Notion 6.7 Maintenance Release

Notion 6.7 is now available, adding compatibility with the new Score Editor of Studio One 5.0 and our new PreSonus Sphere membership. Notion 6.7 is a free update for Notion 6 owners that can be obtained by clicking “Check for Updates” within Notion, or download from your MyPreSonus account. Please note the new minimum requirements for installation on both macOS and Windows.

NEW

Support for Studio One 5

You can now transfer your score from Studio One’s new Score Editor to Notion or vice versa. To see more about Studio One 5 and its new Score Editor, click here.

Studio One 5 Now Available!

• Notion 6 compatible with the new Score Editor in Studio One 5.0. Start your scores in Studio One, send to Notion for further layout and editing. Or send to Studio One from Notion, either as MIDI for further playback editing, or as the score, so you can keep on composing
• New options to send either score data (to Studio One 5.0 or later) or use the legacy transfer of MIDI data (to Studio One 3.3 or later)

PreSonus Sphere

PreSonus Sphere membership benefits include licenses for the complete collection of PreSonus’ award-winning software solutions for recording, mixing, scoring, and producing, including Studio One Professional and Notion, plus over 100 libraries of samples, effects, and loops. To see more about PreSonus Sphere and to join, click here.

PreSonus Sphere Membership now available

In addition to these creative tools, PreSonus Sphere members are also given Cloud collaboration tools and storage, chat with Studio One and Notion experts from around the globe, access to exclusive promotions, training, and events, with much more being added each month—all for a low monthly or annual membership.

• Notion 6 can be activated with PreSonus Sphere, or with a standalone Notion 6 license as normal
• If Studio One 5 or the PreSonus Hub application is present on the same computer with an activated Sphere license, Notion will automatically activate with Sphere

ALL FIXES AND ENHANCEMENTS

New Minimum Requirements

• Windows 10 (64-bit only)
• macOS 10.13 High Sierra (64-bit only)

Support for Studio One v5

• Compatible with the new Score Editor in Studio One v5.0. See updated User Guide for all info (Chapter 15.7)
• New options in Notion to send either Score data (to version 5.0 or later), or legacy MIDI data transfer (to Studio One 3.3 or later)
• [Win] Notion will now launch the latest version of Studio One that it finds on the local machine
• [Win] Fix for sending to Studio One with non-ASCII characters in filename
• ‘Send to Studio One’ dialog selects ‘This Computer’ by default if available
• In the ‘Send to Studio One’ dialog, other computers on the network are only listed once if found via different network interfaces
• Chords with accidentals in the bass note in Studio One’s Chord Track are now displayed correctly when sent to Notion (e.g. A/C#)

PreSonus Sphere

• Compatible with PreSonus Sphere membership
• If Studio One or PreSonus Hub is present with activated subscription, Notion will automatically activate with Sphere on opening
• Sphere membership can be manually deactivated in Studio One or PreSonus Hub application – if it has been deactivated then Notion will fall back on standalone licence if one existed before Sphere, or Demo mode if not
• You can manually Update the licence timer in Notion’s Software Activation menu. This is useful to prevent Notion requiring activation if you are offline at a critical moment (e.g. using Notion live on stage, or you plan on using it on a long journey)

Handwriting

• Handle incomplete ties when handwriting in Continuous view
• Fix clef and key signature issues when handwriting in Continuous view

Languages

• [Win] Installer fixes for font and font size
• [macOS] Korean/Chinese/Japanese fonts now showing as expected for EULA during install
• Now uses original language expression text in Chinese localization (e.g. arco, pizz)
• On Windows, ‘Groß’ and ‘Klein’ now used in Transposition dialog, not ‘Dur’ and ‘Moll’ when in German
• Occasional crash fixed when Italian language is set and Notion is offline

Documentation

• Updated User Guide, including chapter on Studio One 5 integration (Chapter 15.7)
• Updated Quick Reference Guides in all languages
• Updated EULA

General

• Occasional crash when opening mixer fixed
• Notion now sends Tempo Track if being controlled by ReWire, when Sending to Studio One or exporting a MIDI file
• Notion cursor now does not return to start position on stop in ReWire session
• [Win]Installer updated
• [Win] Dialogs now have resizing controls only if they are actually resizable
• [macOS] Fix for missing security entitlement for Synsopos
• Note that Soundcloud export is currently unavailable, as the API used is no longer supported by Soundcloud

Notion iOS 2.5.2 Maintenance Release

An update is now available to the recent 2.5 release for Notion iOS, the best-selling notation app on iOS. This is a free update for Notion iOS owners that can be obtained by visiting Notion in the App Store on your device, or checking your available updates in the App Store.

