Category Archives: Music Education
Notion Mobile 3.1 Now Available
Notion Mobile v3 took mobile music creation to the next level with support for iOS, Android, Windows and macOS. Now v3.1 adds over 100 enhancements and fixes, leading with its innovative new lasso selection that intelligently swaps between handwriting and selection mode before selecting all objects within the drawn area.
Notion Mobile is free, and all add-ons are included in a PreSonus Sphere membership or available through the Feature Bundle in-app purchase. Download from your preferred App Store now
Top 5 New Features
1. Lasso select
One of the most requested features for Notion is now here – the ability to freely draw around objects thereby selecting them. Once the handwriting recognition is engaged (available via the Feature Bundle in-app purchase) a user can select a number of different types of object in one go – from notes and articulations to dynamics and slurs. Notion will also intelligently switch between handwriting notes and creating a lasso selection – this means a user can remain in a single mode.
2. Chord improvements
It is now even easier to create leadsheets with improvements to chord entry for 3.1.
| Add multiple chords to empty measures | Now there’s no need to attach chords to hidden rests/notes to add more than one chord per empty measure. Notion will now attach chords to the nearest rhythmic position over an empty measure.
 |
| More chord extensions available | Additional common chord types are now available to combine in the chord picker
 |
| Chord placement improvement | Chords will now automatically go beneath repeat brackets
 |
| More chord diagrams | Further diagrams have been added for common chords for guitar and ukulele
 |
3. Demo Files
A long requested feature for Notion on mobile devices – ten new demo scores help new users see and hear what’s possible with Notion Mobile. Choose from Tchaikovsky to modern rock – download Notion’s soundsets first to listen. Go to: Create new score>Demo Scores.
- Acoustic Guitar – The Root
- Bach – Brandenburg Concerto No.4 Allegro
- Chopin – Raindrop Prelude
- Dad Rock
- Jazz Trio Meet me after 5
- MF Blues
- Mozart – Clarinet Concerto Adagio
- Saint-Saëns – Septuor, Gavotte et Final
- Tchaikovsky – Nutcracker Overture
- Tchaikovsky – Romeo And Juliet
4. Note entry playback improvements
| Playback of selected staff | Notion is now able to play just the selected staves – make a selection of one or more instrument staves and hit play. The selection will automatically be solo-ed.
 Get feedback on your orchestration fast – just select a chord for example across the instruments you’ve scored it for, and hit play. No need to dive into the mixer to manually solo/mute. |
| Automatically add new measures to end during step-time or real-time record | Notion will now add extra measures to the end of your score if you continue adding notes in either real-time or step-time record. In real-time, the metronome will continue and once you have stopped, Notion will analyse your performance and add the bars. In step-time, bars will be added as you go. |
| Note entry preview dynamics set at mf | When entering notes, Notion sounds a preview of the pitch to be entered – this is now set at a consistent dynamic making it easier to hear and compare when entering notes for different instruments |
5. Part handling improvements
From improvements to multi-measure rests to quickly toggling between score and part views, Notion 3.1 has a number of features to ease the preparation of parts for your players.
| Toggle between score/part | If you want to quickly check the part layout of an instrument, select the instrument in the full score, then just hit F5 with an attached keyboard. Press F5 again to return to the full score. If you don’t have a keyboard attached, then go to Score Setup and tap the part/full score toggle button |
| Show / hide instrument key signature | A long standing request for Notion! Now you can hide key signatures for selected instruments – nowadays most commonly required for French horns, but also in older scores for trumpets too. Horns generally do not have a key signature, rather, their parts show accidentals for each note.
 |
| Part title improvements | Now part titles are populated automatically from the full score, if they are initially set. You can still have different titles between score and part if you wish – it’s just they are now set by default.
