Your Vision, from Page to Stage
Notion 6: Music Composition and Performance Environment
KVR Readers Choice
Award 2021
NAMM TEC Award
Nominee 2018
Music Teacher Magazine (UK)
Awards 2016
NAMM TEC Award
Nominee 2020
Redefining music notation.
Bring musical inspirations to life with the blazingly fast and intuitive Notion® 6 music composition and performance environment. Compose when and how you want and even enter music with your own handwriting. Take projects to the next level thanks to deep integration with Studio One Pro. Hear and perform music with gorgeous samples by the London Symphony Orchestra and others. Deliver polished scores faster than ever before, from complete film orchestrations to simple lead sheets and guitar tab.
Whether you are an instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger, music educator, or student, you’ll find Notion 6 to be the easiest-to-use and best-sounding notation software on the market today. Notion 6: Redefining music notation.
New in Notion 6.
The new features and enhancements in Notion 6 represent the most popular requests from the Notion user community and feedback from users of other notation platforms who are looking to make the switch.
Notable improvements include: cross-platform handwriting recognition; new layout control and features for professional score output; drag to respace measures and systems; new instruments from Soundiron; new video window controls for faster scoring to picture; the new Notion Scores library, with over 100 great works; updated Music XML support for seamless transfer with other apps; MP3 export; and unprecedented side-by-side workflow integration with Studio One Pro on the same computer or between multiple computers on the same network.
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Hear your music played by world-class musicians.
Notion gives you by far the best playback of any notation product, including the unmatched realism of orchestral and Steinway samples recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra at the legendary Abbey Road Studios, guitar samples performed by Neil Zaza, bass samples by Victor Wooten, and drum samples by Roy “Futureman” Wooten. All were painstakingly recorded by top engineers using the best equipment. You get a wide array of dynamics, articulations, and performance techniques. New instruments in version 6 include the Notion Harpsichord along with the Lakeside Pipe Organ and Olympus Micro Choir sounds from our friends at Soundiron. But that’s just the beginning of Notion’s playback features.
Learn more about Notion's world-class playback ▶
The best sounds. The best playback features.Although Notion comes with a generous sound library, you are by no means limited to the included sounds. Buy high-quality, yet inexpensive new Notion Add-on instrument packs from the ever-growing library at the PreSonus Marketplace. Use your favorite VST instruments and libraries, too; they work great with Notion.
Notion ships with several rules templates for other orchestral VST libraries, so when you load an instrument for Vienna Symphonic Library Special Edition, you can quickly and easily write dynamics, effects, and instrumental techniques into the score without ever having to see the VSL interface or programming key switches. To make your own rules, use the Notion Rules Editor: Simply click and select from drop-down menus to create custom rules for any VST library, without having to edit XML files. Mix sounds from libraries and experiment with combinations without concern about syntax errors.
Before you know it, Notion will become your default playback software of choice!
Your music, in the studio or on the go.
Create a score in Notion for macOS or Windows; then continue to work on it with Notion Mobile, on your Chromebook or iPad®. Or capture inspiration on the fly with your iPhone® and transfer to your computer for in-depth editing. No other notation software can do this. With Notion and Notion Mobile you can seamlessly create, send, and open scores between Mac, Windows, Android and iOS devices and continue to work on your score, anywhere, anytime! No matter which platform you use, you get the high-quality playback sounds for which Notion is famous. Plus Notion 6 is a native 64-bit application on all platforms, so you get fast, efficient, and stable performance too.
Interactive tools make entry fast and intuitive.
Enter notes with ease using Notion 6’s interactive fretboard, keyboard, and drum pad. It’s the fastest and most convenient way to capture pitches, drum parts, and guitar fingerings. You can even customize the number of guitar strings on the fretboard and the order of entry for each voice for the drum pad. Lyrics can be entered directly or pasted from any digital source. Want to get your hands on your score? Notion 6’s new Powered by MyScript™ handwriting-recognition feature lets you write directly into the score, automatically converting your input into digital notation.
Choose chords from a generous chord library and create your own chords. It’s simple to enter the chord name or voicing you want to appear in your score. Choose from standard chord symbols and fretted chord symbols and design custom chord symbols and diagrams. Chords remain on the fretboard for repeated entry, and the software can recall recently used chords. Chord symbols can be attached anywhere over empty measures, meaning lead sheets can be created in no time!
Learn more about Notion’s handwriting entry features ▶
Notion 6’s new Powered by MyScript handwriting recognition feature for Mac, Windows, and iOS lets you write in notes, rests, accidentals, time signatures, and more, automatically converting your input into digital notation. You don’t have to learn custom gestures or specialized software features, nor must you “teach” the software to recognize your writing; simply write music the way you normally do with a paper score.You can toggle handwriting on and off to write directly into the score area. If you have a large score and don’t want to keep zooming in and out, simply open the optional handwriting window. Use MIDI and step-time entry in the main window and handwriting in the optional window for the best of all worlds.
