, etc.

For support, please visit www.dorico.com/forum

If you like Dorico, please support us by rating this app in the App Store. Thank you!

What’s New

Version 5.1.32

This update includes minor fixes and improvements designed to improve your experience of working with Dorico.

Ratings and Reviews

4.7 out of 5
247 Ratings

247 Ratings

musicianess ,

Deserves to be a huge success

It’s my first time using notation software (I’m a fairly intense user of Logic) and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. There is a learning curve though; I think the developers might have assumed a degree of familiarity with the desktop version (which I didn’t have), so I’d recommend any other newbies watch the Dorico SE tutorial videos and keep a list of key commands nearby (this app really demands a keyboard (QWERTY style rather than MIDI) - it feels like a desktop app on an iPad, which once you get used to it is actually quite wonderful).

One thing is frustrating though - saved projects are stored within the app’s container, which makes easy sharing between iPad and desktop a bit cumbersome. Hopefully they can find a way to resolve that soon.

Finally, it’s great to see the developers and support team really engaging with users. They clearly love music and music software. Don’t be put off by some of the dated (and hopefully not-to-be-around-much-longer) Steinberg weirdness with accounts and licensers.

Developer Response ,

Thanks so much for your positive review, musicianess! We are working hard to continue to improve Dorico for iPad, and a new update is coming soon.

Videoteq ,

Just like the desktop version.

Easily work on a piece originated on the desktop or iPad, since they're virtually identical, and continue development on either or both. Consequently, the learning curve is extremely shallow. An extremely useful app for all genres, including easy guitar input. Considering this is just the initial version 1.0, its very polished, and it's encouraging to know that the desktop and app versions will develop in tandem (in fact some features in the app will appear in the next version of the desktop, v 4.0). I really like the way it can be used as a musical sketchpad too, to quickly capture an idea before it floats off into deep space! (v handy polyphonic keyboard makes it a snap to enter notes).Altogether a significant milestone in scoring software - highly recommended.

Developer Response ,

Thank you for your positive review, Videoteq. It means a lot to us!

David_Tee ,

Superb

As others have said, this is the iPad version of Dorico’s desktop notation program.

You always expect tablet versions of desktop programs to be scaled back in terms of functionality but that really isn’t the case here. Pretty much everything you need to do professional music notation is already here. Note entry is quick and everything else you’re likely to need - dynamics, ornaments, lyrics etc. are just a single button-press away. I’m blown away by how detailed it all is - a terrific achievement by the developers.

Developer Response ,

Thank you for your review, David. I'm delighted to hear you are finding the app useful!

In-App Purchases

Dorico Lifetime Unlock
Dorico Lifetime Unlock
Permanently unlocks all premium features
£119.99

App Privacy

The developer, Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy.

Data Not Linked to You

The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:

  • Contact Info
  • Usage Data

Privacy practices may vary based on, for example, the features you use or your age. Learn More

Supports

  • Family Sharing

    Some in‑app purchases, including subscriptions, may be shareable with your family group when Family Sharing is enabled.

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