Part names (in the top left hand corner of a part) also now show the instrument key by default, e.g. “Clarinet in A” making it easier for players to see the key of their part at a glance |
All Changes in Notion Mobile 3.1
| Group | Features / Fixes |
|---|---|
| Notation | Time signatures can now be hidden The stem of a grace note now shows when added to a note inside a tuplet Text placement of e.g. Title is now centring when moved back to Top Center Barlines no longer extend outside of system when printing with hidden resting staves Lyrics with short words are now better aligned to the note Multiple lyric hyphens under notes can now be entered Tuplet number now shows on correct side when stems are forced down Tuplet brackets show as expected when tuplet starts with a rest Slurs in guitar tablature now display correctly between two notes Stems show as expected on cross-staff glissandi Cross-staff notation improvements Cross-staff tuplet number now shows under beam rather than between staves Tails on cross-staff notes now show as expected O / + symbols now available for harp, French Horn |
| Editing | Lasso select Delete final measure now works as expected when part of a selection All text size numbers are now showing (e.g. when increasing size to 27.50) Text boxes display where expected when editing [macOS] Line breaks in text boxes can now be made with Shift+Enter Adjusting font size now works as expected when decreasing down to 28 [iOS] Font now does not change when adjusting size ‘Remove Tuplet’ tool added to Context Menu Tremolos now toggle “on/off” when tapping the icon or using the shortcut Diamond symbol now not occasionally showing when pasting Paste does not now overwrite time signatures before the first copied time signature is inserted Pasting a full cut/copied measure no longer pastes into the measure following the target measure When dragging articulations, note accidental previews no longer appear Copy and paste measures with ties coming into them now paste as expected Fixed double tap between systems could open the selection on the wrong system |
| Note Entry | Entering notes at the end of a score automatically adds new measures in both step time and real time Tuplets now working as expected in step time entry Advancing in Step time no longer removes open ties from chords [Android] Preview note no longer displaced when entering tab on the first beat of the bar Fixed applying augmentation dots to selected note when pressing the augmentation dot button in the palette (as opposed to using the keyboard shortcut) Handwriting recognition now works as expected following a clef change |
| Chords | Add multiple chords to empty measures More chord extensions available to combine More chord diagrams available for guitar and ukulele Chord diagrams now sorted by fret position Chord placement improvements, including placement under repeat brackets dim7 chords show as expected Measures space as expected with chord symbols over the top Two digit fret numbers no longer overlap with tab in chord diagrams |
| Parts | Toggle between score and selected part with keyboard shortcut (F5) Score / Part icon toggle redesigned in Score Setup menu Hide key signature option in instrument setup (e.g. for French Horns) Part titles now inherited from full score by default Part name on top left of page includes key by default (e.g. Clarinet in A) Anacrusis / double barline now not breaking a multi-measure rest Rehearsal / metronome marks no longer create individual bar rests during a multi-measure rest |
| Playback | Playback selected staves only Display no longer auto-locks during playback Preview note entry dynamics are now mf Playback of microtones now sound as expected Metronome count-in for compound time signatures now clicks as expected Sounds load as expected for template files Playback improved for imported MIDI trills [Android] Playback improved on entry level devices Clarinet now plays back (sounding) Db3 for Clarinet in A (remove and re-download the ‘Wind’ sound bundle to fix). |
| UI | New button added to toggle between normal and extended width palettes Handwriting (‘pencil’ icon) now visible in both normal and extended palettes [Android] Placement of popup faders improved [Android] Sub-menus now open as expected when in split screen mode [iOS] Can now swipe up on the iPhone screen when in Instrument Picker Can now select sub-tools from palette when on small screen Sheet-style dialogs like score setup now resize correctly on iOS when changing the screen orientation Removed the second text style edit option from the context menu Fixed sub-tool not being activated when tapping on it while being in the select tool [Android] When editing text in score settings, the text is now centred [Android] Open dialogs now adjust as expect if screen orientation is changed [Android] Issue fixed where application can sometimes freeze when closing dialogs/popups Metronome Tool dialog is no longer cut off by on-screen keyboard When using the small sized UI, the note duration palette is now proportioned and positioned correctly [iOS] Swiping and selecting over fly-out menus now works as expected Tuplet flyout now shows in two rows on smaller screens Distance between flyout menus and palette now consistent [Android] Instrument picker is no longer cut off at bottom [Android] Manage Features dialog now closes as expected, if still open when the app is closed [Android] Menus do now not close if a dropdown menu item is selected [Android] Text now does not exceed edit box height when entering lyrics |
| Files | New demo scores tab with 10 scores included Template files can now be double tapped to directly open [iOS/macOS] Save document to alternative location if permission denied [iOS/macOS] Browser opens if access to file is denied [iOS] ‘Clear history’ no longer brings up double entries for save locations in some circumstances ‘Untitled’ for new document titles is now localised in selected language Document location path cleaned up [Android] Export to PDF via Share function now working as expected |
| General | [iOS] ‘Restore Purchases’ now lists what was purchased in Notion iOS v2 [iOS] Restore Purchases now shows popup if there is an error retrieving the receipt [iOS] If region is set to USA, then measurement units do not change [FireOS] In-app purchasing fixed on Amazon Fire devices Guitar fingerings now included when exporting as MusicXML Notion now opens malformed compressed MusicXML files (e.g. a .musicxml file that has been changed to .mxl by just changing the file extension) Note heads now print at actual size when printing or exporting as pdf if Screen View is shown Translation improvements Performance and stability improvements Documentation updated |
Brody Tullier on using Studio One for Video Game Soundtracks
Brody Tullier (aka Zeno) is a 17 year-old composer based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana who has been composing and arranging original music for the past four years.
