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I ask that if you're reading this to read through and to please consider my request seriously and to let the good folks at Finale know how much you'd like to see Finale iOS. If you have any reservations, let me prove to you why it would help advance and not slow the progress Finale (the desktop version).
And I can also show you how and why a Finale iOS version could have a major impact on your workflow.

I own an iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil. I use Notion iOS for my daily off site notation sketching and full charting and part printing to completion app. It works! And if I need to add something to a chart that the iOS version can't do (which there isn't much of), I can save to iCloud, Dropbox, save as MIDI file, XML and PDF. Then transfer it to Notion, Finale or my DAW for further editing.

But I would like to see Finale iOS and it's my desktop notation app.

There are two critical things to understand about iOS.

1) The A9X chip used in the iPad Pro's is fast. It's approaching decent i5 speeds and can easily handle playback of a full orchestra or if you're running a DAW and need to do sound design or you're composing in an iOS DAW, the iPad Pro runs several powerful DAWs (I'm currently using Cubasis which is the iOS version of Cubase - although I'm a Digital Permorner user on my multi-MacPro desktop rig), an iPad Pro can handle most needs with ease.

Note entry can be accomplished just like the desktop version (including using an attacked MIDI controller either via a USB cable or through Bluetooth. Bluetooth is great because it frees up the Lightning port to be used as a digital audio out, which can not only be connected to your desktop rig via a USB port, but an external clock can control playback. In other words it's about the same as having a MacBook connected to your main rig but it does things a MacBook can't. For one, the synths now available for iOS are extremely powerful.

2) The Apple Pencil. I can write notation freely with the pencil on a blank Notion iOS document and it takes my handwriting and turns it into vector graphics. The one problem with Notion iOS is that it only allows you to write on the bottom 25 percent of the screen. That doesn't quite cut it. But that's not an iOS or iPad issue. If you haven't already looked at the app StaffPad for Window's Surface tablets, your jaw will drop with envy when you do (look it up). StaffPad is basically a blank template for any ensemble you want. You write on the screen with a stylus just like you would with pencil and paper and StaffPad will convert your handwriting into vector graphics AND it makes use of the entire screen. It's taken the Windows notation world by storm. The makers of StaffPad have been inundated by iPad users asking for an iOS version but they stubbornly refuse to port to iOS stating the the iPad is not powerful enough (THIS IS BLATANTLY FALSE) as the A9x and the forthcoming A10x are fastly approaching i5 and even i7 capabilities. I have the Geekbench scores to prove it.

They also say that iOS is too locked down. Again, this is pure nonsense. Unfortunately the programmer for StaffPad is a Windows developer only and refuses to consider porting anything to Apple. I have a history with Apple and I can tell you that he is wrong. The iPad Pro is now capable of handling a desktop type app. Notion iOS basically does everything the desktop version does.

Notion iOS does 90 percent of what I need it to do. But again, the iOS community is insulted that there aren't very many big name notation apps for iOS. However there are many apps trying. There's Notion, Muse Score, Score Creator, Guitar Pro, NotateMe Now (all Pencil usage), Symphony Pro, iReal Pro, TouchNotation, Avid Scorch, and many others. BUT what's missing are the BIG TWO - Finale and Sibelius.

Admittedly Finale as is might be a tough port because it's so deep and has been built around the mouse and desktop metaphor for a long time. But with the latest version, Finale 25, a companion Finale iOS doesn't seem as far fetched as it might have been a couple of years ago.

I'm a film composer, conductor, music theory and composition teacher, and I have a background in technology. I worked at Apple for some years. And I can honestly tell you that the time is right for Finale iOS. iOS and iPad Pros are now powerful enough to hang with the desktop version ( in most respects), and in some ways the workflow is faster (depending on the task).

