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Dorico for iPad 5.1 with new Iconica Sketch orchestral sound library now available
We are pleased to announce the release of Dorico for iPad version 5.1, a significant update to Steinberg's music notation and composition app for iPad.
This update brings a new built-in virtual instrument for playback based on the same technology that powers our HALion product line on desktop computers. All users will benefit from the new General MIDI sounds that provide higher quality sounds, velocity sensitivity, and greater expressiveness.
Users who choose to subscribe to the monthly or annual subscription, or buy the one-off Lifetime Unlock in-app purchase, will also benefit from the brand new Iconica Sketch orchestral sound library, which is seamlessly integrated into Dorico for iPad.
Other improvements in this release include a new jump bar button on the toolbar, allowing you to access every feature even if you don't have a hardware keyboard attached, improved responsiveness of the toolbar on different devices in both portrait and landscape orientation, and fixes for Apple Pencil interaction.
Dorico for iPad 5.1 also includes all of the other fixes and improvements new to Dorico 5.1 for macOS and Windows, which is also released today.
Along with Cubasis 3.6, also new today, the Lifetime Unlock in-app purchase is available at a 25% discount between 18 December 2023 and 8 January 2024. The Lifetime Unlock IAP gives you access to all current premium-only features, including the brand new Iconica Sketch sound library, and all future premium features as well.
Dorico for macOS and Windows is also available at a 25% discount during this period – more details at the Steinberg web site.
We hope you will enjoy the new creative possibilities unlocked by these new sounds!
All the best,
Daniel Spreadbury
(Dorico product manager)
Comments
Congrats for the release @dspreadbury !
This is worth checking out… I’ll start by transferring one of my StaffPad compositions in and comparing the two orchestras.
UPDATE: Don’t expect an audio compariosn anytime soon… transferring from StaffPad to Dorico in MusicXML or MIDI formats does NOT automatically invoke the Iconica instruments. I’m getting the cheesy Microsonic stuff and have started a learning curve to find out HOW to reach the Iconica options. Hopefully, I can feature out how to invoke to new stuff. I downloaded so I’m using the 5.1 product but the demo video doesn’t seem to match the IOS product to reach the Halion Synth options. I’ll keep trying… but don’t wait up for me.
UPDATE #2: There’s an option you must press in preferences to download the Iconica Sketch sounds. The information on the Apple Store that’s states it comes with the product is not clear on this point. These instruments come as a download from the Steinberg website (and may require a Steinberg account which I may have already created as a Cubasis user… not sure).
UPDATE #3: I can activate one of the Iconica Sketch instruments in the “Built-in” listing but there is no EDIT button which we’re used to from Cubasis that opens the Halion. Synth page that would let you select an articulation. Without that access all the Iconica instruments default to a staccato articulation. I don’t think the IOS version is fully baked yet and another update will be needed. The Instruction videos only seem to apply to the desktop versions. I’ll break out the MacBook and see if my $5 monthly purchase applies there as well and maybe get a Music XML file to play a StaffPad arrangement with legato articulations at a minimum.
UPDATE #4: Dorico Pro for MAC is required on the MacBook. It's $99 but there's a 7 day trial. I'm starting the download of that product to see if I can hear the new Iconic Sketch library in action.
UPDATE #5: I installed the MacBook version of Dorico 5 and imported a Music XML file over from StaffPad. I could hear the Halion Symphonic Ortchestra instruments and I’m not excited. The vibrato on the strings is extreme and not to my liking. There’s no official notation for vibratos so it’s left to the discretion of the player or in this case the sampling engineer. But to create a realistic symphonic string sound you want everyone to play non-vibrato, IMHO. I think I’ll wait for an update on the IOS product and let my monthly subscription expire unless there’s an update. I think in the long run there’s a competition between StaffPad (Muse Group), Dorico (Steinberg) and Notion Mobile (Presonus) for a niche market of music composers that want to focus on notation.
In a way, it’s like teaching children to write in script in the age of computers. It has it’s own particular virtues.
I’ve purchased the iPad lifetime unlock. I was contemplating getting the Windows version of Dorico Elements as well before the sale ends. You are supposed to be able to access the Iconica library with Elements. Have you confirmed it’s only available in Pro?
Therre are clues in this chart: (I’m still waiting for the 13GB of files to install on my MacBook to hear these instruments with articulation choices).
The Halion Symphonic Orchestra (the last line in the chart) is Dorico Pro only. I think that;s what’s I really want and IOS doesn’t get it either. But I hear quality sounds but only with staccato articulations which is a terrible default for me. I want the strings to swell and blend like the strings behind the pop stars.
On this chart, IOS gets an improved General MIDI sound set. so what I’m getting is actually more than that. I can choose the General MIDI instruments or the Halion instruments. I just can’t dial in an articulation yet. So, I suspect the chart is not perfect.
@dspreadbury I absolutely cannot figure out how to use Iconica on an iPad (it says it’s downloaded). You can’t even go to settings with this app, without first creating a project..very disappointed with the interface..There needs to be iPad-specific YouTube videos for this app..
If you go into the settings menu and click Reset Sounds", it asks whether you want to use General Midi, or Iconica. I'm assuming it switches to Iconica, although I see no visual difference in the instruments available, so maybe it's not working. The first time I did this, it did tell me it had to download the library first. I haven't actually tried creating anything yet.
I’m glad it’s not just me. I think they shipped without the IOS team wanting to hold back the schedule. The IOS version seems to be half done. I can choose a Iconica instrument but can’t change the articulation option.
If you don’t see the instruments listed under ROUTING -> BUILT-In -> “Bass Clarinet” to “Yamaha S90ES Piano” and the “[General MIDI 001]” to “[General Midi 135]” then your not at the same point I am.