If you don’t have a touchscreen, use a Lightning cable to connect an iOS device to your Mac and use the iOS device as a graphics tablet. Or go with a real graphics tablet, such as a Wacom Intuos® or equivalent. In the classroom, use an interactive whiteboard to draw symbols that quickly convert to digital notation.
Capture MIDI parts and edit them with your score.
Recording MIDI performances and editing MIDI data is easy in Notion. Viewing MIDI and standard notation together makes the experience unique and intuitive. Choose keyboard, guitar, or drum entry and dial in exactly how Notion will follow your playing. Enter in real time or in step time, then view your MIDI performance data in Notion’s Sequencer Staff.
Better yet, use the Sequencer Overlay, which allows you to see notation and MIDI performance data on the same staff. Using drag-and-drop, edit each individual note’s velocity, duration, start point, and end point. For precise values, double-click each note and customize the note’s numeric values directly. Notion combines the power of MIDI sequencing with the clarity of standard notation in a unique and powerful way.
If you compose to picture, Notion 6 is your new best friend.
Film, video, and TV composers have specialized needs that just start with a synchronized video window. Notion’s video window includes a timecode view, and you can add hit points and select the volume, frame rate, and start time. Transport buttons let you control your score from the video window with fine frame control. Unlike other scoring software, Notion can handle all of the most important modern video file formats, including MP4, WMV (Windows only), H.264, MPEG, MOV, AVI, M4V, and 4GP on macOS and Windows.
Don’t just play your music: perform it, too.
Notion lets you play back a score following metronome marks, but you can also perform your scores live, continuously controlling tempo and velocity. Jump in and out of repeats, vamp measures, fade in and out, and navigate live from your computer keyboard or a MIDI controller.
To top it off, Notion 6 comes with the Notion Score Library with over 200 files to explore.
Learn about the Notion Score Library ▶
The Notion Score Library is a collection of public domain scores in Notion format, and includes orchestral and piano works, such as Handel’s Messiah (complete), Mendelssohn’s Flute Concerto, Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto, Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, and selections from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. Here are just a few ways you can use the Notion Score Library:- Use in class to teach a set work or orchestration
- Accompany a choir with the whole of the London Symphony Orchestra
- An instrumental teacher can accompany a student’s concerto with one finger
- Play scores for fun by tapping each beat
- Hook up a MIDI keyboard for touch-sensitive dynamics, performed in real time
Powerful mix engine by the folks who defined digital mixing.
PreSonus changed live sound with our StudioLive digital mixers. We turned the production world on its ears with our Studio One Pro digital audio workstation. While you might not expect advanced mixing capabilities to appear in ordinary notation software, Notion 6 is far from ordinary.
Get truly professional mixes with up to eight stereo buses through the built-in software mixer. Import an audio file to mix with your score or to transcribe from. Process your sounds through eight effects inserts with reverb, guitar-amp simulator, and EQ, compressor, and limiter plug-ins drawn from PreSonus’ Studio One Pro DAW. You can also use your favorite VSTs. Yes, Notion is a professional notation program—but it's clearly much more!
Deliver professional scores and polished performances.
While many Notion layout and notation choices are made automatically so you can focus on creating music, sometimes you need to fine-tune your score’s appearance for easy reading and a professional look. Notion 6 provides new layout handles that let you drag notes, measure lines, time signatures, and more, while avoiding accidental respacing. Show and hide parts independently by system and show/hide resting staves for minimal wasted space and maximum readability. Even drag entire systems up and down on the page to adjust the spacing; when you let go, Notion rejustifies the layout.
When it's time to deliver, Notion has you covered. Print stunning scores and export PDFs. Export standard MIDI files or MusicXML files for collaborating with people using other notation applications. And deliver fully mixed WAV files or MP3s of your entire performance or individual parts.
Serious studio integration.
While Notion exceeds all other notation software with its mix capabilities, you can take compositions to the next level by pairing Notion 6 with Studio One Pro, where you can now send audio, note, track, VST and score data directly between the applications. The workflow between Notion 6 and Studio One Pro is unprecedented, as both applications can run side by side on the same computer or on any computers on the same network.
Learn more about working between Studio One and Notion ▶
For a potent, yet easy-to-use combination, take advantage of Notion 6’s tight integration with Studio One. Compose in Studio One and send note data to Notion for editing and printing parts. Enjoy Notion’s superior playback sounds, notation capabilities, and video scoring features in combination with Studio One’s in-depth editing, processing, and (with Studio One Pro) integrated Melodyne, mastering, and digital release features. Export the audio or note data for each track and import it into a copy of Notion 6 or Notion Mobile running anywhere on the network.Better yet, Notion 6 can look for instances of Studio One anywhere on your network, automatically open a new project, and send the audio files or note data, track data, VST information and score data straight to the DAW, retaining instrument name, score order, pan and gain settings, rehearsal marks, initial time signature, and metronome marks.