I have fallen in love with sketching and charting on the iPad Pro and I believe if Finale made an iOS version, it would take off like wildfire. StaffPad has done amazingly well for Surface sales and for composers and arrangers in rehearsals that are doing edits, cranking out cues (which get handed off to the destop orchestrator for clean up and part printing, but in Notion iOS can be done on the iPad itself!). StaffPad has revolutionized the way film scores and composers on location work. The iPad Pro is waiting for that app. Notion iOS is close, but because they got bought out by Presonus, integration with Studio One had become a priority. Hence, right now is the perfect time for Finale to make its move to iOS.

There are many, like me, that are heavily invested in iOS and the large iPad Pro specifically and refuse to buy into a Windows system. IMO, the Surface Pro's are clunky compared to the iPad Pro.

I herby request that Finale and MakeMusic port a version of Finale to iOS that is a combination of what Notion iOS and StaffPad have accomplished. I'm willing to use my YouTube channel to make videos showing the power of Notion iOS on the iPad Pro to demonstrate what a Finale iOS could do for the composer on the go.

I'm also asking for the voices of the Finale community to speak up and ask for Finale iOS. I'm guessing some of you already get it and already want it. But for those of you that are skeptical, please voice your concerns to me and let me show you the power, freedom and the newly found freshness of being able to notate at a high level on a mobile device. You will be surprised. Many times I have felt the creative desire in between rehearsals and then charted out my ideas during breaks or between rehearsals, and that has revolutionized my workflow, (and my output!).

Thank you for reading this and I look forward to your feedback.

Steve Steele (Finale users since 1995).

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HI all:

Circling back to this thread. Thank you all for your input and suggestions. Finale on the iOS is not something on our roadmap at this time. There are some wonderful apps already there, Notion being one of them that I recommend.

Cheers,
Michael Johnson
VP, Professional Notation
MakeMusic

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Hi All,

 

I know that Finale for iOS and other touch screen and mobile devices has been called for by customers for awhile now. While I'm afraid that I am not here to say "It's on its way!", I am here to say that this type of feedback is crucial to the discussions here at MakeMusic concerning products and features.

 

The bad news first - At this time, I do not have a time frame for when such a product would be created or updates on anything in the works.

 

Here is what I can do. I would be happy to record this feedback to be added to the scope and information pool on this topic, but please keep commenting and critiquing and bouncing opinions off of this idea. We want to hear what you have to say, what would work for this type of product, and what you would hope to see in terms of functionality in the future. And, of course, please invite others to the conversation and to vote on the topic. 

 

Thank you for posting; hoping to hear more from you guys. Cheers!

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Hi Gregg. You make the points I would certainly expect, especially #2. You're very correct about that. And Finale's code must be ginormous after all the years and dialog boxes. :) MOTU is the same way. I've been a DP user since v1.7. I've been howling about the Quickscibe editor for many years. All I hear are crickets. Radio silence. Presonus bought Notion and is integrating it into Studio One. I'm not happy about that because I liked it as an independent alternative, and because it exists on the iPad. Doesn't have near the feature set or years of code but I can knock out an initial sketch in no time. Jazz lead sheets only take a few minutes.

 

People are going to start buying iPads for the very things we use them for. And right now there is a gap. A gap that maybe only a big name can fill. That gap is the "StaffPad for iOS" gap.

 

MM seems to be in a generous mood. Maybe that's past. When Mark Adler asked what we'd like to see in Finale, I thought that was nice. But was it real? I was one of maybe three people who mentioned ReWire. Mark actually replied to me and asked of my request which one was most important. Seeing that others had many bases already covered I said ReWire. It would be nice to have Finale as DP's score editor. And boy was I shocked when I saw ReWire as a new feature! I didn't even think MM knew what ReWire was and why it would matter.

 

Turns out though they only added it as a bundle and not a device (can only do one stereo output instead of 32 stereo outputs). Ok, not perfect but it works and it's solid. I asked them about have only a stereo output and they said they weren't finished adding ReWire features. Oh, really? All this openness and honesty.