Yeah i did see that chart, and it's not very descriptive of what exactly you are getting with the sounds. I wouldn't be surprised if it hasn't been properly updated either. I was going with the release announcement which says
Right, so there is a difference. My test project seemed to be stuck, which is why I wasn’t hearing any change. But after I went back to the main menu and re-loaded my other test project, then doing the above, choosing “reset sounds” and swapping between general midi and Iconica, there is a vast difference in quality, at least with the basic flute I was using in staff 1 to test.
EDIT
I created a new player, and assigned “strings” under the “sketch” category. So I’m not sure if it’s only those few selections under “sketch” that are the Iconica sounds? That’s a pretty small selection if it is.
EDIT #2
Yeah so Violin 1 way overpowers Strings. Swapping back to “general midi” and strings becomes a poor man’s version of the Iconica version, basically a polyphony version of the “violin 1’ I think. So yeah it looks like there’s only those couple of sections instruments in Iconica, which is very disappointing. Seems I might have jumped the wrong way between StaffPad and Dorico after all? Still, early days, and maybe I don’t know what I’m doing.
I don’t think that’s the right view: try the “Play” view. You should see
Routing
Built-In
Bass Clarinet
or any of the other 30 odd instruments ending with the “Yamaha S90ES Piano”
OK, I’m confused. So you think all those instruments are Iconica, and the general midi ones are lower down with the GM prefix?
So what are the section selections I found? There is no ”strings” under the instrument list to play. Also, I read somewhere from the Dorico production manager, where he said there were no solo violins in Iconica.
NOTE: I have UPDATED my experience with the IOS and MacBook Dorico 5.1 products above in this thread. I think the IOS version does NOT live up to my expectations by leaving out the ability to select articulations for an instrument. It defaults to a staccato instance that does not hold to the end of notes as notated. So, no soaring string r brass sections… yet. I hope an update will fix this.
I’m encouraged by the effort if not the implementation. I’m here for the long term.
It's a bit tricky to access the new Iconica instruments but from what I could see it goes like this:
as mentioned by @McD you need to be in the "Play view" :
download the Iconica instruments first ( top right menu)
then choose them as default sounds ( top right menu "reset sounds" select Iconica)
on the left pannel, choose "buil-in"
just below , you'll find a list of instruments, the Iconica are the first raw of instruments before the GM's ones
in "exp map" below choose the Iconica expression map that match the instrument you choose ( they are classified by groups of similars articulation instruments).
@McD Yes, a shame that there is not the same sound editing GUI that there is in the desktop version. Hope they'll implement this in the future. Also apparently there is a lot of instruments missing compared to the desktop version. Feels like it's just a small selection. A proper video about Iconica Sketch and Dorico 5 for Ipad would be nice too. Also it would be amazing if Dorico could accept others sound libraries in the way Staffpad does.
But it's quite an improvement in term of sound over the microsonic's one IMHO.
Been having a little play and at least the auv3 input seems to work OK, which is one of the big bonuses over StaffPad, although whether they can be made to sound good is still to be determined.
I have posted a question on the Dorico Forum with an image of the score and the rendered audio output. I hope this leads to
a solution. Reading about Dorico it appears the desktop solution needs “Note Performer” to select the correct articulation samples.
Here’s a snippet of a score:
and attached here is the rendered audio that uses only staccato samples when the score indicates legato phrases.
I believe I had a similar issue which I didn’t resolve, but, did you have Iconica expression maps selected?
Yes. I tried them all in turn and nothing changed in the output… I saw a comment on the forum I think that Steinberg would need to replicate the Note Performer code functions for IOS because that company does not want to do the IOS port.
Maybe they have and it’s just buggy on my scores which are MusicXML or Midi file imports from StaffPad.
I’m hesitant to hand enter a composition into Dorico before I hear a score that impresses me… so far I’ve only seen desktop demos.
I was just playing around with midi file import and found out turning in on “enable IVP” made a big difference to the score I was using. Not sure what it does, but maybe give it a try?
I did. I have made my score available to a Dorico support contact on the Dorico Forum in with a “Dorico for iPad” tag set. Another user tested my score and it played correctly but that user did not make it clear he was using the iPad product so I asked for clarification.
I will Google “enable IVP” and check the “Dorico for iPad” manual.
UPDATE: IVP stands for “independent voice playback”.
A Dorico user open my score and assigned some expression maps and it started playing legato for him. He uploaded his modified score and I downloaded it. In that version I get a complete listing of expression maps and I can pick the best one and hear the composition with legato phrasing:
Dorico for iPad’s iconica Sketch instrument library doesn’t download from the Apple store with the 5.1 version. You must go into preferences and download the Iconica library from Steinberg’s website. But it appears downloading the instruments does not also download the required “Expression Maps” required to render notes with suitable samples that fit the articulations in the score. In my case, everything defaulted to a staccato puff of sound for notes of any length.
Hopefully, Steinberg support sees this issue and prepares an update to address the missing Expression Maps.
@dspreadbury advises:
Are the iconic a sketch sounds their highest quality sounds? It sounds Sorry I wasn’t sure as just a lot of weird circuitous sounding stuff related to this app. I hope auv3 comes to staffpad soon. It’s still doable using it as a daw now you can play the sounds there and importing a file of your song to play along with - record video.
It’s strange after xinematix, I actually like GarageBand string sections a lot more than logics which sound thin and metallic to me
Incidentally don’t think I’ve ever known a more counter intuitive and bugger hindrance of an autocorrect system than iOS lol. So hard to get it to stop changing things. I feel like I’m being coralled into the vocab of an Apple Store genius which is hella not awesome
Examples in this message left intact as exhibit a
In the Dorico for iPad product there are these Iconica sounds and a general MIDI set that respond to Expression Maps.
They are included with the $5/month product.