All the changes are below – if you missed all the major news for v2.5 itself, check it out here.

And while you’re here, please join us at our new official Facebook user group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PreSonusNotionUsers

All Fixes and Enhancements

• Issue entering notes with MIDI and MIDI Bluetooth instruments resolved
• Stability and performance improvements
• Context menus now display, after switching directly from Handwriting mode to the Handwriting zoom area and back
• On re-opening the app, the context menus now show in full the first time they are opened
• The ‘Continue’ button in the Export menu is now refreshed if the file type or export location is changed
• Lyrics can now be entered as expected on iOS13.4 and later when an external keyboard is connected
• Toolbar position fixed when in landscape on iPhone
• Background colour of Insert Barlines dialog fixed
• Language fixes for intervals in German
• Note that Soundcloud export is currently unavailable, as the API used is no longer supported by Soundcloud
• Minimum requirements: Apple iOS9 or higher (please note, Notion 2.5.x will be the final version to support iOS9 and iOS10)

Notion iOS 2.5.1 Maintenance Release

An update is now available to the recent 2.5 release for Notion iOS, the best-selling notation app on iOS. This is a free update for Notion iOS owners that can be obtained by visiting Notion in the App Store on your device, or checking your available updates in the App Store.

All the changes are below – if you missed all the major news for v2.5 itself, check it out here

And while you’re here, please join us at our new official Facebook user group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PreSonusNotionUsers

All Fixes and Enhancements

Documents

• New documents show transpositions, and instrument names and abbreviations, by default
• Score Title now shows the document name by default in a new document
• Wind Band template added
• Stability and speed fixes when initialising the score

UI

• Chord library picker issue fixed where more than one chord could be selected
• Mixer and virtual instruments now open as expected, after being hidden and the document re-opened
• Back/Forward buttons now audition as expected, and hit area of button increased
• Text can now be seen in the fermata dialog, if the device is in Dark Mode
• Options can now be seen in the ‘double at interval’ dialog, if the device is in Light Mode
• Keep zoom size and position consistent when rotating device
• Set cursor correctly when opening new score
• Fix for the Continuous view header (the left hand margin) sometimes being incorrectly set

Devices

• Fixes for playback control covered by the notch when in landscape and on larger iPhones
• Background colours reworked for safe area edges on larger iPhones

Handwriting

• Handle incomplete ties when in Continuous view
• Fix clef and key signature issues when handwriting in Continuous view

iOS9/10 only

• Button added to home page to better select whether to browse local Notion folder, or Notion iCloud folder
• Delete and Rename functions added to iOS9/10 local folder browser – long press the document and release to see the options
• Fix for files that have been given the same name in iOS9/10
  (Note – for iOS11 and later, Notion uses Apple’s built-in File Browser – see here for more info and video)

General

• Page text (e.g. subtitle) now centres properly on screen
• Expression and technique text is now not translated, when in Simplified Chinese (e.g. arco or pizzicato)
• Note that Soundcloud export is currently unavailable, as the API used is no longer supported by Soundcloud
• Minimum requirements – Apple iOS9 or higher (please note, Notion 2.5.x will be the final version to support iOS9&10)

Notion 6.6 Maintenance Release

Notion 6.6 is now available. It’s a minor maintenance update that adds compatibility with multi-core Windows machines and fulfils the upcoming security requirements of Apple’s Catalina operating system. Handwriting, MusicXML and MIDI import enhancements that were made for the recent Notion iOS 2.5 update have been inherited too, plus there’s some good news for 5-string banjo players…

This is a free update for Notion 6 owners that can be obtained by clicking “Check for Updates” within Notion.