 

But you're still right though. Companies don't budge. But the Stars have lined up for the first company to do notation correctly on the iPad Pro. And they can charge $40-$60 plus sample libraries. Finale has some legacy code removed. They're listening to customers at this critical time for notation app makers. And frankly, Finale iOS would make MM look cool. Finale iOS with a superb handwriting recognition engine would not only make Finale iOS one of THE killer apps on iOS it would port to Windows 10. So the return on investment could happen from several sources over a period of time (as Apple, MS and the workflow of certain segments of the notation community go towards mobility).

 

MM already has Note Pad and Songwriter, and even if those apps haven't received the 64-bit touch at least the Finale code is broken into smaller chunks. So would it really be that hard? Notion did it and did a damn good job with a lot less than MM has (unless Prosonus was in on that deal-I'm not sure about that).

 

So yes, Finale, the music layout app culture, the odd idea of dumbing down the monolithic, years in the making giant notation app for an iPad? No way.

 

But someone will do it and do it right. And that company will profit from it. I know I preaching to the choir here but so many of us are headed in the iPad Pro direction. Maybe it's a bit slow at first but it's taking off and surely MM sees where all of this is going. Maybe the purests will see that struggling with one big desktop app is not as "power user" as haveing a mobile and a desktop that are both powerful. Maybe that will seem purist someday.

 

We can only hope my friend.

Steve

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Hi Lawson Dutton - Thanks for keeping an eye on this post!

 

Lawson, to jump right to the point, my opinion is if you try out Notion iOS and StaffPad on a SurfacePro and then imagine a notation app that does what both of those do, but IS Finale (cherry picking it's unlimited feature set), that should be Finale iOS! 

 

What's important is WHAT needs to be included Finale iOS and what can be left out. It doesn't have everything feature of Finale. not by a long shot. Just the things a composer and arranger would need to get things going. As a quick list (I'll add more later)..

 

1) Too have access to the same templates as Finale has and the samples for each, and to be able to edit them (removing and adding instruments, in other words the entire set up process). Notion has this.

 

2) To be able to enter notes via the on screen keyboard, guitar/bass fretboard and drum pads. Or to be able to connect a MIDI keyboard (USB or Bluetooth and enter note). To be able to write on the screen in FULL SCREEN MODE (Notion only allows me to see the bottom 1/4 of the screen for entering with my pencil) StaffPad allows the user the entire screen with the stylus as if it's a pice of staff paper. But it's only available for Windows and Surface Pros. Sad. They say that iOS is too locked and that the iPad is too slow. Well, they said this things BEFORE the iPad Pro and Pencil came out and believe me the A9X and above CPUs are plenty fast for notation and handwriting recognition. Plenty fast. Handwriting works fine (just Notion's space limit makes it somewhat undesirable). And iOS's file system has opened up enough with access to some folder structure and iCloud. So those needs are met.

 

Many of the deep layout features need not be in Finale iOS at first if ever. Finale iOS could be a tool for both sketching and layout but I think sketching would be its strength, although layout could be interesting.

 

Now that Presonus owns Notion, I don't know what their intentions for Notion iOS are. There are quite a few things I can't do with Notion so it can't last as my mobile notation app.

 

And like Kenneth Wheeler said, I no longer carry around a MacBook Pro as the large iPad Pro really does meet my laptop needs but in many ways it's better. I have the fold out keyboard if I want, but I prefer it as a tablet for notation. There is also a version of Cubase called Cubasis which is very nice that runs well on the iPad Pro (although I prefer Digital Performer, I'll use Cubasis because it's there and it works). 

 

I'm glad MakeMusic is at least listening. That's more than I thought would happen. If one of the big two (Finale or Sibelius) move to the iOS platform I believe it will be the future for many on the go composers, arrangers and any who prefers or needs to compose via notation (and want to use iOS instead of Windows on a less convenient Surface Pro, which probably need the higher end and more expensive i7 versions I've been told - this could be wrong).

