It sounds like your focus is on producing sheet music with NOTION 6 . . .

THOUGHTS AND A BIT OF BACKGROUND

I do everything on the Mac, so if you are using Windows there are some things with which I cannot help, although most of the actual music notation work is the same for the Mac and Windows . . .

For reference, I have been using NOTION for about 15 years; and I have developed a set of general principles and practices that make it easier to do what I need to do . . .

My focus is composing virtual music for my songs and old-time science fiction radio plays, which I started doing 25 years ago, at first with an Apple notebook, MOTU 828mkII external digital audio and MIDI interface (to connect a microphone and two electric instruments), a Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster, and an Alesis ION analog music synthesizer to make outer space sounds . . .

I was in a liturgical boys choir as a child, and this is where I learned to sight-sing soprano treble clef; but it's the only clef which for me is intuitive, hence I do everything in NOTION on soprano treble staves, which I make in the correct pitch range via the transposition specification in Score Setup, where for example I can tell NOTION to play notes two octaves lower than notated when it's an electric bass or a contrabass . . .

This is one aspect of my "Simplification Strategy", which works nicely since I am conversant and proficient with soprano treble staff music . . .

It's useful to know I am very smart--my I.Q. was measured at "well over 170" when I was in the 5th grade (10 years-old) due to my habit of crawling around under the raised classroom during multiplication hour, which I did because I was multiplying two-digit integers in my mind by age 7 years-old and could not believe children could get to the 5th grade and not know how to multiply single integers, which is what the teacher was trying to show the class, so as I was fascinated with the idea of being a professional plumber, I crawled around under the classroom studying the various pipes and how they were connected . . .

Mostly, I am good at analogies, metaphors, and similes; and I tell people I probably am the smartest person within a few hundred miles of wherever I happen to be, which is true but with a big exception . . .

I also am remarkably naive and stupid about things most people probably find to be natural and intuitive . . .

For example, I only realized a few years ago that I am a baritone . . .

Why?

The last time anyone told me my pitch range was when I was in the liturgical boys choir, and then I was a soprano . . .

Since I am focused on composing and rendering the music notation as audio using VSTi virtual instruments, which I produce and audio engineer, I do not need so specify most music notation dynamics, symbols, articulations, playing styles, and so forth--these being vastly complex and totally frivolous for what I need to do . . .

If I want a violin played a specific way, then I use one that has a set of sampled-sounds done that way by a trained violinist . . .

I control dynamics with compressor-limiters, brick wall limiters, and so forth, hence do not need to clutter the music notation with dynamic marks and all that stuff . . .

I do everything in continuous view (single horizontal timeline), hence am able to avoid repeats, multiple endings, and all that stuff . . .

Starting perhaps two years or so ago, I started doing everything in Studio One Professional, and its embedded NOTION is superb for what I need to do . . .

I was using NOTION with Studio One in ReWire sessions where Studio One was the ReWire controller and NOTION was the ReWire helper; but PreSonus dropped ReWire support, so after discovering embedded NOTION was excellent, I moved everything to Studio One . . .

Nevertheless, I used NOTION 3 and subsequent version so extensively, I continue to be proficient in some aspects and at least cognizant of the other aspects . . .

For example, when I am in "scholar mode" I understand most music notation for a violin, but I don't use it and consider it mostly to be a waste of time and a way to clutter an otherwise readable score . . .

In a sense, I am a combination of the Beatles (everything "by ear") and George Martin (trained musician, provides the music theory expertise) . . .

STRATEGY

You are in Wales, and I am in Texas . . .

This makes doing anything in-person virtually impossible, if only because I stopped air travel 25 years ago (asthma and bronchitis) . . .

I can do FaceTime (Apple) or some other type of conferencing; so that might be a possibility . . .

There are some other things I can do; and perhaps some other forum members can help, although perhaps not . . .

There also are things I cannot do, including help with specifying elaborate dynamics, articulations, playing styles, and all that stuff . . .

There are some things I can do gratis to provide some help, and they are simple but perhaps helpful . . .

For example, if you need help with creating a basic NOTION score for an ensemble, then I can do this using native NOTION instruments and only need to know which instruments and voices . . .

[NOTE: When I refer to a "basic NOTION score", this is a score with a staff for each instrument and voice with a few measures of notes and a simple melody with the idea being as a template or foundation for a song. I do this when I start composing a song, and it might be 36 measures with quarter notes and perhaps a few eighth note--sufficient to use to develop an elaborate song . . . ]

Doing this for a full symphony orchestra and choir is not something I am interested in doing gratis; but 10 or so instruments and 4 vocalists is easy to do and is something I can use in a section of one of my science fiction radio plays or a song . . .

Beyond this, it will be helpful to get a better sense of your level of NOTION skill and where you need help . . .

FaceTime conferencing or similar is possible, and I can do this as a paid activity which certainly can include sending you some basic NOTION scores and examining some of your NOTION scores to provide specific help . . .

This is an example of one of my songs which has a bit of FUN with the idea of flying saucers and Aliens From Outer Space:

[NOTE: Everything I do is mixed for listening with studio-quality headphones or Apple AirPods Pro. There are elaborate panning, motion effects, and echoes designed for enjoying when each ear has its own separate and independent audio stream, typically at loud volume level . . . ]



This is one of the recent chapters of my old-time science fiction radio plays; and it has a nice range of musical styles and instrumentation . . .

[NOTE: It's an elaborate pun based on a fellow who is Canadian and considers himself to be the Grand Eye of Toll, which he ends with the classic Canuck "eh". He prefers to live under a bridge where he can collect tolls. After a while, the Grand Eye of Toll-eh became obsessed with dividing everything by three and embarked on an effort to cause the number of days in the Standard Galactic Week to be divided evenly by three . . . ]



ANOTHER STRATEGY

I am working on a system for a pedal harpist who needs to be able to compose music notation by hand or "de novo" . . .

The idea is to use NOTION Mobile on an Apple iPad with an Apple Pen to enter the music notation, which includes most if not all the various notes, rests, dynamics, articulations, playing styles, pedal notations, repeats, double endings, and all that stuff . . .

I have done some experiments to verify this strategy will work; and it includes using ScanScore to scan the iPad music notation done in NOTION Mobile which produces a PDF or MusicXML output that can be imported to NOTION 6 for additional formatting, tailoring, and outputting as printed sheet music . . .

In this system, it's also possible to import the finished music notation into forScore, an app that runs on the iPad and has very nice page-turning capabilities for performers, musicians, singers and so forth . . .

I mention this as an option because if you are proficient in composing with a pencil and paper, then this is what NOTION Mobile makes possible . . .

This might be more practical, and it avoids needing to be so computer proficient and messing with a lot of annoying computer stuff . . .

I have a topic on this in the forum, and the concept is coming along nicely . . .

At this time, I am confident the system will work, since I have done each step or process to verify it works as I think it does . . .

The pedal harpist agrees and thinks it is something she will be able to do without having to deal with a bunch of annoying computer stuff . . .

Software for PDF-to-music-notation (MusicXML)? (PreSonus NOTION Forum)

Lots of FUN!