Product Overview of Symphony Pro
Symphony Pro is a comprehensive and intuitive music notation and composition app designed specifically for the iPad. It is tailored to meet the needs of musicians, composers, and music educators, allowing users to create, edit, and manage musical scores with ease and precision.
What Symphony Pro Does
Symphony Pro enables users to compose music for various ensembles, ranging from solo instruments like the piano to large symphonies, bands, lead sheets, chord charts, and guitar tabs. The app supports both standard music notation and tablature, making it versatile for different types of musical compositions.
Key Features and Functionality
Getting Started
- Users can initiate projects by importing scores via MusicXML, MXL, MIDI, or Symphony files from various sources such as Dropbox, Mail, iCloud Drive, or Safari. Projects can also be started from scratch using built-in or custom templates.
Editing
- Symphony Pro offers multiple methods for entering notes, including an on-screen piano, a QWERTY keyboard, or a Core MIDI compatible keyboard. The app also features handwriting recognition, available as an in-app purchase starting from Version 5, which works seamlessly with Apple Pencil or touch/capacitive stylus.
- Users can edit notes, rests, and other musical elements using Pencil mode, Select mode, and various shortcuts and gestures. This includes transposing, erasing, cutting, and pasting multiple notes or tracks.
Notational Elements
- The app supports a wide range of notational elements such as dynamics, articulations, time and key signature changes, clef changes, pedals, and repeat conventions. It also allows for the editing of chord symbols, lyrics, and annotations using the iPad’s standard keyboard.
Playback and Recording
- Symphony Pro includes 114 built-in instruments for playback and auditioning, along with the ability to record parts in real-time using on-screen instruments or MIDI input. The app features a metronome to keep track of the beat and allows for loop playback.
Export and Sharing
- Completed scores can be exported in various formats including PDF, MusicXML, MIDI, AAC, and Symphony files. Users can print scores directly via AirPrint or share files via email or cloud storage services like Dropbox and iCloud Drive.
Advanced Features
- The app supports up to 48 instruments, 100 staves, and 4 voices/layers per score. It includes features like customizable noteheads and note colors, multi-measure rests, grace notes, and customizable stem directions and note beaming.
- Symphony Pro also offers advanced document management, including auto-save support, unlimited undo/redo, and the ability to create custom project templates. Users can customize part groupings for SATB and instrument families, as well as adjust chord symbol, lyric, and annotation fonts.
Additional Capabilities
- The app allows for streaming audio or sharing the screen wirelessly with AirPlay. It also supports continuous scroll mode or page flipping for navigating through scores, and users can hide or show selected tracks for better viewing and editing.
Symphony Pro is designed to be user-friendly and powerful, making it an ideal tool for musicians and composers looking to create, edit, and manage their musical works efficiently on the iPad.