LC4 Controller vs Dorico
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
LC4 Controller
This app provides wireless control for a music lab, allowing educators to manage student interactions and broadcast music from anywhere in the room. It includes features like student icon customization, attendance tracking, and access to the iPad's music library for class-wide playback.
- Wireless control of Yamaha LC4 Music Lab
- Customize and position student icons
- In-app attendance tracker
- Integrated notepad
- Broadcast music from iPad library
- Full hardware function access
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The exclusive LC4 Controller App gives you full control over the Yamaha LC4 Music Lab wirelessly from anywhere in the room. Music educators now have the freedom to leave their teacher station and visit students individually at their instruments to demonstrate passages, correct technique and posture, all the while maintaining the ability to operate the lab hardware wirelessly. The LC4 Controller App provides convenient access to all of the hardware functions and even adds more features. The app lets you customize and position student icons in the classroom view to match the physical layout of the instruments in the room. The in-app attendance tracker and notepad are conveniently included, eliminating the need for additional software. The LC4 Controller App even accesses the iPad’s music library and allows the teacher to broadcast songs wirelessly to the class. The LC4 Controller App is compatible only with the Yamaha LC4 Music Lab, and requires the optional LC4 WIFI KIT.
Dorico
Create professional music notation and compositions with this powerful app. Easily input notes, edit performances, and share your work in various formats. It's suitable for beginners and professionals alike.
- Compose music notation
- On-screen keyboard, drum pads, fretboard
- MIDI editing tools
- PDF, audio, MusicXML export
- Print to AirPrint
- Read mode with annotation
- Automatic engraving
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Compose your own music for free with Dorico. Create beautiful music notation for up to eight instruments quickly and easily with the on-screen keyboard, drum pads and fretboard. Play back instantly with the included sounds and shape the performance with powerful MIDI editing tools. When your piece is finished, share it as PDF, audio or MusicXML, or print directly to your AirPrint-enabled printer. Perform using the built-in read mode, and annotate with your Apple Pencil. Dorico is the award-winning music notation and composition software from Steinberg for macOS, Windows, and iPadOS. It’s easy enough to learn and use that it is used by students in schools, and deep enough that it satisfies the needs of the most demanding professionals in the worlds of concert music, music for film and TV, and music publishing. Dorico for iPad is fully compatible with Dorico for macOS and Windows, so you can work on your projects on the move on your iPad and in your studio on your desktop or laptop computer, or share projects with musicians using Dorico on any platform. Dorico’s interface is split into four modes. In Setup mode, you can add and change instruments, create and reorder sections of music (called “flows”), and choose how your music will be formatted for your musicians into layouts. In Write mode, you can input and edit music and other notations using simple, well-organized toolboxes and panels. In Engrave mode (included if you buy a paid subscription to Dorico’s advanced features), you can make graphical tweaks to every item in your project. Finally, in Play mode, you have access to powerful sequencer-style MIDI editing tools, including piano roll and velocity editors. Dorico includes built-in virtual instruments and effects to allow you to play back your compositions, and you can also easily use any compatible Audio Unit plug-in or external MIDI device (with optional subscription or Lifetime Unlock in-app purchase), and tweak playback using the on-screen Mixer. Input music using an on-screen piano keyboard, or by connecting a MIDI keyboard to your iPad directly via USB or using a compatible USB-to-Lightning adaptor. If you have a Magic Keyboard or other external keyboard, you can make use of extensive keyboard shortcuts to work quickly and efficiently. Dorico is free to use, allowing you to write for ensembles of up to four players. Register with your free Steinberg ID to increase the player limit to eight, allowing you to write for ensembles like string or wind quartet, or SATB choir. If you want to take your composition and arranging to the next level, you can buy an optional subscription or Lifetime Unlock in-app purchase to access more features and power: write for ensembles of any number of players, and gain access to Engrave mode, allowing you to make graphical tweaks to individual items anywhere in your project. HIGHLIGHTS • Best automatic engraving of any software • Easy note input using on-screen keyboard, MIDI keyboard, or external keyboard • Intelligently adjusts notation as you write • Any number of movements or pieces in a single project • Automatic layout of instrumental parts • Expressive playback using included sounds and effects • Supports Audio Unit virtual instruments and effects processors • Sequencer-style piano roll MIDI editor • Sophisticated chord symbols, unpitched percussion and drum set notation • Unbarred music, tuplets across barlines, etc. all handled correctly — no workarounds • Transfer to and from other apps via MusicXML, MIDI, PDF, etc. For support, please visit www.dorico.com/forum If you like Dorico, please support us by rating this app in the App Store. Thank you!
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: LC4 Controller at 100% against Dorico's 55%. LC4 Controller also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Dorico's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 26 months) and ratings volume (2.2K vs 1). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Dorico sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. LC4 Controller asks for nothing beyond the download.
LC4 Controller holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dorico has 2.2K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of LC4 Controller's written reviews are positive against 55% of Dorico's.
LC4 Controller ships an update every 26 months, Dorico every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | LC4 Controller | Dorico |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 4.6 (2.2K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 55.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 2.2K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 26 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 17 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 975 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Yamaha Corporation of America | Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH |
Customer experience
LC4 Controller
Dorico
Bugs and requests
LC4 Controller
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Dorico
Reported bugs
5 issues- Crashes when opening or editing projects
- Corrupted/lost files after app crashes
- Unresponsive keyboard and note input issues
- Scrolling and UI glitches, especially in Engrave mode
- Incompatibility with certain iPad models and iOS versions
Requested features
5 requests- Support for Apple Pencil and handwriting input
- Improved file management and organization
- Expanded audio unit/plugin integration
- More customization options for layout and engraving
- Ability to export/import flows and projects between iPad and desktop
In-app purchases
LC4 Controller
No in-app purchases
Dorico
- Dorico Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$5.991 Month
- Dorico Annual Subscription14 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Dorico Lifetime Unlock$119.99