Want to transcribe in Notion and have a reference track? Or perhaps you’d like to add audio effects for triggering during a Notion live performance. With Notion 6, you can send audio from Studio One to any instance of Notion on your network or on the same machine, setting up a new score and attaching the audio to it.
The complete composer's toolkit.
In addition to individual and educational licensing options, Notion is also available as part of Studio One Pro+, the ultimate toolkit for the modern composer. From simple lead sheets to complete orchestrations, you’ll deliver polished scores fast with award-winning Notion software. Deep integration with Studio One Pro lets you start your score in Studio One Pro and send it to Notion and vice versa. Use Studio One Pro’s Sound Variations to easily set up and control complex orchestral libraries. No matter how you compose, Studio One Pro+ has you covered.
Studio One Pro+ membership benefits include licenses for both Notion and Studio One Pro, plus every Notion Add-on Sound Expansion pack, PreSonus Symphony Orchestra and Studio Grand for Studio One Pro, and so much more. On top of these creative tools, Studio One Pro+ members are also given Cloud collaboration tools and 100 GB storage, a library of exclusive master classes and live streams, with much more added continuously—all for a low monthly or annual membership.
Reviews
"Notion is a far superior choice of notation software for education"
David Guinane
Music Teacher Magazine
"Notion is probably the most intuitive and uncluttered notation package I’ve ever used"
Robin Bigwood
Sound on Sound Magazine
"You know you’ve got the right tool when it inspires you. I look forward to reinventing my working method by integrating the Notion 6 suite into my creative workflow. Who knows where that will lead?"
Sven-Erik Seaholm
San Diego Troubadour
"From sounds of the London Symphony Orchestra to stellar Steinway piano samples to the sounds of virtuoso bassist, Victor Wooten, playback quality of Notion 6 alone makes this software worth the investment and a whole lot more."
Andy McDonough
American Songwriter
"This is an essential upgrade that all current users will want. It places Notion squarely among the ranks of true professional programs, yet it remains the easiest program to learn and use."
George Hess
School Band & Orchestra
"I love its ability to make pretty refined demos. This is powerful….. It’s nice to be able to easily shift from one device to another as work on a project continues…. Well done, PreSonus – this truly is a great app."
John McJunkin
Synth and Software
"An excellent notation program for newbies, teachers and experienced musicians alike"
Keith Gemmell
Music Tech
Notion
Features
Traditional Notation or Tablature – Fast and Easy
- Easily compose, play back, and edit music
- Perform scores using Notion as a live instrument and save your performance
- Create a score on a Mac or a Windows computer or tablet and continue to edit on a tablet or phone with Notion Mobile and vice versa
Interactive entry tools: Keyboard, Fretboard, Drum Pad, Chord Library (including custom chords) - Cross-platform handwriting recognition, powered by MyScript™ for written entry
- Sequencer overlay to see notation and MIDI data on the same staff
- Windows touchscreen support—just use your finger or stylus and tap
- Work with Notion in your native language with options for Simplified Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish
Create and Perform with Unmatched Sound Quality
- Best playback of any notation product, with samples recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra, Roy and Victor Wooten, Neil Zaza, Soundiron, and others
- Full guitar and bass articulations in playback
- Custom rules editor for instrument-specific articulations
- Increase your sonic palette with additional expansion sounds from PreSonus® or your favorite VST instruments and libraries
- Process audio with included PreSonus Native Effects Limiter, Compressor, and Pro EQ plug-ins or other VST plug-ins
- Mix with a DAW-style console with up to eight individual buses
- Live-performance options include play, tap, vamp, repeat, fade, playback dynamics, and navigate with Heads Up Display
Serious Studio Integration
- Transfer audio and note data between Notion and Studio One Pro anywhere on your network
- Set music to film with advanced video capabilities
- Compose to picture with the video window
- Import video in a variety of formats: MP4, H.264, MPEG, MOV, AVI, M4V, and 3GP on Mac and Windows, plus WMV on Windows
- Native 64-bit support
- Retina (Mac) and High-DPI (Windows) support for high-resolution displays
Deliver Professional Scores and Polished Performances
- Print entire scores, individual parts, or lead sheets with chords and lyrics
- Layout control tools: drag notes, measure lines, time signatures, and more, while avoiding accidental respacing
- Show/hide parts independently by system for maximum readability
- Import/export files to/from Finale® and Sibelius® via MusicXML or other apps via Standard MIDI Files
- Export scores as PDF files
- Export WAV or MP3 audio files
- One-click Bounce All export of individual staves or mixed buses
Computer system requirements:
Below are the minimum computer-system requirements for Notion™ for Mac and PC.
Mac®
- macOS 10.13 High Sierra or later (64-bit only)
- Intel Core™ i3 processor or better
- Apple M1 processor supported with Rosetta 2
- 1 GB RAM (2 GB or more recommended)
- 8 GB free hard-drive space
Windows®
- Windows Windows 10 x64
- Intel Core™ i3 / AMD A10 processor or better
- 1 GB RAM (2 GB or more recommended)
- 8 GB free hard-drive space
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