All Fixes and Enhancements

Operating System Compatibility

• Notion now compatible with dual Xeon / multi-core processors
• [macOS] Notion is now ‘notarized’ as required by macOS10.15 Catalina
• Please note, Notion 6.6.x will be the final version to support Windows 8 and earlier, and macOS 10.12 Sierra and earlier.

Handwriting

• Fix for handwriting engine occasionally stopping during a long session
• Fix for subsequent measures sometimes changing after handwriting recognition on an earlier measure
• Rests on ledger lines no longer cause an issue
• Elements that cross systems (e.g. ties) now supported when using the handwriting area or continuous score view
• Adjacent offset notes on ledger lines now don’t transpose on subsequent notes being entered
• Fix for handwriting recognition problem on systems that have a repeat line

MusicXML

• Now imports grace notes with beaming information
• Better handling of imported beaming information
• [Win] Fix for arco and pizzicato being abbreviated on export
• Fixed occasional duplication of symbols, when exporting legato-accent, and mezzo-staccato
• Chords originally imported into Notion from Studio One’s Chord Track, are now exported as expected from Notion
• Fix for TAB pitches being wrongly transposed by an octave on export, for non-transposing fretted instruments (e.g. banjo, mandolin, ukulele)

Notation

• 5-string banjo fret numbers now start at the 5th fret as expected
• 
• Lyrics and chord symbols now paste without replacing the notation, after copying a selection that is longer than one measure
• Fix for crash if lyrics melisma is followed by a hidden measure (i.e. hidden empty staff / cut section / multi-measure rest)
• Fix for crash caused by deleting notes in measures with rhythm slashes in another voice
• When in ‘Dark’ theme, note durations are now visible in the cursor if between staves (go to Preferences>Theme>Dark)

• 

  Voice Colours Shown in Dark Theme

Audio

• Fix for crash caused by different buffer sizes between Notion and ReWire
• Hi-hat foot splash sample fixed
• Fix plugin test for shell plugins (Was reported by users of RealStrat)
• Fix enabling certain plugins (Was reported by users of Output Movement)

General

• [macOS] Ctrl+mouse click on a loaded insert in the mixer, now brings up the “right-click” context menu as expected
• Language fixes
• User Guide updated

Notion iOS 2.5 Major Maintenance Release

Notion iOS 2.5 is here, a major maintenance update for the best-selling notation app on iOS. This is a free update for Notion iOS owners that can be obtained by visiting Notion in the App Store on your device, or checking your available updates.

And while you’re here, please check out our new official Facebook user group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PreSonusNotionUsers

NEW: Document Handling

(iOS11 and later) Notion now directly supports Apple’s built-in document opener. This allows you to create, open and save scores directly in the location of your choice, whether on the device, in Notion’s iCloud folder, or via the linked cloud folders of your choice (such as Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive for example)

Note – If you are running iOS9 or 10, then there is a document opener built in to Notion that will allow saving to the device, or to Notion’s iCloud folder only.

Notion iOS 2.5 New Browser (shown in Dark Mode)

NEW: Export as MP3

Now you can export your score as an MP3 audio file, alongside the existing options of WAV and AAC formats. Just choose MP3 as the Export file format, and it will save an MP3 in the same location as your Notion document.

Listen to your scores on the go, with these lovely Eris HD10BT Bluetooth headphones (coincidentally, also made by PreSonus….)

NEW: Export for SMP Press

Export as SMP Press File is a simple process that creates a single PDF containing the full score and all the parts in score order. SMP Press, from Sheet Music Plus, is a self-publishing portal for composers. Its free to join, and you earn a commission for every sale.

For more info, click here: https://smppress.sheetmusicplus.com/

NEW: Save as Template

Now you can save a document you are working on as a new template. Go to Export, make sure Notion File is selected, then Save as Template. This will ask you to give it a name—your new template will be available from the New Score dialog next time you create a new document.

Choose your instruments or a template. Or create your own!