 

I'll certainly be here to add much more in the way of ideas as I think of them, or to answer questions.

 

Thanks again for your reply!

Steve Steele

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Many of us are concerned for Finale’s future. The lack of an iOS app is less of a concern (to me) than the failure to update and make long-promised fixes to the desktop version.

 

And in the meantime, there is Notion for iOS, which works very well, and can import and export XML via Dropbox.

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Notion Mobile and Staffpad both have well developed pen input, and both export XML. Problem solved.

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As I have said on another software's forum, "There is no such thing as intuitive."

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Steve, thanks so much for posting this! I have been wishing for this for several years and now that I have the iPad Pro I want it all the more. I travel internationally quite a bit and generally just take my iPad with me and leave the MacBook Pro home. I have actually seriously considered selling my laptop and going solely to iPad but the number one reason I can't is....no Finale!! I've tried the other iOS notation apps and while there are some worthy attempts out there, once you've used Finale it's hard to use something lesser. I have a number of musician friends who feel the same way. Please, pretty please MM, will you make an iOS version of Finale????

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Gregg - Have you tried Notion iOS? Not to take any business away from MM. I'm just curious if you've tried it and if you think Finale iOS should be similar or different, and in what ways. So far, of all the iOS notation apps it feels the most natural to me.

Scrivener. I've had the OS X version for many years and really love it. I didn't know they did an iOS release. I'll check it out tonight. Thanks for the heads up!

Steve

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Hi all:
 
Great to see the discussion continue.
 
I re-read the whole thread to better understand the request and some of the assumptions behind the comments.
 
Steven’s original post was "port a version of Finale to iOS that is a combination of what Notion iOS and StaffPad have accomplished". Which is a fine suggestion, but as he admits earlier, "Admittedly Finale as is might be a tough port because it's so deep and has been built around the mouse and desktop metaphor for a long time. But with the latest version, Finale 25, a companion Finale iOS doesn’t seem as far fetched as it might have been a couple of years ago." I am happy to confirm v25 is in a much better state, but it isn't ready to leap to another OS.
 
11 months ago, Gregg commented, "… have a fully functioning version of Finale for iOS to use with my iPad Pro." I do appreciate your examples of products that have adapted to the tablet form-factor. Finale isn’t there. I disagree with having a fully functional Finale on a tablet. I cringe at the thought of the Shape Designer, Chord Suffix Editor, or MIDI Tool on the iPad. We’ve stated that we’re investing in Finale, as that code base comes into order then the possibilities expand. As I’ve said previous, Finale on the iOS is not something on our immediate roadmap.
 
Additionally, I think the fundamental question is what job are you attempting to accomplish on the iPad in notation? Again, several contributors have expressed things like creating a Finale file to capture a motif, make light edits to an existing file, annotate, correct errors, proof, perform, audition, share with a collaborator, complete an assignment as a student, etc. Those tasks I can see and appreciate. You don’t need Finale to do that. So, as I’ve said, we’re looking into solutions for an ecosystem that supports the needs of the user base.
 
To answer your questions, Gregg, on the iPad Pro, I use: SmartMusic, Notion, NotateMe, Komp and many other non-musical apps. Don’t get me wrong. I like the iPad, a far leap forward from my Palm back in the ’90’s, for many of the same reasons as you’ve listed. When it comes to music notation on such a device, I believe the solution has to be a well integrated and seamlessly designed part of the bigger ecosystem and the foundation of that ecosystem has to be rock solid and well architected. 
 
We will continue to modernize Finale, investigate opportunities, and look for ways to build on the systems under the Peaksware umbrella: Finale, MusicXML, Garritan, SmartMusic, and Alfred Music Publishing.  
 
Cheers,
Michael Johnson
VP, Professional Notation
MakeMusic
 
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Hi, Giacomo.