His main style of composition is often through complex midi-mapping and programming, although he is also a studying pianist and vocalist.
Delving into advanced audio production more and more in recent years, his music has become the lively, energetic, and polished arrangements that you can hear in his recent Bandcamp releases here.
Brody’s preferred style of compositions lean heavily towards video-game inspired tracks and he aspires to one day seek a career in the video game music industry.
We wish him great success in his ongoing growth as a musician, composer and producer!
Follow Brody’s path in discovering the creative power of Studio One, Notion and the PreSonus software add-ons available.
Join PreSonus Sphere today!
Only $14.95 per month for Studio One Professional, Notion, and so much more.
Using Exchange with PreSonus Sphere and Studio One
Want to capture the sound of other industry professionals? How about collaborate with a Grammy nominated artist?
With Exchange, you’re able to use presets and sounds from select PreSonus Artists in your own projects. Under the “Browse” section, you’ll also find thousands of downloadable assets from other Sphere Members, and the ability to upload your own unique sounds.
In this last episode, Jacob takes a look at the PreSonus Sphere Exchange tab and demonstrates how to import an Artist’s sound into your Studio One song session.
Join PreSonus Sphere today! Only $14.95 per month for Studio One Professional, Notion, and so much more.
Follow Jacob on Instagram
Exploring PreSonus Sphere Membership Products with Jacob Lamb
When you join PreSonus Sphere your membership comes with Studio One Professional, Notion plus the native software instruments, effects and plug-ins that PreSonus offers.
Studio One Professional is a powerful and intuitive DAW that works for you – made only more powerful by the full catalog of plugins – while Notion is an easy way to create full scores, sheet music for individual instruments, or guitar tabs and chord charts. Sphere members can also enjoy ongoing software upgrades when new versions are released.
In this Sphere episode, Jacob takes us through a demo of the “Products” tab, and all that is included.
Join PreSonus Sphere today! Only $14.95 per month for Studio One Professional, Notion, and so much more.
Follow Jacob on Instagram
Learning More in PreSonus Sphere with Jacob Lamb
With a PreSonus Sphere membership you get access to exclusive masterclasses in the “Learn” section.
Here you can dive into practical recording topics from industry professionals, covering recording tips, manipulating compression, perfecting EQ on a track, general mixing/mastering techniques, and more! Beyond the recording side, you can explore PreSonus Sphere product-specific videos like dialing in your guitar tone with Ampire, navigating Studio One and learning Notion.
In this episode, Jacob shows us the layout of the “Learn” tab, and how to navigate this “one stop shop” of classes.
Join PreSonus Sphere today! Only $14.95 per month for Studio One Professional, Notion, and so much more.
Follow Jacob on Instagram
Home For The Holidays: Steve Himelfarb On Using The StudioLive 32S With Studio One At NOCCA
Home For The Holidays is a free virtual concert featuring holiday music by some of New Orleans’ favorite musicians including Jon Batiste, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Irma Thomas, Kermit Ruffins, John Boutte, and others.
(click photo for NOCCA event details)
The performances by Irma Thomas, John Boutte, and Kermit Ruffins were recently tracked live at the New Orleans Center For Creative Arts (NOCCA) by professional recording engineer and faculty member, Steve Himelfarb using the PreSonus StudioLive 32S digital mixer and Studio One DAW software.
Let’s get to know him a bit better and hear what he has to say about integrating Studio One and StudioLive for use in live recordings!
Steve began working in recording studios around Los Angeles when he was about 18, doing the midnight til 9:00 a.m. cleanup shift at Cherokee Studios. As a result, he had priceless experiences including meeting Mötley Crüe (still one of the loudest he has ever heard to this day) when Roy Thomas Baker was mixing their debut record. Another fond memory was that of Ray Manzarek producing X’s Wild Gift during the heyday of the 80s music scene.
“Cherokee was super rock & roll, yet they were very strict with what they wanted from their cleanup people. I was taught how to conduct myself as a young would-be recording engineer,” Steve fondly recalls.