All Fixes and Enhancements

Change in Minimum Requirements

• Notion v2.5 requires Apple iOS9 or higher (was iOS8).
• Please note, Notion 2.5.x will be the final version to support iOS9.

iOS Device Improvements

• Add ‘Close’ button to Score Setup for larger phones, in order to dismiss the Score Setup menu
• Tools in the sidebar not covered by the ‘notch’ in larger iPhones
• Larger phones now load the correct chord symbol dialog (rather than trying to load the iPad version of this dialog which then couldn’t be dismissed)
• When in split view on an iPad, the onscreen fretboard, keyboard and mixer now show in the correct size
• Optimised for Dark Mode

Handwriting

• Fix for handwriting engine occasionally stopping during a long session
• Fix for subsequent measures sometimes changing after handwriting recognition on an earlier measure
• Rests on ledger lines no longer cause an issue
• Elements that cross systems (e.g. ties) now supported when using the handwriting area or continuous score view
• Adjacent offset notes on ledger lines now don’t transpose on subsequent notes being entered
• Fix for handwriting recognition problem on systems that have a repeat line

Audio

• Fix for some newer devices, where Notion was not using the device sample rate leading to distortion when playing back or exporting an audio file.
• Playback warning pop-up for large scores removed
• Hi-hat foot splash sample now plays back

MusicXML

• New MusicXML elements imported: sf, sfp, fp, sfz and fz; beaming; measured tremolos that include tuplets; very short duration notes (down to 1024th notes); fermatas; harmonic circle symbol / open circle symbol; snap (Bartok) pizzicato; scoop, doit and fall-off
• New MusicXML elements exported: clef changes; pizz and arco; pre-bends; sf, sfp, fp, sfz and fz; mutes; measured tremolos; noteheads; fermatas; harmonic circle symbol / open circle symbol; snap (Bartok) pizzicato; scoop, doit and fall-off
• Tablature export and import fully reworked
• Support for ‘.musicxml’ file extension
• Better handling of any missing slur end elements on import, to avoid very long slurs occurring
• Voices on grand staff reworked
• When importing with time signatures that have a high numeral (e.g. 11/4), whole measure rests now show as expected
• Better handling of imported beaming information
• Now imports grace notes with beaming information
• Fixed occasional duplication of symbols, when exporting legato-accent, and mezzo-staccato
• Fix for TAB pitches being wrongly transposed by an octave on export, for non-transposing fretted instruments (e.g. banjo,
  mandolin, ukulele)

MIDI

• Improved rhythmic spelling on MIDI import
• Fix for MIDI files not being imported from other apps in some circumstances

General notation and note entry

• 5th string banjo fret numbers now start at the 5th fret as expected
• 
• Lyrics and chord symbols now paste without replacing the notation, after copying a selection that is longer than one measure
• When writing chords with the on-screen piano keyboard, notes are no longer ‘held down’ after moving to the next position
• Fix for crash caused by deleting notes in measures with rhythm slashes in another voice
• When writing chords with the onscreen guitar fretboard, notes are held on the fretboard after moving to the next position to allow repeated chord strumming (keep moving to the next position with the right arrow to enter multiple chords). The chord is automatically cleared from the fretboard if a new note is tapped on the fretboard

Slash Notation

• Bass note of Chord Symbol now supported in playback
• Slashes with augmentation dots now have more spacing in Jazz Font
• Notes can be deleted in measures with rhythm slashes in another voice, without crashing

Tremolo

• Tremolo Entry behaviour changed: e.g. for a fingered tremolo with quarter duration, now insert two eighths before applying the tremolo
• Tremolo can now be tapped onto the first note or in between notes
• Stems now can go in either direction in a voice 2 tremolo
• Fingered tremolos that include chords now play back as expected
• Bug fixed for the second note of a fingered tremolo changing duration if tremolo entered onto second note (now does nothing)
• Bug fixed for a third note being erroneously added to an existing tremolo, if a tremolo is entered onto the second note (now does nothing)

Text

• Fix for existing text in text boxes becoming hidden when editing
• Lyrics font can now be changed globally per document. Go to either Full Score Settings or Parts Settings, then Layout>Lyric Font
• Fix for a melisma causing an issue if followed directly by a hidden measure (e.g. by a cut, a hidden staff, or a multi-measure rest)

Paste

• Paste into a Specific Voice is now accessed via a long press, at the point you wish to paste into the music
• Pasting into a different voice now does not remove any existing rest at the beginning of the destination measure
• The whole measure is now not replaced/overwritten when pasting a partial measure as expected.
• Paste no longer causes rhythmic changes, when pasting multiple times between different voices or between a grand staff
• Paste now ignores ties in other voices on a grand staff
• When using Duplicate, now automatically adds more measures before pasting, if you are duplicating past the end of a score
• Lyrics and chord symbols now paste without replacing the notation, after copying a selection that is longer than one measure

