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Dorico Lifetime Unlock for $69.99 NAMM offer till February 5th
I know this has been mentioned in passing in the main App Sales thread, but I thought it deserved a thread of its own, seeing as it's a really great deal that isn't always included in Steinberg sales (e.g it wasn't part of Black Friday or Xmas sales activity).
Dorico doesn't get a lot of love round these parts, considering it's wider reputation (currently 4.6 App Store stars, based on 323 ratings). However, if you like to occasionally (or always) write music via notation, Dorico is well worth consideration, as it's a super powerful iPad application, which in many ways is very close to the full desktop version regarding its capabilities (whilst taking advantage of iPadOS UX conventions). It's worth noting that many Dorico desktop UX workflows first started life in the iPadOS version. The inventiveness of the developers operates as a two-way street, which is great if you end up using both desktop and mobile versions of Dorico.
The bonus of taking up the offer now is that Dorico 6 is just around the corner and all its new goodies will be available without the need of a subscription. The annual subscription is $49.99, so $69.99 for a lifetime of upgraded capabilities to an application which has a fiercely productive development team seems like a no-brainer to me.
I'm mainly involved in electronic music production, so the use of notation applications may seem a strange composition technique to many, but I love the fact that notation sparks different synapses within my musical mind. Analog soul, bio-digital mind baby! 
I obviously still produce via a DAW, but many musical ideas first take shape via notation.
Grab the free version, be sure to register with Steinberg to unlock all the free features, and give it a whirl. There's a learning curve for sure, but once you become accustomed to the Dorico way of doing things, the app experience becomes increasingly fluid and intuitive.
Comments
I'm curious Jon—can I import two unquanrized, hand-played, MIDI files into Dorico, assign one to the left hand and the other to the right, and then get it to create a single totally accurate staff for me with the left hand on the bass clef and the right hand on the treble clef?
The only reason I never got Dorico is the subscription pricing. I should be able to snag this soon.
A MIDI file doesn't contain the necessary information for Dorico to automatically assign clef information, as this changes depending on instrument and player preference. You have to remember that Dorico's (or any of the major notation applications) raison d'être is to create notated sheet music for a very wide variety of instruments. And each of those instruments have distinct approaches to clefs, fingering etc.
Plus, when it comes to MIDI files, you're best to first quantise your MIDI files with the necessary granularity for playback (16th, 32nd etc). The playback of those files can then be humanised and altered with natural player dynamics. This is a real strength of Dorico.
In practise, it's really easy to do a flat MIDI import and then assign clef and fingering information according to instrument and player specifics.
Getting back to that core point of Dorico being great for natural, non-mechanised playback. This capability exists in Dorico because the playback engine also has a piano-roll, so most of the tricks you'd apply in a DAW are also possible in Dorico. This Notation/DAW hybrid ability is one of the key features that elevate Dorico's capabilities above those of Sibelius and Finale (the other main players on the desktop).
One thing you need to get used to in Dorico is that you first assign 'Players' (individual and ensemble) in Setup, and then assign instruments to 'Players' in the Play tab. If you're working with orchestral instruments, Dorico supplies Expression Maps to automatically assign Iconica Sketch sample instruments, which then respond to articulation information written in the staff. This is of course parred back on iPad as the sample libraries are bigger on the desktop, but is decent enough for sketching out ideas.
If you own Staffpad too, you can export as MusicXML for import into Staffpad. This is a great workflow for when you need to lean on richer sample content. But much like with MIDI IO, MusicXML works best when first stripping out articulation information, because Staffpad often misreads articulation data as its approach to articulations isn't universal (that's what's promised between Dorico, Sibelius and Finale, but in reality there's always a certain amount of massaging required to achieve similar playback).
Definitely worthwhile considering the lifetime value. And this is a benefit that only applies to iPadOS. Dorico on iPadOS is equivalent to Dorico Elements on the desktop, and you're required to pay for major version revisions (every 12 to 16 months) for Dorico Elements.
Exactly! I'll have enough money before 5 February to buy the lifetime unlock. Perfect for me, to be honest. I've been looking for a decent notation app that isn't an headache to use just for piano scores and arrangements.
Very comprehensive answer, thanks a lot for taking the time ♥️
Has it actually been confirmed that the Dorico 5 lifetime unlock applies to Dorico 6. I know some apps promote a lifetime unlock but it only applies to the current version. I think good notes operates this way.
Good call
always wanted this for permanent license
Oh well
Since it’s only IAP next time the other is on sale I’ll look into that
The audio capture is appealing
Audio capture? That does sound interesting actually.
Wonder if it works with a sour singing voice. 😂 I'm just teasing. I usually draw in my notes anyways, and since Dorico is by Steinberg, I'll be getting that unlock soon.
The staffpad Audio capture only works with clean piano apparently - I think!
Ah. I may as well stick with Steinberg then, lol.
I'd probably buy it if I could figure out how to get TAB working.
Yes. Steinberg very specifically state that the lifetime unlock is for this and all future versions of Dorico for iPad. I, too, was at first suspicious, but have been receiving updates many years after first paying for the lifetime unlock (since Dorico 2 or thereabouts).
Just so there's no confusion. Staffpad has audio capture, not Dorico. Staffpad has very little in common with the likes of Dorico, Sibelius and Finale. The whole workflow is designed around the fast creation of drafts with (simplified) premium library content. Dorico, Sibelius and Finale have a primary focus on the quality of the notated page. Although, as I mentioned earlier, Dorico, improves on Sibelius and Finale by containing a DAW piano-roll, as well as the traditional notated staff view. If you create with notated tools on iPadOS, I believe there's a very strong argument for owning both Dorico and Staffpad. There's very little duplication between their core strengths, meaning they're excellent compliments to each other.
The most recent version of Cubase on the desktop - Cubase 14; now contains the Dorico engine to power its notation view. The idea going forward is that composers can use the same set of tools to both produce printed pages for live orchestral use, in the recording studio, whilst also being able to seamlessly transfer their Dorico projects into Cubase to produce with the highest quality sample libraries and electronic instrumentation. Media composition for movies, tv, gaming etc, is very much a hybrid affair these days with both orchestrated and electronic musical elements, so it makes sense for Steinberg to have a unified platform across both notation and DAW with Cubase and Dorico. I'm surprised it's taken Steinberg this long to bring the Dorico tools into Cubase, but it's a major piece of engineering to make possible, and Cubase 14 is only the start of what they envision.
Yes. Steinberg very specifically state that the lifetime unlock is for this and all future versions of Dorico for iPad. I, too, was at first suspicious, but have been receiving updates many years after first paying for the lifetime unlock (since Dorico 2 or thereabouts).
Thanks so much for confirming. Makes it a great deal.
I appreciate hearing about this. I was a Finale user when it transitioned to Dorico, and it felt like too big a hassle to move to Dorico. I prefer working on the iPad anyway. The lifetime license for Dorico on the iPad is a good deal. I bought it.
With Dorico for iPad can I import a standard notation file and convert it to tab?
I usually use Musescore for this but this is free and not at all intuitive, so wondering if a paid-for app might be better.
I don't use guitar tablature myself, but I do know that Dorico Pro on the desktop provides greater flexibility for tablature than Dorico for iPad. Having said that a quick look at the online Dorico for iPad documentation shows that the bases of tablature are well covered.
Judge for yourself: https://www.steinberg.help/r/dorico-for-ipad/5.1/en/dorico/topics/notation_reference/notation_reference_tablature/notation_reference_tablature_c.html