At 19, Steve began working for Capitol Records in the famed Capitol Studios building putting in a solid five years of work. Some of his album credits include Sheila E’s first album, Crowded House’s Crowded House, Bob Seager’s Like a Rock, Dwight Yoakum’s GTRs Cadillacs and Tori Amos’ Y Kant Tori Read. (Fun Fact: Tori and Steve have been friends since high school.)
Steve moved to New Orleans at the age of 25, and the first record he engineered in town was Buckwheat Zydeco’s On A Night Like This, which was produced by Chris Blackwell and nominated for a Grammy. He subsequently bought the studio that he worked at in the late 80s and rebuilt it with a Neve console and Studer tape machine. In 1993, Steve sold that studio and took a couple years off, sort of. To date, he has worked on 15 gold and platinum records and has five Grammy-nominated record credits to his name.
Teaching himself to bake, Steve decided to open a small restaurant in the French Quarter of New Orleans called Cake Café, and became affectionately known as “The Cake Man” in the Marigny district. After 13 years of business (fast-forwarding past Hurricane Katrina to about four months ago), he sold the restaurant and wrote a cookbook.
Incidentally, around three years ago (after encouragement from Tori Amos) he started getting back into recording again and dove headfirst into the world of digital recording using Studio One.
Here are some thoughts by Steve, in his own words:
I really like the workflow of Studio One. It feels like I am working on a console and not a computer. The drag-and-drop integration is such a great feature. The plug-ins are very musical. Lately, my go-to has been the VT-1 on the stereo bus.
Using the StudioLive 32S in a live recording situation is wonderful. In all honesty, this type of setup used to be such an involved task with a mobile recording truck and countless hours of set up. The StudioLive 32S, along with the NSB digital stage box, is such a game-changer. Total set-up time takes about an hour. The sound is clean. I like the Fat Channel limiters. They are kinda my safety net against clipping in dynamic situations. I have used the StudioLive 32S on about eight projects over the past year, and it is truly a sturdy piece of equipment for such demanding situations. In live recording situations, you just need to count on your equipment and the StudioLive has always performed excellently.
I really like how the company has developed the workflow of the recording studio in the current digital age. I could see how, about six years ago, PreSonus was ahead of the pack in their development of studio ecosystems. Now everyone is building small-format consoles and integrated systems.
Developing young artists has always been a large part of the work I have done. Teaching at New Orleans Creative Center For The Arts (NOCCA) is a natural extension of the work I love.
To learn more about this historic pre-professional arts training center for high school students in Louisiana, please visit and support them at: https://noccainstitute.com/ and https://www.nocca.com/
Back to School!
PreSonus is supporting schools and students in many ways, and now is the perfect time to check out our music education solutions at musiced.presonus.com.
Any student who plays an instrument, from beginner to college, can benefit from listening to recordings of their own performances. In fact, any professional musician will tell you that this is the best way to improve! We’ve put together a tutorial series called “Step up Your Practice” to demonstrate the benefits of recorded practice using our AudioBox Studio or Music Creation Suite. Check it out at musiced.presonus.com/stepup.
We’d also like you to consider Studio One and Notion for any of your recording or composition courses. Both offer highly intuitive ease-of-use that doesn’t get in the way of the most important thing—learning. Furthermore, we offer educational discounts and/or multi-seat licensing, and plenty of tutorials. For full music labs, the Music Creation Suite provides everything you need for recording, including software, recording interface, microphone, MIDI controller keyboard, and cables—and to top it off, we offer a complete school curriculum to help you get started.
Coming off the world record-setting win of the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps, our marching band audio system is now stronger than ever. We partnered with our friends at Audio-Technica to provide a turnkey solution to support field audio—read all about it at musiced.presonus.com/fieldaudio.
PreSonus is the leader in music education technology presentations. As such we are excited to participate in top national and state music conferences. Check out of list of upcoming conferences and come say hello!
If you’re interested in either school or student discounts on PreSonus gear, please contact one of our education retailers at musiced.presonus.com/buy.
Video Series: How To Step Up Your Music Practice
John Mlynczak, PreSonus Education Market Manager, is is the kind of guy who leads by example. He recently produced this incredible nine-part video series focusing on using the AudioBox Studio, AudioBox Stereo, or AudioBox Music Creation Suite with a pair of Eris studio monitors to make practicing at home more efficient. Consider these tips “best practices” for your practices. Feel free to share your success or any new ideas!
While John’s videos were designed for music educators, fact is these tips are applicable to darn near anyone who wants to get some music made. If you’re a kid just starting out, or a home-recording vet just looking to dust off the rudiments, chances are you’ll find something of value here.