What an interesting comment. I agree that all organizations have a life-span: religions, empires, nations, governments, and, yes, companies. Some live for thousands of years; others are just a flash in the pan, so to speak.


I’m wondering two things about what you say here.


First, might you share the reasoning behind your comment? Without some context, it’s rather difficult to determine whether or not what you say adds any value to our ongoing conversation.


Second, I’m interested in why you think saying what you say is at all helpful.


If you’ve read through this entire thread, then you know that I and others are convinced that moving as many of Finale’s features to mobile platforms is important for many customers. But Michael has clearly stated that, while he hears our frustrations, MakeMusic has decided to focus on a different direction.


I think that’s wrong. I’m disappointed. But sometimes, good, intelligent people disagree. As I see it, my options -- yours too, if you take time to think about it -- are two: ditch Finale for other software to get my work done, or continue to use Finale and remain in open dialog with MakeMusic.


Telling people you disagree with to go to hell seems less than useful. It seems you’re saying, “I don’t like your decision, so I’m going to do my best to hurt and insult you.”


I suggest you consider adding to this conversation instead of lashing out in anger and then running away.

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Spending a little time in front of a 40" 4k monitor will cure your desire to be working on an iPad.

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Not at all; it was a rebuttal to this previous statement:

"Desktop and laptop machines aren't going to be around in the long run"

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Kidding aside, I’d kill for a 40-inch screen.. That sounds delicious. 

But to turn the conversation toward a more serious consideration, let me ask everyone’s thoughts. 

What are the best arguments for why MakeMusic should consider an iOS version of Finale? 

Put another way: If you were on the dev team at MakeMusic, what would you say to the MM higher-ups to convince them that a mobile version of Finale is feasible? 

I think most of us here agree that there are valid reasons for users to want mobile FInale. But MM needs, I think, to know that it’s worth their time and money. How would you help MM senior staff to understand that mobile FInale is a financially viable product worth investing in? 

(Note: I’m not crowdsourcing an assault on Michael Johnson. Really, I’m not. ^_~)

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Hi, Gregg et al.,

 

A great discussion and I really like Gregg's question from 3 days ago "What are the best arguments for why MakeMusic should consider an iOS version of Finale? " I am very interested in understanding what people are attempting to accomplish that the current offerings on the iOS/Andriod market do not provide. 

 

I would also like to point out that back in December MakeMusic announced a notation editor in SmartMusic, our web-based product. Blog post here. I would quickly admit that this is specific to SmartMusic and the workflow needs of educators with a traditional assignment loop. So, to put Gregg's question another way, what would the SM Editor need to do to fulfill the "Finale on the iOS" request?

  • Completely editing of all musical elements? The Editor does that.
  • Work on files in the cloud? The editor does that.
  • Support a performance workflow (in addition to the assignment loop workflow)?
  • Support a collaborative workflow? Flat.io is doing some great work in this area.
  • Support of publishing music? NoteFlight and MuseScore are doing some great work in this area.
  • Lossless support for the .musx file? Currently, the SM Editor consumes MusicXML files and can not export
  • Hand-recognition?
  • Scanning?
  • Interface parity with Finale? Because the SM Editor is not Finale, there are some differences, but keyboard shortcuts are essentially the same.
  • What would you value this feature set at?

 

Looking forward to your thoughts and feedback.

Cheers,

Michael Johnson

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Now that Apple has announced the new iPad Pro, with a USB-C port and enough power to persuade Adobe to port the full version of Photoshop to iOS, isn't it time for MakeMusic to consider developing a full version of Finale for iOS?

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This is an old discussion now, but it is still relevant.

Here is the reality though.

Makemusic is never ever going to care about developing an iOS version. That ship has sailed, and the management team has really missed an incredible opportunity that they will regret for ever. What an incredible market this would have been. 

Instead they have their hands full bringing their Finale version into the 21 century. Finale is incredibly outdated. Each update is lightyears behind the current state of what computers can do.

