Notion 4+

I did manage to hack out a (very) simple score with this app but it took literally hours! The “undo” function represented by the counter clockwise symbol sometimes fails to erase the highlighted note or chord. The “redo” function, which I assume is the clockwise symbol, never worked! I frequently resorted to cutting the measure contents and reinstalling the notes one by one. Also, it’s unclear how to edit a note in the body of the song without backing up from the end or cutting an entire measure. I wanted to write for guitar and the interactive fretboard is a nice feature but it still rings out like a piano even after a guitar is selected. Not a big problem. The notes work but it would be nice if it sounded like the instrument I selected. Perhaps I missed something. That said, printing the resulting page was a snap! I also appreciate the ability to save to iCloud as well as to the device. If I need to do a more complex piece of music, I don’t know how long it would take! If this has the ability to use the built in mic to transpose the notes it hears, I could not get that feature operational. This really has the potential to be an extremely useful tool for someone like myself who has some basic music education but is a bit sketchy on writing music. Unfortunately the quirky “undo” feature as well as the less than intuitive interface could use some work!

Thanks for the feedback. Couple of answers that might help...

'Undo' rolls back the last user action, rather than erase anything selected. 'Redo' then only works if you have 'undone' something.

By default the app downloads with just the piano sample sound to save space on your device - it is then up to you to download additional sounds from the the Sounds menu. If a sound has not been downloaded, then the piano will sound by default.

Notion cannot analyse audio via the microphone - however it does support MIDI input (with a MIDI instrument either connected via a USB cable and the Apple Camera connector kit, or via wireless connection with a MIDI Bluetooth enabled instruemnt)
And there are various other methods of entering notes, from the onscreen fretboard/keyboard/drumpad, to tapping in with a finger (akin to how a mouse would work) to the optional handwriting recognition (an in-app purchase)

Please do join our new Facebook user group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/PreSonusNotionUsers/

This app works very well for most of my purposes composing and arranging pieces for my guitar students. I can create alternate tunings, fair quality midi files (not pro sounding), and the click and point system works well with Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil.

However, it needs a few tweaks to be a pro level app for the composer/musician. Only 2 voices are available, and the system easily gets confused with complex rhythm figures like rumba arpeggios that have syncopated sixteenth notes in one voice against longer 8th note grouping in the lower. This means I constantly have to correct measures and erase notes that don’t fit in a measure. Staff spacing gets wonky and spread out when adding “pima” and left hand finger numbers.

The inability to put in a 3rd middle voice is the really frustrating thing. If I’m writing a Sor style piece where I need a middle voice to rest between a treble and bass voice I can’t do it, or if I want to join a treble half note with an up stem to an 8th note grouping with a downstems to show that a high note floats over a flowing arpeggio: it’s impossible to do. I don’t seems to be able to fuse a voice so it can be a unison which is often a function in right hand arpeggios so that unnecessary rests are not required to fill in the 1st beat before the 3-16ths after the beat. This has me eyeing Orchestra Pro etc . . .

Hi, thanks for your review and glad you are mostly enjoying the app.

Yes, Notion iOS has two voices per staff, whereas its big brother Notion 6 for Mac/Win supports up to four voices per staff. This is a popular request for a change however.

For community help, tips and support, join our new Facebook user group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/PreSonusNotionUsers/

Out of all composition programs I’ve tried, Notion is the best. The instrument recordings from the London Symphony Orchestra are very accurate and come in a wide variety for many different fields of composition. Always will be five stars…However; just like any platform it can always be improved upon. I write music on Notion, then export it as a MP3 file, so sound quality really matters. The horn instrument is not crispy as most orchestral horns. The choirs sounds could be better, but also I would like it if there was an effect where the choir could shout or chant; such as the Skyrim soundtrack. I know this would be an incredible amount of work, but would also be realistic if the lyrics could actually match what the choir sings or chants. Other instruments that would be nice are muted trumpets, solo voices, and an accordion. In the past, I had also requested Japanese instruments. It would also be nice if the copy/paste was improved. Again, this will always be five stars, but it could be better. - This part is an edit as of 7-2-24. I forgot to report an issue that with the latest version, my latest and most intricate and notion file disappeared. Now I have lost my best work and cannot retrieve it.

Sincerely, Sarthurk

Hello, thanks for the feedback on samples. To open your previous files if they are not showing in the Recents List, tap the Folder icon to open the Apple file selector. You should then be able to find, open and save your scores. Or you can open the Apple Files app directly which you can also use to search for files saved in cloud providers (such as iCloud or Dropbox). Additionally you can go direct to their website and log in (e.g. at icloud.com) to search.