Languages

• Tuplet dialog is now translated properly in Japanese language
• Musical intervals are now translated properly in German language, in transposition window
• When Notion is set to Korean, Japanese or Sim Chinese, the drumpad now enters cymbals with expected cross noteheads
• New Score corrected in Spanish

General

• General performance and stability improvements
• Print Parts to PDF now prints in score order

NEW FEATURES in Notion 6.4!

Notion 6.4 is here, adding integration with the just-released Studio One 4, and a bevy of other new features! This is a free update for Notion 6 owners that can be obtained by clicking “Check for Updates” within Notion.

Enhanced integration with Studio One v4

With Studio One’s new Chord Track & Key Signature, the integration with Notion has become more powerful than ever. See all the details in the updated User Guide here.

Receive Chords from Studio One’s new Chord Track

Quickly make a lead-sheet, complete with Studio One’s new chords, all with the right formatting and transpositions!

Receive Studio One’s new key signature—This means imported note data can now be “spelt” properly, with the correct enharmonic.

Receive any customised markers from Studio One’s marker track, and display as Rehearsal Marks

Paste enhancements

• You can now make a selection first to paste and replace the contents (this is just an option – you can paste as normal at the cursor for the same result)
• New shortcut for Paste Insert: [Win] Ctrl+Shift+V or [macOS] Cmd+Shift+V
• Paste Insert also added to right click context menu (in addition to Edit>Paste Insert)
• The whole measure is now not replaced/overwritten when pasting a partial measure.
• Paste no longer causes rhythmic changes, when pasting multiple times between different voices or between a grand staff
• Paste now ignores ties in other voices on a grand staff

New text box behaviour

• New checkbox “Link to metadata” in Score>Add Title/Header/Footer. This unlinks a new text box from others of the same style meaning you can create multiples of e.g. copyright notices. This is useful for e.g. creating long copyright notices (such as those required for SMP Press)

All Fixes and Enhancements

Rules, Presets and Sequencer Staff

• East West Quantum Leap presets now loading as expected for most users. Note – You may need to relink your Favourites/Paths to your sample folder from within Play.Legacy presets (from Notion 6.3 and earlier) are still available from your my.presonus.com account
• Updated preset for LA Scoring Strings – please login to your Audiobro account and download from there
• [Win] Custom expressions now showing in Rules Editor as expected
• Shift+Alt+Up/Down now adjusts velocity of a group of notes in increments of 1, as expected
• Up/down arrows now adjusting selected CC data in sequencer staff as expected

Language/International Fixes

• Files now transfer as expected from Studio One, when the file name has non-ASCII characters (e.g. Korean, Japanese, Chinese characters)
• Tuplet dialog is now translated properly in Japanese language
• Music intervals are now translated properly in German language, in transposition window
• Alternative shortcut added for Next/Previous Rehearsal marks – this is for different language keyboards that do not have [ or ] keys (Win: Ctrl+Shift+Left/Right and Mac: Cmd+Shift+Left/Right)

General

• [Win] Surface Pen button now brings up Context menu as expected following Windows 10 Update
• [macOS] Video now attaches to score as expected
• Chord summary at bottom of first page, now saving properly
• Shortcuts PDF updated

Notion user Michael Josephs is an award-winning American film and television score composer. He has written and conducted musical scores for many notable films and television programs including Wild Kingdom, National Geographic, and many PBS specials. Recent projects include scores for HBO, BBC, PBS, NBC, CBS, ABC, The History Channel, and many others. Michael received a National Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music for his score for the series Thoroughbred. He has received numerous other awards. He received a National Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music in 2001. He has received numerous other awards.

Hello Michael – please tell us a little bit about the kind of work you do?