Lets face it, notation programs on professional computers should be able to do so much more.

Finale is an old school program. It is designed for professional music engravers.  

There is also the problem of backwards compatibility. Longtime users have files that are very old.

I would prefer them rewriting there flagship software. For example, the way chord symbols are designed and handled in Finale is terrible. I could start a list of 100 things that needed to be improved. 

Now imagine they focus on making a compatible iOS version. It would just slow them down even more when it comes to improving Finale.

 

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Simply moving Finale to an iPad or other tablet would simply be (wasting development time?) transferring its legacy approach to another screen; it would not modernize the program.

 

Even Dorico has no current agenda to move to a tablet version, in their case because the program is still growing.

 

Finale's primary concern is or should be to develop their current technology so they are not held back by legacy tech. Perhaps they should be developing a new notation program approach behind the scenes. Perhaps they are.

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I think the iPad Pro is approaching what I'll call "Finale Viability," for lack of a better term, if it hasn't already arrived there.

I recently purchased Apple's Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro. The trackpad is amazing. I now feel that there's almost no difference between the iPad Pro and any Apple laptop. 

Add to this Apple's announcement at WWDC this week that it's moving to ARM processors for Macs, and it's becoming harder and harder to see why Finale would need to be dumbed down for iOS. 

Even though Apple is adamant about keeping iOS and macOS separate (a topic for a different thread), they're touting the ability to write once deploy everywhere across their product line. 

To me, this makes the title of this thread more relevant than ever: "Finale iOS for iPad Pro is needed. It's time!" 

It's not only more relevant than ever; it's now more feasible than ever as well.

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The Truth is PreSonus (Notion) is the only company that get's it.  Even Dorico whose interface is horrible (this is the best that an ex sibelius team could do?), doesn't get it. They should develop on IOS and extend it on Mac OS or Windows.  The problem is simple:  Finale's architecture is so outdated they can't develop for ios.  They would have to do a new Finale from the ground up which is the reality of what they really need to do.  Some people have said they are not concerned with the lack of andIOS app, but they should be.  Any company not seriously concerned with mobile at this point probably increases their chances drastically of not being in business within the next 10 years.  It goes hand in hand with having outdated code. 

MakeMusic could purchase one of these other apps and try to do an integration like that but that's probably their best option at this point.  In the meantime, Notion keeps getting better.  Why Dorico would even consider not retesting an IOS app is beyond me with such a new product. (Even they are obsolete at this point).   All this said Notion needs an overhaul to it's UI as well, primarily on the desktop version. They need to take a page from Musescore. 

For those asking what features should Finale Mobile do, try looking at Notion.  If not Notion, look at the other options there.  This will give you an idea of what features Finale for iPad OS should be able to do.  It's not  that hard, but it does cost money.

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CODA Music hasn’t existed for many years.

 

There was a Finale app in 2012 that never got out of Beta. It was horrible and could not compare to what NotionMusic had already done. MakeMusic has decided not to compete in that arena. Notion is now free with in-app purchases.

 

I’ve been using Digital Performer since v.2 and don’t like to use anything else. Intuitive? Not a chance… The only notion I find sillier is that Logic is.

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Well said, Steven. You make great points.

Me? I'd give all my right eyelashes (sorry, but I'm keeping the eye) to have a fully functioning version of Finale for iOS to use with my iPad Pro.

Why doesn't MakeMusic create one? I can think of three possible reasons.

1. ROI isn't large enough. Would you drive thirty miles further than usual to save one euro on a bag of apples?

2. The Finale devs are purists. They don't want to ship a subset of the full desktop version's feature set.

3. It's hard. MM would rather not release a version at all than give us an inferior one.

These aren't criticisms, btw. It's easy to grumble because a company doesn't give me what I want; but if I were responsible for ensuring the financial well being of a company that produces a product people all over the world rely on for their livelihood, not to mention all of MM's employees, then I'd have to give serious consideration to issues like the three above.

