StaffPad is making waves in the music industry for all the right reasons. Educators and their students from all over the world are creating amazing content with this powerful software. I am confident that StaffPad will be defined as the greatest music composition tool in history. The powerful features of StaffPad are just as accessible for novice music students as they are relevant for professional composers. Here's 3 reasons why StaffPad is dominating the music industry.
1. Handwriting Recognition & The Surface Pen
The integration of The Surface Pen and the Surface Pro touchscreen, together with revolutionary handwriting recognition capabilities is arguably the main reason StaffPad is quickly becoming the most powerful music composition tool in the industry. The marriage of these 3 core elements allows musicians to write naturally and directly onto the touchscreen.
StaffPad converts these sketchy lines and dashes on the staves into beautifully accurate music notation. In my trials I've found the handwriting recognition to be uncannily precise. I've also been pleased to see that as I move from bar to bar, StaffPad is automatically formatting my composition into neat, clean and well-organised bars. StaffPad is primarily designed for composers which means users can draw in every note, rest, accidental, articulation, slur and tie they can imagine - directly on the screen.
As with all instances of The Surface Pen and the touchscreen on the Surface Pro, StaffPad also utilises palm recognition. This feature allows you to naturally rest your hand on the screen while writing; truly creating a digital paper experience. The Surface Pen has two quick access buttons on the side of the pen which convert your tool of input into an eraser or suggests a popup menu depending on what you're working on. StaffPad is built to recognise the difference between your hand and the The Surface Pen which means you can quickly navigate your way through the app using touch gestures while writing music with your pen. This seamless transition leads on to the second reason as to why StaffPad is a game changer in the music industry.
2. Fostering Creativity in Digital Composition
StaffPad is innovativly changing music composition forever by being the most natural way of working with digital manuscript. By utilising the capabilities on The Surface Pen together with the handwriting recognition engine, composers don't have to waste time on the formalities of notating music. I've been in situations where all I've needed to do was write down a melody or chord progression and by the time I'd sketched up my staves, thought about a key signature and nutted out the right time signature I had completely lost my idea. StaffPad's quick and simple interface allows musicians the utmost flexibility to compose music anywhere, anytime.
When writing music digitally into StaffPad, users are given complete control over every note and articulation instantaneously. They can change, modify or reuse anything that is written onto the digital manuscript which is such a powerful tool to have. Unlike traditional pen and paper, StaffPad allows musicians the ability change or alter notes in realtime. By simply dragging the note into place, StaffPad will trigger its cue to play. With over 50 instruments to choose from this feature is invaluable to any composer.
The automation and smart recognition tools in StaffPad allow composers to be truly creative in their work. There are no distractions when writing music in StaffPad as users aren't concerned with having to enter a combination of awkward key strokes and overzealous mouse clicks as with other digital composition tools. StaffPad is as natural as it comes, going further than pen and paper ever could.
3. Beyond Paper Manuscripts
The third reason StaffPad is the most innovative music composition tool ever created is what it can do once you've finished your composition. StaffPad seamlessly and simply allows you to:
- Transpose your composition
- Create multiple voice layers
- Quickly cut/copy/repeat notes and bars
- A layer to make sketches directly on your score
- Individual staff mixing control
StaffPad also gives users full expression capabilities. Expression is a feature which allows musicians to draw musical dynamics directly onto each stave which deliver a realistic sound to the final composition.
Once the composition is completed, you can share your work in a number of ways:
- Printing: StaffPad automatically formats your composition into a professional layout taking into account all of your articulations and symbols
- Music File: StaffPad will export your track in either MusicXML or MIDI depending on your needs
- Mastered Track: A ready to go MP3 or WAV file of your composition can also be generated if you need. The amazing quality of the included orchestral instruments is amazing
