Staventabs Reviews

I paid $9.99 for the ability to write bluegrass banjo tabs. There is no way to adjust the tuning on their “strings” and their “strings” have only 4 strings (a bluegrass banjo has 5 strings). Also, they wanted me to pay an additional $9.99 for the ability to have more than 3 projects.

I look forward to a response from the developer telling me that I missed the documentation somewhere and I can do what I purchased it for. In that case I will change my review.

I've been using Staventabs since it first came out. The recent redo on it disabled much of its previous functionality. Nothing else uses the SNT format. So without the Add-on, it's purely a standalone App. I could not restore the previous capabilities it had without buying a whole new package. On the iPhone at least, all of the new formats, etc. are crammed, crowded, and confusing. I simply uninstalled it.

It’s great if you just start from scratch and especially for guitar. I purchased 2 of the 3 upgrades and despite that I can’t simply import gp3 file format. It’s written in the description that this is possible but I couldn’t figure it out. I searched their faq and support but it’s so unorganized and incomplete I do not wanna waste more than 30min. Until they clarify this or fix Staventabs to match the promise to be able to import files I’d keep it 2 stars.

Took a while to figure out things. Decided to creating a few notes with the tab maker just to try it out. Want to print? Nope. Share? Nope! Not without an $$ upgrade. I guess as usual you get what you pay for. I would be ok with pop-up adds if I could at least print out tabs when I create them. Deleted.

This is in fact (in my opinion) the only viable music writing app on the AppStore however it can be rather awkward to write and the guitars have a tendency to sound more like keyboards. All that being said in my opinion this is the only app worth getting for writing music.

Downloaded this morning and bought all of the in-app purchases. Very cool app! I’m getting used to the interface. Have created some simple drum set scores, and I cannot find a way to add grace notes for flams. Please add this feature, or tell me where it is because I cannot find it. Also, the ghost note button is grayed out, at least when I’m on a drum clef. How can I turn it on?

Very cool app though. I would probably switch to using just this for all of my needs except for the lack of these features.

So i think this is a great app, it’s good when you learn how to use it and all but I just don’t like how limited the free version is. You can only use like one instrument from each group and can only have 3 projects at a time. I just think there could be like just a tad bit more available in the free version. I still think it’s an awesome app and the free version does let you do a lot within a project but not outside of it.

Really I love Staventabs , when I prepare this I though it like any other app could and shows how a piano melody and bass together at bottom are playing on piano keys , ( a music file like any that Staventabs supported ) I want to see which note for melody and bass together too on piano keys ( the bottom of Staventabs ) are playing .

At the some of Staventabs past version it was possible only for melody or bass ( not simultaneous for two together ) that which piano keys at the bottom could be seen and playing .



I don’t know why ?

And why we couldn’t have full all piano keys at bottom ?

At like other apps it is one the first ability and preliminary that user see which note ( melody and bass together ) , for every two staff playing on the piano keys .

On this past app only melody or base note could be selected and be seen at piano keys and not for every two together , unfortunately at recent and new version the same this one too ( only one selection ) isn’t possible and omitted now .

Please let me know more , is it any setting may be I don’t did it for ?

My child is not professional player , sometimes He needs to see which note is playing on the piano keys ( simultaneous for melody and bass too ) not for one only .

It is a necessary that Staventabs should have this ability , as l told I don’t know why this preliminary ability is absent ?

Anyway l like Staventabs and l hope adding this ability and more for the next update .

Good luck

F. Koohi

Clean, simple interface perfect for iOS and iPadOS, deep functionality and instant playback from a wide selection of instruments - perfect for my needs. It’s intuitive enough to just jot down a musical idea, and has enough power to really flesh out my ideas too. The audio instrument samples are very decent as well, and the string ensembles and tremolo strings can just as easily play staccato or spiccato as legato.

There are a couple things that could make Staventabs infinitely better however. My only frustration about Staves’n’Tabs is in its MIDI functions. MIDI recording is hard - I haven’t figured it out yet though I’ve tried and had more than a few failed attempts - and MIDI input from an external controller (connected via USB through the Apple lightning to USB adapter) has a lot of latency (bordering on 500 ms).

Additionally - and this isn’t necessarily a frustration either - the audio playback should read crescendos, diminuendos, and accents in its MIDI velocity. Currently, if I have a gradual rise in velocity from piano to forte written on the score over two or three bars (the < and > markings, I always forget the actual name for them lol), the instrument velocity in playback will change directly from piano to forte with no graduation. This doesn’t sound as nice as a gradual change in velocity, and doesn’t accurately represent the score intended to be created either as gradual changes in dynamics are important to classical compositions. None of these notes are deal breakers, however; it would just be nice for them to be implemented (and that implementation would likely convince my to buy the final IAP for advanced features).

In the future I would like to see some external keyboard support - keyboard shortcuts are just a way of life for me - and a better way to place notes directly on to the staff just by tapping (in my case, with my Apple Pencil) where I want to place them. Handwriting support for Apple Pencil would also be fantastic, as many of Staves’n’Tabs’s competitors also boast this feature and it is a powerful tool for composers on the go. But all in all, it’s great right now and I’m sure will continue to be greater as it improves. Staves’n’Tabs already has higher ratings than the leading titles in iPadOS notation software like Notion and StaffPad so who knows? This could become the very best out there!!