I compose and conduct music, mainly for long-form documentaries and TV series, and the occasional independent feature film. My first scoring job was doing a brand-new series called America’s Most Wanted for Fox Television. I did that full-time for a few years right at the start of my composing career, which was a great education because it was on the air around 50 episodes per year, so I was always writing and recording. Most shows only run maybe 8-10 episodes a year, so for Fox I was constantly writing and recording every week, which was a great learning experience, especially because I tried to treat every week like a completely unique score instead of just generic “crime music.”

From there I branched out and started to work for other directors and networks and do other shows like “Wild Kingdom”, “National Geographic”, HBO, a lot of PBS stuff, etc.

Briefly, what’s your workflow/process, from the first time seeing the cue, to conducting and recording it?

I rarely have the luxury of seeing something before it’s handed to me to start writing. I do try to take a day or two at the beginning and just work on thematic material at the piano, some of which, and sometimes none of which, will end up in the film, but it gives me a moment at least to close my eyes and think about what kind of score it will be. The deadlines are always very tight so it’s nice to have a little space to imagine before diving into the mechanics of writing.

From there, I put the film up and start writing from the first frame. I tend to write sequentially, so I go cue by cue straight through the film, rather than jumping back and forth to different scenes. Sometimes themes develop as you work, so I’ll jump back some times and incorporate things or hints of where things may lead.

I started my career before computers, recording live directly to 2” tape for many years, so the computer and digital-video still seem like an incredible luxury to me! Some of the sequenced parts stay in, and I write and copy charts for everything that will be played live.

If it’s a smaller score, I do most everything at my own place, including a lot of overdubs, and then I’ll mix here. I’m set up for 5.1 mixing, and it’s very comfortable working in my own space. If it’s a larger ensemble I’ll do some tracking and mixing at a commercial studio because room is just too tight here. I also conduct the sessions too.

When I track somewhere else I’ve started a new thing lately, which is to just use their physical space and microphones and cue-system, but record right into my own portable rig and rack, which saves time and confusion transferring files back and forth.

What’s the relationship with the director/producer/music supervisor – how can it affect what you write?

Most of the time, at least with documentaries, there are no temp scores or preconceived notions. Directors want me to come up with the concept, direction, vibe, really everything. It’s the opposite of people loving a temp-track…there is no guidance at all, so I really try to give each film something completely different and unique.

As far as directors and producers, it really doesn’t matter how much or how little they know about music, but rather what kind of creative spirit and vision they have. I work with people who know absolutely nothing about music and are wonderful and creative to work with, and others who know a lot about music but have bad instincts with it. It’s really all over the place! I don’t feel it’s their job to know a ton about music. If they could compose music, they probably would!

What was it about Notion that attracted you?

Notion is AMAZING! I love it. I own both Finale and Sibelius, but they have to be the most difficult, not-intuitive programs I’ve ever encountered. Just doing some little tweak requires me to pull out the manual, and even then I still can’t figure it out!

How have you found Notion now you are using it day in, day out?

From the day I tried Notion, I was hooked. It is completely intuitive, and I have never looked at the manual. When you want to do something, it is always very obvious how to do it quickly. It can go pretty deep if you need it to, but the basics are right there and not hidden fifteen deep in some hidden sub-menu. For day to day trying to get work done, it is unparalleled. With the budgets I have, I need to do my own orchestration and copying, and the last thing I would want to do is take three days off of precious writing time to do charts. Film music usually has a ton of key, meter and tempo changes, so this further complicates that process.

Any user tips or tricks based on your experience with Notion?

Sure. I do a quick clean-up of the music before I export a midi file from my DAW. I then import that file into Notion. I also open my empty “template” file in Notion that is set up the way I like, add the relevant instruments to the staff, then do a mass copy / paste of the imported midi file into the template. This is great because Notion reads all of the key and meter changes beautifully. From there I quickly add articulations, dynamics, clean stuff up, and extract the parts. It all goes very fluidly with Notion.

Can you tell us what might be coming up for you, or out soon?

I did a really good film recently called Dateline Saigon, which both has a score and also arrangements of period music. I dove right in with Notion on that, and it was fabulous. I compose 99% of the time, so doing arrangements was a little different for me, and Notion made it possible to do the charts and also change them up and re-print them really quickly when there were re-edits of the film.

I also did another terrific IMax film right after that, but it won’t be released until next year… so watch this space!

Where can we find more about you and your music?

http://www.michaeljosephs.com