DaSegno User Guide

Professional Music Notation Editor - Complete Guide (v1.8)

1. Quick Start

DaSegno is a professional music notation editor for iPad, supporting 43 instruments from solo pieces to full orchestral scores. It includes 320+ articulation marks, high-quality sampled sounds, and an intelligent playback engine.

Get started in 30 seconds:

1. Open the app and tap + to create a new score
2. Choose score type (Single Staff / Piano / Full Score), set time and key signature
3. Select a note duration from the bottom toolbar ( whole ~  32nd note)
4. Tap note name buttons (C D E F G A B) to enter notes
5. Tap ▶ at the top to play back with realistic instrument sounds

2. Shelf - Score Management

The Shelf is the first screen you see, showing all your scores.

Create New Score

Tap the + button in the top-right corner.

Import Scores

Tap the Import (↓) button. Supported formats:

Managing Scores

• Long press a score card to delete it
• Scores automatically sync via iCloud across your devices

3. Creating a New Score

Score Types

Basic Settings

• Score Name — Give your score a title
• Composer — Optional
• Time Signature — e.g., 4/4, 3/4, 6/8
• Key Signature — e.g., C Major, G Major, D Minor
• Tempo (BPM) — Beats per minute, default 120
• Pickup Measure — Optional anacrusis

Choosing Instruments (Full Score)

In Full Score mode, choose from 43 instruments (see Chapter 20 for the full list):

• Woodwinds (13) — Piccolo, Flute, Oboe, English Horn, Clarinets, Bassoons, Saxophones, Recorder
• Brass (9) — Horn, Trumpet, Cornet, Trombones, Tuba, Euphonium, Baritone Horn, Bass Horn
• Pitched Percussion (6) — Timpani, Glockenspiel, Xylophone, Marimba, Vibraphone, Tubular Bells
• Unpitched Percussion (8+) — Snare, Bass Drum, Cymbals, Triangle, Tambourine, Castanets, Woodblock, Drum Kit
• Keyboard (6) — Piano, Organ, Harpsichord, Celesta, Accordion, Harp
• Plucked Strings (5) — Classical/Acoustic/Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, Ukulele
• Vocal (5 + Choir) — Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass, SATB Choir
• Strings (4) — Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass

4. Note Input

Select Duration

Duration buttons display as musical note icons:

Dotted Notes

Tap the · button to toggle dotted notes. Long press for double or triple dots.

• Single dot = 1.5× duration
• Double dot = 1.75× duration
• Triple dot = 1.875× duration

Enter Notes

1. Select a duration (e.g., quarter note)
2. Tap a note name button (C D E F G A B)
3. The note appears on the staff and the cursor advances

Octave

Use ▼ and ▲ to change octave (range 1-7).

Accidentals

Rests

Tap the rest button (displays the rest icon matching the current duration) to insert a rest.

Chord Mode

Tap + to enable chord mode. Notes will stack on the current position instead of advancing.

Grace Notes

• Short grace — Acciaccatura (with slash)
• Long grace — Appoggiatura (without slash)

Cue Notes

Cue notes appear in a smaller size and are commonly used in parts to show another instrument's melody, helping performers find their entry point. Select a note and mark it as Cue in the property panel.

Hidden Rests

When writing multiple voices, select an unwanted rest and set it to "hidden" in the property panel. Hidden rests are not rendered but maintain rhythmic integrity in the data.

Tuplets

Tap Tuplet (N) and select a ratio (3 = triplet, 2-9 available, or custom).

Multiple Voices

Use buttons 1 2 3 4 to switch voices. Up to 4 independent voices per measure.

5. Editing Tips

Select a Note

Tap any note on the staff to select it.

Modify a Note

• Change duration — Select the note, then tap a new duration button
• Change pitch — Use ↑ / ↓ arrows for semitone adjustments
• Change accidental — Select the note, then tap an accidental button

Delete

Select a note and tap ⌫ to replace it with a rest.

Undo

Tap ↶ in the toolbar.