Finally, I doubt that MM will ever share their thinking on this. I don't see how doing that does anything but invite more complaining from folks like me.

Having said all of that, I revert to my default whiny mode to say, "But I want it! Please, pretty please with multiple cherries on top, gimme Finale iOS!"

^_^

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Thanks for your extensive reply, Steve.

MOTU, huh? Remember the day it debuted. I immediately bought it and replaced my original Macintosh with the just-released Fat Mac (it had an eighth of a megabyte of RAM! Holy cow!).

I know that my comment sounded defeatist, and I apologize for that. I agree with a great deal of what you say, but I'm increasingly more of an Eeyore than a Tigger when it comes to software development. Mark Adler seems like a nice guy. The same with most everyone at MakeMusic I've dealt with. But risk-taking is, well, risky, right?

Tell you what. Should I win the lottery, I'll use some of the proceeds to purchase MakeMusic and . . . .

All best,

Gregg

P.S. I'd also kill for StaffPad on my iPad Pro.

P.P.S. For a marvelous example of a rather complex desktop app beautifully ported to iOS, take a look at Scrivener (http://www.literatureandlatte.com). Serious app for authors, screenwriters, etc. The company is pretty much a one- or two-person shop. The dev promised to bring Scrivener to iOS years ago and finally did just a few months ago. It's rather hard to believe that so much of what the desktop version is famous for is beautifully done for the iPad Pro. But I guess that's not the way MM sees the world (said Eeyore).

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Thanks for your response, Lawson. You asked for comments re: what an iOS version of Finale would or could be. Here are my thoughts.

First, I love my iPad Pro. It’s now my only personal computing device. I use a nice 27-inch iMac at work as an engraver for a small publisher, but I don't have a desktop Mac nor a laptop.

But a tablet isn’t either of those, and iOS isn’t macOS.

And Finale isn’t an iOS app. I can’t see how such a complex program that does so many things could possibly be squeezed into the strict confines of iOS.

What makes sense to me is to create a version of Finale that gives us editing tools only. No MIDI input via external devices or Bluetooth, which would be a bag of hurt, to quote Steve Jobs. At least in v. 1.0. I suspect that, while this would satisfy me, it would infuriate a gigantic number of other users.

And that difference defines the problem, as I see it. Everyone who uses Finale for different purposes will tell you—perhaps already has told you—that their particular needs are the ones that need to be prioritized in a Finale iOS app.

While this seems an intractable problem, I think there is a solution, and one that will make no one completely happy but all of us glad that there is a 1.0 to get us started.

If I were on the dev team, the two questions I'd ask is this: What feature set is the core of Finale? What is the feature set that would benefit the greatest number of users.

There is another set of questions, of course, that the financial team has to ask and answer. What percentage of the user base even have iOS devices? What subset of that group have iPad Pros? Can Finale work on the 9.7-inch Pro or just the 12.9-inch? What's the ROI, given potential buyers set against time, money, and people resources?

This seems insurmountable to me, but impossible things have certainly been done before. In my way of looking at it, it comes down to where MakeMusic wants to take the company.

Take note that Apple has stated that iOS is the future. Every new whole-number release extends and expands its capability.

But what this means for MakeMusic, none of us can say.

What I can say is that, if it proves feasible, if the ROI works out, then Finale for iOS could potentially be as important to the company as the 64-bit rework is. My opinion only.

As I said above, It seems to me that Finale iOS 1.0 should give us the desktop version editing tools only. I think that will cover the broadest swath of the user base, and I see it as the easiest subset of desktop Finale to port to a mobile OS.

Good luck with your thinking on this, Lawson. And above all else, thank you so much for listening and dialoging with us.

Oh yes. At the risk of seeming to suck up (I'm not), I'd be happy to dialog further with you, the dev team, and of course, updating this thread as you might find it helpful.

