New problem: iPad vs Macbook Air!

Dorico
1

So we have choices … I use a big Windows desktop for real work, but there’s a need to replace paper/pencil for initial development. Use case

  • Compose at piano and out in world
  • Initial composition sketching, for orchestral that would be some kind of four choir score
  • Basic playback fine
  • Needs to always work and be ready! No fiddling around
  • Easy transition to take existing work and merge into a full score

The iPad seems like the best choice, features are pretty adequate for this purpose, it works great on the music desk and in the lap, it’s always available (desktop apps always take some fiddling), touch interface, and so forth. But when you price out the new iPads they’re as much or more than an Air! Which makes me think why not just get an Air, ignore the licensing issue which theoretically will get addressed with the new system.

Maybe Daniel can chime in - does Dorico run just fine on an M1 Air? Any other thoughts?

2

If you have a big desktop computer already on which you can work with Dorico Pro and this is ‘just’ for some basic things, I would suggest iPad.
I don’t know if you’re a gigging musician or not, but ForScore changed my life for the better with 5000 scores always ready, no dragging around heavy folders or books, no more wind blowing away my pages, etc etc.
I own the 2018 12.9’’ model and it’s still working as if I bought it yesterday.

Only limitation is that the pro apps are not really there yet for iPad (except for Dorico ofcourse and now also Sibelius apparently) and things like ProCreate for drawing and other apps for photo editing and cool stuff.
If you’d want audio or video editing, things are still limited, but my guess is that you have your Windows desktop for that.

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3

Yes, it runs beautifully on an M1 MacBook Air. Just be aware that the low-ish RAM ceiling of 16GB on an M1 machine would be an issue if you’re looking to use massive sample libraries.

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4

Hi
I have a MacBook Air, and I wanted to know if I can use ForScore on it, if I stand the computer up, and want to us the big 13" screen. It will be a V with the keyboard on the right, and unusable. That is fine, because i onky want to read and perform music, not us the keyboard at all.

5

Any app on the Mac App Store will show you whether it works on your Mac.
Like this:

Screenshot

But yes, ForScore should work on MacOS, as well as iPad.

6

For Score for the Mac is very limited compared to iOS and no touchscreen, no writing in the score and page turning not as convenient.

7

If you have an M1 Mac, you can run the iPad version on it.

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