This is a very good app but almost after over an hour or an hour and a half it crashes and won't let me back in Staventabs . And then I have to wait 2-5 days until it finally works again but then it crashes again. Sometimes I turn my phone off and turn it back on again and that kind of works after 25 minutes. Please, I would like to know what to do to make this stop happening. What should I do?

For future releases, please incorporate the following features:

1) Make sure the playback line aligns with the audio. I feel like the playback line that moves along the sheet music while the audio plays is a half-step behind what I’m hearing.

2) Allow for the display of tablature with rhythm notation. Currently, the only way to read rhythm notation is to display the staff above the tab.

3) Create a speed trainer like Guitar Pro. This is a feature where you create a loop and each repeat is faster than the one prior. You can even set the percentages by which the speed increases with each repeat.

Please add more variety synth instruments.

Sometimes the first note on a track will not play out. Usually the first note on the first bar of the loop.

Had Staventabs for years. Purchased all the upgrades. You’ve always added good improvements. Keep up the great work devs! Thank you.

I’ve spent about week searching for the best app for drum notation on ipad. Between this, and the giants like Muscore and Dorico, this is the best one that suits my needs so far. Unlike the others, Staventabs can import midi/xml, convert them to proper drum notation, can select multiple bars for looping, and playback notation with speed control. All for free. This is just what I need to rehearse and practice songs on drums. Staventabs also runs quite smooth and has a really handsome UI. I haven’t spent too much time creating my own notation on Staventabs, but the tools you do get are intuitive and easier and faster to learn over apps like Dorico.

It’s not completely perfect however. Modifiers or notes like open hi hats do not get translated when importing from midi/xml and requires a purchased add on to edit imported files. The premium add ons are very affordable, but it’s quite annoying. The looping feature seems to be off too. When looping something like 1 bar, the first note seems stutter/delay upon the loop, creating a effect that makes loop sound out of time. Also, the metronome is completely inaudible over the drum kit samples. A mixer is definitely needed for an app like this. I would love to have a mixer that would allow me to have each individual drum kit instrument on the faders.

I have been taking classical guitar lessons and have branched out to beginning to make my own simple arrangements. First I need to write the melody in standard notation and add chord symbols. Then I use tablature to add bass and try out different
fingerings. Other apps I have looked at might work but are
aimed more at other uses. For me Staventabs is elegant!

I’ve been looking for a mobile app like this for years. It’s user-friendly yet has plenty of options. Multi-track tabs, plus staves, different instrument voicing, and I LOVe the easy cut and paste functions. I highly recommend. (I use it to tab uke songs with both melody and strumming/chord background.).

STAVE ‘n’ Tabs is the best Notation App for Guitarists on the iPhone/IPod. l have used other Notation Apps for a few years and finally tried STAVE ‘n’ Tabs. l should of tried it a Long time ago, you can export your Guitar Notation in Numerous formats that can be used or edited on other apps or Computers Software, my only wish is to add my own fingerings to the Chord diagrams, everything else about Staventabs is superb!

I've been roaming the appstore for a while now, looking for a notation software that would let me do what I need to without being overly complicated to learn. This hit the nail right on the head. I basically need somewhere I can write down my chords and experiment with different ways of breaking them, and this definitely does that. In addition, I can add other instruments that I don't have access to, and therefore can't use, at home. Great app, fairly easy to pick up, simple structure.

Update: Developer with -Super fast response (in great detail) to my questions! 5 Stars now. However I can’t import a files yet.
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Developer response to my problemI like Staventabs. (I am a pro music Teacher 20+ years) I use the apps: Notion and Notate me on a ipad pro 2017. Unfortunately Staventabs won't export standard midi (or musicxml for that matter) to any other app including Garageband correctly, which is disappointing because that's one of the main reasons I bought the upgraded in-app purchase. Until this ahas resolved I con only give 3 stars.

Otherwise it's pretty easy to use- however it would be nice if layout for the back button was nearer note enter buttons are is. I mean, why is it way up in the right hand corner of the screen?

And I have say the ability to edit chord diagrams is outstanding. No other app has this feature. It's great.

I’m enjoying Staventabs and have purchase the upgrades on my iPad. It’s a nice middle ground between limited free apps and the expensive commercial behemoths, especially the ability to add ornaments common to traditional music.

I’ve got a couple questions:
• I thought I had upgraded the desktop version, but when I opened it recently after a break, I discovered I was still on the basic version. Is there a way to see if I had purchase the upgrade previously? Staventabs didn’t find one when I tried to restore.
• I’ve been playing a lot of traditional music, and I’m curious if you have plans to add ABC format import or export. That would save me having to use another program to convert to MIDI or MusicXML first.

Love Staventabs , simple to use yet vast in what you can do. Was wondering if there was a way to add a sustain pedal (notation) for piano scores. Maybe it’s there, maybe not. That would be helpful though.