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Hi, Steve.

 

I have, indeed, tried Notion for iOS. It’s a fine product, but it doesn’t meet my primary need for an iPad Pro app, which is the ability to edit Finale files while on the go.

As a composer, I’d welcome some way of inputting notation directly on the staff. But as I said in my previous comment, I think a 1.0 app with just editing tools would be the easiest to do, most cost-effective for MM, and the most likely to reach the broadest swath of the current user base. A good start is better than no start, right?

 

Yes, Scrivener for iOS is most wondrous. I’m amazed at all that it does and how it does it. I also write fiction, so Scriv has been an absolute godsend for me.

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I completely agree with the request for Finale for iOS - especially on the iPad Pro.  I have purchased StaffPad and have a Surface Pro 4 for a completely different line of work - I am a dentist and some of the intraoral camera gear for documenting oral conditions work only in the Windows environment which pushed me to purchase a Surface Pro.  But I am also an organist and wanted something that I could sit at the console and write out music for service use while I'm at that environment practicing.  The Surface Pro 4 is an inferior device to the iPad Pro even with the iPad's "locked down" nature.  The constant updating of Windows 10 is only one of many annoying aspects of it.  There is the nonsense of tiles scattered all over the home screen, the stylus that comes with a Surface Pro is inferior to the Apple Pencil, the Windows 10 operating system is, in my opinion, clunkier than iOS.  I've used windows computers since the days of windows1.0 and have used an iPad since the second generation of iPads and so have experience in both that goes back a while.  I've had a windows phone, and multiple iPhones.  iOS has gotten much easier to get data into and out of and promises to continue to improve.  

I use Finale on a MacBook Pro 15" now and prefer that to the Windows environment for some of the above reasons.  Unfortunately in my other line of work I can't get away from the Windows operating system but am hanging on to Win 7 as long as possible due to the automatic update issues regarding Win 10.  

While StaffPad is a great idea I would really would love to see Finale for iOS.  I understand the arguments made on behalf of the company regarding the resources that would have to be channeled into working on an iOS version.  I suspect that, unlike many other apps, the field of users for a music notation app is going to be smaller than for something like an accounting app or a personal finance app.  I also suspect that the developers of StaffPad are either relatively unfamiliar with the iOS environment or have some kind of personal grudge against Apple.  I work in health care and in my field the iOS side of the equation got the attention first because there are more users with it than with the Android OS.  With Apple products, things just work, because there aren't millions of permutations of the hardware and it makes for a smoother user experience.  I can't say so definitively, but I suspect that Finale for iOS would have a similar feel vs. StaffPad.  

So, if putting my request in a written form like this adds to any groundswell of "request momentum" here it is!  

Arthur West

 

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Add me to the list of people who would like to see Finale for IOS on an iPad Pro.  I'm no expert on the details of what's involved or the power of the various chips discussed above, but I would definitely buy it (and also get a new iPad).   

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Um, ok, I'm a newbie when it comes to notation software....but seriously? All this banter over something so common as iOS? All I want is to compose my music on Final Note on my desktop, then read it from my iPad while I am at my instrument (drums). Seems to me most of the remainder of the "free world" of app developers already figured this out. I like final note for drum charts, but not being able to use it at the kit without setting up a laptop or desktop is a game-changer. 

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Hi, William.

Does Finale run on a Surface Pro?

Is that why you purchased the device?

I love my iPad Pro, but getting my work done is far more important than love for a particular device.

And I've heard wonderful things about the SP. I'd seriously consider leaving the Apple ecosystem if Finale ran on it.

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I hear ya, but the surface pro is bigger and heavier.  I have one but I don't want to carry that to my gigs.  (I live in Manhattan and walk the mile and a half to one of my steady gigs).  The IPad is the perfect size- just big enough to read the music and no more.  Maybe there's a smaller surface pro?  I really like my Ipad.

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