Copy / Paste / Cut

1. Tap Copy (or Cut) to enter selection mode
2. Tap the start note, then the end note to define the range
3. Move the cursor to the target position
4. Tap Paste

Add / Remove Measures

• +Bar — Insert an empty measure
• -Bar — Delete the current measure

6. Articulations & Techniques

DaSegno includes 320+ articulation marks organized by instrument family. Select a note to see available articulations in the top toolbar (varies by instrument).

6.1 Base Articulations

Fermata Variants (5)

Combined Articulations (5)

Extended Articulations (4)

6.2 Ornaments (8)

6.3 Breath Marks (2)

6.4 Strings (45+)

6.5 Woodwinds (25+)

6.6 Brass (50+)

6.7 Percussion (20+)

6.8 Keyboard (30+)

6.9 Accordion (55+)

6.10 Harp (30+)

6.11 Plucked Strings (15+)

6.12 Vocal (15+)

6.13 Handbells (17)

6.14 Dynamics (18 types)

Graduated (10)

pppp < ppp < pp < p < mp < mf < f < ff < fff < ffff

Accent Dynamics (8)

6.15 Tempo Markings

Tap BPM in the toolbar to set tempo (40–240), displayed as ♩=120 on the score.

Tap the "rit." menu for Italian tempo terms:

• Absolute (bold) — Grave, Largo, Lento, Adagio, Andante, Moderato, Allegretto, Allegro, Vivace, Presto, etc.
• Gradual (italic) — rit., rall., accel., a tempo, string., morendo, etc.

6.16 Expression Markings

Tap "dolce" menu: dolce, espress., cantabile, con fuoco, con brio, con moto, grazioso, maestoso, leggiero, pesante, tranquillo, agitato, animato, sostenuto, scherzando, brillante

6.17 Text Annotations

Tap "T", then tap a note to add custom text:

• Size: S (small) / M (medium) / L (large)
• Position: Above / Below the staff

6.18 Moving Marks

The Move Target system lets you fine-tune the position of any articulation or dynamic:

• Tap the cycle button to select the target mark
• Use ↑ ↓ ← → arrows to adjust
• Tap the delete button to remove it

7. Lyrics

1. Select a note and enter lyrics mode
2. Type the syllable in the input field
3. Press Space — submit syllable, move to next note (end of word)
4. Press - (hyphen) — submit syllable, move to next note (same word continues)
5. Press _ (underscore) — melisma (extend syllable across multiple notes)

Use V1 / V2 / V3 / V4 to switch between up to 4 lyric verses.

Editing Existing Lyrics

• Use ← → buttons to navigate between notes
• Edit the input field directly
• Press Backspace on an empty note to delete lyrics

8. Chord Symbols

DaSegno supports 16 chord qualities with an intelligent parser for direct text input.

Input Method

1. Select a note
2. Enter chord input mode
3. Choose a root (C D E F G A B) or type the chord symbol directly
4. The parser automatically identifies quality, alterations, and inversions

Supported Chord Qualities (16)

Advanced Features

• Slash chords — Type C/E for C major with E as bass note (inversion)
• Jazz style — Automatically renders maj7 as △7 (triangle notation)
• Parser — Supports direct input like "Fm7b5", "Bb13", "A7#9" — auto-parsed

9. Ties, Slurs & Spanning Marks

Tie

Connects two notes of the same pitch, combining their durations.

1. Select the first note
2. Tap the Tie/Slur button
3. Select the second note (must be the same pitch)

Slur

Connects notes of different pitches for legato. Same operation; the system detects the difference automatically.

Hairpins

• < — Crescendo
• > — Decrescendo

Select the start note, tap crescendo/decrescendo, then select the end note.