For more in PreSonus in music education, visit http://musiced.presonus.com
- To learn more about the Music Creation Suite, click here.
- To find a dealer in the USA, click here.
- To find a distributor outside the USA, click here.
- To buy PreSonus software online, click here.
#PreSonuSphere Video: How to use PreSonus Products in the Classroom with @PreSonusMUED
PreSonus Education Market Manager John Mlynczak spoke at PreSonuSphere 2013, detailing the best ways to leverage PreSonus technologies in the classroom.
For more on PreSonus’ involvement in music education, click here: http://musiced.presonus.com/
[UPDATE! New Dates added] Joe Solo Music Success Workshop in Los Angeles, Aug 10 & 11, Sept. 28 & 29, 2013
Update 9/6/13: This workshop has almost sold out! Due to popular demand, Joe has added two days to his LA seminars, September 28 and 29. Click here to register!
Just added: Music Supervisor Panel with seven of Hollywood’s top music supervisors who’s work includes Pulp Fiction, West Wing, Shameless, Paramount, HBO, Coldplay, Seal, and many current films and TV shows. There’s also VIP packages available that include dinner with these Music Supervisors—only 9 slots left!
Presonus customers who sign up by 9/21/13 get a 15% discount, too! Use Discount Code PRESONUS15
Two days. Get your road map to success in the music business.
PreSonus enthusiast and world-class producer/songwriter/engineer Joe Solo has another workshop coming up, this time in Los Angeles on August 10 and 11, 2013. This is a great opportunity to sit down with a man with some truly valuable industry experience. Joe’s clients and collaborators include Macy Gray, Fergie, Michael Jackson, Rick Rubin, Quincy Jones, and American Idol. No joke!
Joe’s Music Success Workshop is about the farthest possible thing from a boring old lecture. Bring your tracks, and Joe will give them a listen and critique them for you live during his presentation. In addition, expect Joe to cover myriad topics on success in music, including but not limited to songwriting, production, and getting your music placed in film and games.
Here’s a full list of topics covered, from Joe’s website:
- New thinking on music career paths, finding one that works for you.
- Strategies for independent musicians, building a presence and a revenue stream.
- How to present yourself to get signed to artist and publishing deals.
- Revenue streams, strategies to boost your earnings.
- On-the-spot song evaluations.
- Song production, how important is it? Hear “before” and “after” examples.
- The psychology of producing hit songs.
- Real world examples of breakthroughs that you can learn from.
- Fresh techniques for marketing your music.
- Industry gatekeepers: What you need to know about label execs, managers, A&R reps, music attorneys, music supervisors and other key members of the industry.
Special Guest Panel of Music Supervisors & Publishers, and other Industry Players
Joe leads a panel of film & TV music supervisors, music publishers and many other key members of the music industry. They’ll be on hand to answer your questions and give you insights on how to win valuable placements.
This is a rare opportunity to gain access to the taste-makers and gate-keepers of getting your music to the world.
Panelists:
Carmen Rizzo
Producer for Coldplay, Seal, Ray Charles
Michael Eames
CEO and Publisher of PEN Music Group
Christina Aguilera, Selena Gomez, Shrek, Homeland, New Girl
Ann Kline
Music Supervisor – The Lying Game, Shameless, ER, West Wing,
Quintin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown
Jason Kramer
Music Supervisor & KCRW Radio Host
Michael Todd
Sr. Director of Film & Television Music at ASCAP
Stacy Palm
VP Film & TV Music Paramount’s Famous Music Publishing
Peter Cohen
Talent Coordinator for The Voice
Max Luces-Tucker
Music Supervisor for Keeping Up With The Kardashians, ABC, HBO, NBC, The Real World, many others.
Chris Jackson
Music Supervisor for E! Network
Jack Diamond
Music Supervisor / Music Editor for 2 Broke Girls, Seinfeld, Will & Grace, many new pilots.
Joe is offering a special 15% discount on registration to PreSonus customers, using the discount code PRESONUS15. Be sure to use it before July 21 to take advantage of this offer, and get access to a private networking dinner party hosted by Joe on the Friday before the workshop.
There’s also VIP packages available that include an exclusive dinner with Joe and his panelists, and an in-studio session musician experience is available, too!
Click here to register for this exciting event: www.JoeSoloWorkshop.com/
To sign up for Joe’s FREE Music Success Video Nuggets and weekly tips email, go to www.joesolo.com.