I’m a brand new user of both StaffPad and Dorico, after having worked in Finale for a few decades.
StaffPad doesn’t seem like a fully featured engraving program, but I really like the ease/speed of note entry with an Apple Pencil/iPad. It strikes me that a possible workflow could be:
Note entry for a small, single-instrument passage in StaffPad
Export XML from StaffPad to Dorico
Copy/paste notes from the converted file into the existing Dorico Score
Much like Finale, keyboard note entry in Dorico seems very slow with too many menus and shortcuts to remember to just get NOTES entered. The XML conversion from StaffPad is VERY quick and accurate after just a few tests. Does anyone have experience with a similar workflow?
I have done this just a few times.
Aside: I actually like how StaffPad renders (sounds) with all the various libraries (I have most of them, Berlin, Spitfire etc.) I like the process of being able to Pencil in the notes and listen to what it sounds like, some of it may not be as realistic as I want, but I make changes to another similar library sound or play with the automation and it usually comes out well for my purposes.
I have then exported as xml and imported into Dorico as it is, I found I preferred the StaffPad rendering (or was just used to it) compared to the built-in Dorico sounds, but did not compare with NotePerformer (which I have). I cannot remember if there were any problems with this, but I would have remembered if there was.
Dorico has a number of nicely conceived editing in the piano roll and mixer (play with audio plugins like reverb, EQ etc. like in a DAW) which can enhance the sound in the usual ways, if this is important to you.
Another aside: I have also imported the audio track stems from StaffPad into Nuendo to add vocals and replace instruments with real instruments (real drum kit, real flutes, clarinets etc. and voice.)
Personally, I’m not as interested in sound quality and more interested in quickly generating beautiful/legible parts and scores. I don’t generally need to produce audio mockups. Most synth sounds fall short of perfection - so I’m happy with whatever sounds are available in a notation software. I think I’d use Logic to produce anything I’d want another human being to hear, and I’m happy with using different platforms for audio and notation.
I haven’t tried copying from one score to another in Dorico yet - but I assume there are quick ways to do that. I’ll spend some time getting faster at StaffPad note entry and Dorito’s note entry just to see which ends up being less aggravating/time consuming. StaffPad has a learning curve with its note entry as well, and I’m not terribly good with an Apple Pencil.
Not quite true, luckily!
Since I have a (very) small MIDI keyboard, note entry is very fast actually.
Entering notes with one hand on the MIDI-keyboard, choosing note-length with the other hand on the numeric pad of the computer keyboard is imho a very easy, and speedy setup. I have a two-octave keyboard, very cheap and simple (nektar se25) which costed me around €50,.
Finale has that exact feature, and it didn’t work well for me. I think it’s personal preference, and probably ability. I’m not an adequate keyboardist, so the coordination just never flowed for me. I’d rather find something that takes advantage of what I CAN do well than be continually frustrated at my limitations.
Dorico’s layout, Engraving etc. is far superior to StaffPad’s so if I was going to create individual parts or a score of what I had input in StaffPad, I would always import to Dorico and finalize there.
If it is only me reading an instrument part to record from (Nuendo, Logic) then I use StaffPad Reader, but for other musicians, it goes into Dorico.
I also use a small keyboard for Dorico input if I need to have quick note entry, although sometimes I work on a small table and using the normal Dorico keyboard letters etc. works reasonably well for the small projects.