Spanning Marks Reference

Volta Brackets Detail

• Select the starting measure of the repeated section
• Tap Volta, choose bracket type (1. / 2. / Open / Closed)
• Multiple endings supported (1. 2. / 3.)
• The playback engine follows volta order automatically

10. Layout & Formatting

Zoom

• A3 — 4.95mm (compact, for full scores)
• A4 — 7.0mm (industry standard, Sibelius default)
• Range: 1.5–15mm, freely adjustable with real-time preview

Line / Page Breaks

• Line (⏎) — Force a system break
• Page (⬇) — Force a page break

Spacing

• Gap+ / Gap- — Adjust system spacing
• Staff+ / Staff- — Adjust staff spacing (within grand staff / score)

Collision Avoidance

DaSegno's layout engine automatically handles:

• Accidental collision avoidance (multiple accidentals in chords automatically stagger)
• Vertical spacing between dynamics and notes
• Automatic lyric-to-staff distance adjustment
• Minimum measure width in full scores to prevent over-compression

Barline Types

Single, double, final, repeat start, repeat end, etc.

Measure Numbers

Options: per system, per measure, hidden, etc.

Navigation Marks

Full repeat navigation system: Segno, Coda, D.S., D.C., Fine, D.S. al Coda, D.C. al Fine, etc.

Rehearsal Marks

Boxed rehearsal letters A through P.

11. Playback Engine

DaSegno v1.8 features a new PlaybackRuleEngine that intelligently translates score markings into MIDI directives for near-realistic playback.

11.1 Playback Controls

• ▶ — Play from current position
• ⏸ — Pause
• ⏹ — Stop and return to beginning

11.2 Sound Libraries

11.3 PlaybackRuleEngine

Grace Note Timing

• Appoggiatura (long grace) — Steals time from the main note: a single grace note takes half the main note's duration; multiple grace notes split the stolen time equally
• Acciaccatura (short grace) — Steals time from the previous note: a fixed ~60ms (tempo-aware adjustment)
• The engine automatically adapts grace note timing to BPM — slower tempos get more space, faster tempos are tighter

Articulation Effects on Playback

Fast Passage Clarity Enhancement

The engine auto-detects rapid note sequences (16th notes and faster) and applies per-family velocity adjustments:

• Keyboard: slight velocity boost for articulate clarity
• Strings: maintain even velocity, simulating bow pressure distribution
• Woodwinds: slight velocity reduction, simulating natural breath decay

Dynamic Interpretation

Hairpins linearly interpolate velocity between their start and end dynamics.

Ornament Playback

11.4 AudioThreadScheduler

Uses PPQ=480 (480 ticks per quarter note) resolution. MIDI events are dispatched via MusicDeviceMIDIEvent directly on the audio thread for millisecond-accurate timing.

11.5 Metronome

Automatic metronome during MIDI recording (count-in + ongoing beats), following the current BPM and time signature.

11.6 MIDI Keyboard

Connect a USB or Bluetooth MIDI keyboard — auto-detected:

• Input mode — Keys enter notes directly; multiple keys within 40ms are recognized as chords
• Audition mode — Keys produce sound without writing to the score

11.7 MIDI Recording

1. Connect a MIDI keyboard
2. Tap ● (record) to enable recording mode
3. Tap ▶ to start playback + recording
4. Play along with the metronome
5. Tap ⏹ to stop — notes are auto-quantized into the score

12. Mixer

Tap Mixer (slider icon) in the top toolbar to open the mixer panel.

Per-Channel Controls

Master Channel

• Master Volume — Overall output level
• Reverb Mix — Room to cathedral reverb
• 5-band Master EQ — Global tonal adjustment

13. Transposition

Tap Trans (↑↓) in the toolbar.

By Key

Select a target key (e.g., C Major → G Major). Uses a fifths-preserving algorithm that selects enharmonic spellings following music theory logic (e.g., F♯ rather than G♭).

By Interval

Select up/down and interval size (minor 2nd through octave).

Concert Pitch Toggle

• On — All instruments show sounding pitch (conductor's view)
• Off — Transposing instruments show written pitch (player's view)

14. Ossia Staff NEW

An ossia (Italian for "or") is a supplementary staff displayed above the main staff, showing an alternative passage.

