
So, following the release of the notched MacBook Pro models earlier this year, the tool added a new Notch Bar feature that lets users add a black bar on either side of the notch to hide it on the latest MacBook models. But as a student moving around campus, I find it annoying to bring an external keypad just to compose.BetterTouchTool is a popular utility tool for macOS that lets users customize various input devices on your Mac to make them more useful.


As the adage goes “if you aren’t paying for the product, the product is you.”Īt the end of the day, this program is really just replacing a number pad. This program is affordable! Only 20$ and honestly I would feel bad not paying for this, not to mention uncertain about its security. I was easily able to find one for Sibelius and customize it to my settings. Not only does this application come with the option to create your own custom touchbar settings and commands for any application, but the program boasts an extensive forum page from where you can download templates. The BetterTouch Tool is able to bridge this disconnect and realize the potential of the MacBook’s touchbar true capabilities. Right out of the box, the touchbar’s use is limited and uncustomizable. The default way that Apple programmed its recording hotkeys for the touchbar were intuitive and easy to learn, however they weren’t enjoyable and “game-changing” enough for me to change my workflow. And when I first unpacked my laptop and opened Logic Pro X, my presumptions were partially correct. Instead Apple is trying to have people purchase both a laptop and iPad. I saw it as a halfway response for Apple delivering what the masses have been asking for: a touchscreen laptop. I thought the concept was a gimmick and saw it as a marketing middle ground.

Purchasing a new laptop to keep up with the compositions and increased CPU I needed, I was initially judgmental of the touchbar feature. Bear in mind, this tool is only available for users with a MacBook that has a touchbar.

Everyone will have a workflow that best suited them, but I want to introduce a plug-in that really changed the game for me. Prior to using Sibelius to jot down ideas I had materialized onto staff notebooks and I had mostly been able to navigate quickly writing out my ideas using mouse and rapidly hitting the “n” key. I have been composing in Sibelius for around 5 years now.
