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Steinberg Dorico 4 notation software adds new MIDI and workflow features for composers.

Steinberg has introduced Dorico 4, a new version of its notation and composition software. Each and every Dorico product has been updated, from the free iPad and SE variants to the more comprehensive Elements and Pro editions.

The updated version is to speed up your workflow, and there are plenty of new tools designed to help you do that. These include a dedicated MIDI Key Editor in Write mode, which runs alongside the standard notation, and Smart MIDI import, which is designed to make it easier to bring large orchestral templates into the software.

Allied to this is polyphonic MIDI transcription. Regardless, you are importing MIDI or playing from a keyboard, different parts are now separated. Improvements have also been made to the Insert mode, which enables you to make rhythmic and musical changes mid-piece, and you can now make melodic and rhythmic transformations just by clicking.

Dorico 4 highlights include new ways to record: version 4 comes with an onscreen keyboard, fretboard and drum pads. Elsewhere, The Play mode has been streamlined, and the rebuilt mixer promises to be more responsive.

Other Dorico 4 highlights include native support for Apple silicon Macs and a new licensing system that removes the need for the USB-elicenser and enables you to simply sign-in to the software using your Steinberg ID.

Dorico 4 is available now, with pricing starting at $3.99/month for Dorico for iPad and $99.99 for Dorico Elements 4. See the Steinberg website for details.

PreSonus Studio One 5.5 enables you to get your music release-ready with new mastering and export features

PreSonus has released Studio One 5.5, the latest version of its highly-accomplished DAW. Studio One 5.5 offer some new production features, however, the headline additions are related specifically to mastering, which is available on the mastering-focused Project Page, which now offers track volume, master volume and insert effect plugin parameter automation. This can be written in real-time or using the Paint Tool.

Studio One 5.5 includes Clip Gain Envelopes, which are designed for fixing gain issues without having to pull up your dynamic plugins. The Listen Bus enables you to monitor through room correction plugins or headphone monitoring tools without affecting the master output, while you can free up processing power for complex mastering chains using Track Transform.

Studio One 5.5 new music production feature automatically extracts the chords from any MIDI file you drag onto the Chord Track, and you can now create a strum pattern by dragging notes in a selected chord while holding down modifier keys.

New workflow features, include the option to save automation with mix scenes, and the Plugin Nap feature now works on a per-plugin basis.

The Studio One 5.5 update is a free update for registered Studio One 5 users and is included in the PreSonus Sphere membership. Find out more on the PreSonus website.

The Akai Professional MPK Mini Play mk3 is a compact MIDI keyboard controller and a portable keyboard with 128 built-in sounds.

The new model promises improved playability and a more powerful speaker.

The 25-note keyboard has improved velocity response and two octaves. The eight velocity-sensitive drum pads are now officially ‘MPC-style’, while the four parameter control knobs have been moved above them. And there is an arpeggiator onboard, as well.

The Akai MPK Mini Play mk3 build-in sounds includes acoustic/electric pianos, synths, pads, drum kits and more, and there is a built-in speaker – a better, more powerful one than was in the original MPK Mini Play – meaning you can jam away without any other hardware. There is also a 1/8-inch headphone jack.

The MPK Mini Play mk3 now available, cost $99 (normally $119) Find out more on the Akai Pro website .