Use Cases

• Simplified version — Provide an easier alternative for technically demanding passages
• Ornament realization — Write out the detailed execution of ornaments
• Editorial notes — Show differences between original and edited versions
• Alternative cadenzas — Present cadenza options in concertos

Creating an Ossia

1. Select the starting measure where the ossia should appear
2. Choose Add Ossia from the toolbar
3. Set the ossia measure range (can span multiple measures)
4. Enter the alternative notes in the ossia staff

Features

• Ossia staves render at a smaller size to distinguish them from the main staff
• Logically linked to the parent part — transposition applies to both
• Optional playback toggle — choose whether the ossia or main staff plays
• Fully preserved in PDF and MusicXML export

15. Full Score & Parts

Instrument Manager

Tap Parts (list icon) to open the instrument manager:

• Add instruments (choose from 43 available)
• Drag to reorder
• Swipe to delete

Bracket Types

Brackets are auto-generated when adding instruments and can be adjusted manually.

View Switching

• Full Score — All instruments visible
• Part view — Single instrument with automatic multi-measure rests

Cross-Staff Features

• Keyboard instruments support cross-staff beaming
• Barlines span across instrument groups in the full score

Export All Parts

Select All Parts (ZIP) to export full score PDF + individual part PDFs in one ZIP file for easy distribution to performers.

16. Percussion NEW

DaSegno provides professional-grade percussion support for both pitched and unpitched instruments.

16.1 Pitched Percussion

These instruments use standard staves; note input works the same as for any pitched instrument:

16.2 Unpitched Percussion Staves

• 1-line staff — For single instruments (triangle, tambourine, etc.)
• 5-line staff — For drum kit and multi-instrument percussion

Noteheads use special shapes to distinguish instruments (× for cymbals, standard noteheads for drums, etc.).

16.3 Percussion Pictograms (119+)

DaSegno includes 119+ SMuFL percussion pictograms available in the percussion articulation panel:

16.4 Drum Kit GM Mapping

The drum kit staff uses the standard GM Drum Map, mapping each staff position to the correct MIDI note:

17. Apple Pencil Annotations

Use Apple Pencil on iPad to annotate directly on the score.

How to Use

1. Enter drawing mode from the toolbar
2. Use Apple Pencil to write, circle, or mark on the score
3. Multiple brushes (pencil, pen, marker) and colors available
4. Exit drawing mode — annotations display as a static overlay (zero performance cost)

Export

Annotations are included in PDF exports — ideal for teaching notes and rehearsal markings.

18. Import & Export

Tap Export (↑) in the top toolbar.

MusicXML Capabilities

DaSegno's MusicXML support is among the most comprehensive available:

• Import: Notes, rests, dots, tuplets, accidentals, key/time signatures, tempo, dynamics, articulations, lyrics, chord symbols <harmony>, clef changes, multiple voices, repeat marks
• Export: All of the above + Apple Pencil annotations (embedded in PDF export), ossia staves, multi-staff part clef changes
• Compatibility: MusicXML 3.1, tested with Finale, Sibelius, MuseScore, Dorico

Full Score: Export All Parts

Select All Parts (ZIP) to export full score PDF + individual part PDFs in one ZIP file for easy distribution to performers.

19. Quick Reference

20. Instruments NEW

DaSegno includes 43 instruments organized by family:

Woodwinds — 13

Brass — 9

Pitched Percussion — 6

Unpitched Percussion — 8+

Keyboard — 6

Plucked Strings — 5

Vocal — 5 + Choir

Strings — 4

21. Subscription

30-Day Free Trial

Enjoy a 30-day free trial upon first install — all features fully unlocked with no restrictions.

After Trial

Without a subscription, you can still:

• Open and view existing scores
• Play back scores (all sound libraries)

The following features require DaSegno Pro:

• Create new scores
• Edit scores (note input, articulations, lyrics, chords, etc.)
• Import files
• Export to PDF / MusicXML / MIDI / WAV / M4A / JSON / .ds

Manage Subscription

Go to iPad Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions. Auto-renews 24 hours before expiration.

Restore Purchases

Tap Restore Purchases on the paywall screen.