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As you can see, scores displayed in Scorch look lovely. Click the image for more screenshots.

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If you're musician who plays from sheet music, Avid's announcement of Scorch for the iPad could be pretty big news. This is a new app that's based on Sibelius technology and serves as an "interactive score library, music stand and sheet music store".

As well as being able to read Sibelius scores, Scorch also features an in-app store that enables you to choose from more than 150,000 scores from world-renowned publishers. These can be displayed full-screen, played back, transposed and more.

We've seen music notation on the iPad before, but with its Sibelius heritage, Scorch looks likely to raise the bar. Admittedly, it doesn't enable you to write and edit scores, but for musicians who have to carry around a lot of sheet music, it could be a godsend.

Scorch is available now from the Apple App Store priced at £2.99 (the price will rise to £4.99 on 31 July), though obviously, scores purchased from the in-app store will have to be paid for separately. More details below: click here for a gallery of screenshots.

Avid Scorch press release

Avid® (NASDAQ: AVID), today announced the release of its first application for the Apple iPad mobile device—Avid Scorch®, available on the App Store. Customers can now practice, perform and purchase their favorite sheet music on the go with an application that transforms an iPad into an interactive score library, music stand and sheet music store. Powered by Avid's market-leading Sibelius® music notation software engine, Avid Scorch is the first sheet music app to offer a rich, interactive experience that makes scores easy to learn and play. Scorch also offers unparalleled access to the most popular sheet music through an in-app store with more than 150,000 premium titles available from world-class publishers.

Musicians, music teachers and students will enjoy features in Scorch, including:

Interactive Learning and Performance: Musicians can easily learn songs or adapt them to their instrument by transposing a score, changing instruments, or converting to and from guitar tab—then give a great performance using Music Stand mode, which offers a full display of the sheet music on the iPad. Users can also see the score played on the Keyboard display, hear music played back and speed it up or slow it down.

Portable, Expandable Music Collection: Using the app, customers can purchase and download more than 150,000 scores available from Hal Leonard and Music Sales. The Scorch app also eliminates the need to carry folders full of paper and music books by making it easy to add Sibelius and Sibelius First scores to the iPad.

Sleek Interface: It's easy to manipulate and play back scores with a simple touch-enabled interface. Music is easy to view, regardless of size, through impressive display clarity and functionality, including the ability to select from a variety of paper textures and font choices. Users can also take advantage of Music Stand mode to devote the entire display to the sheet music and turn pages quickly, allowing musicians to stay in the moment.

"We're certain our customers will be excited to use Scorch, an innovative iPad application, to purchase, practice and perform sheet music wherever they go," said Tanguy Leborgne, Vice President, Creative Enthusiasts Products and Solutions at Avid. "We're focused on using our industry-leading technology in exciting new ways so musicians, teachers, students -- all creative people -- can achieve their artistic vision."

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