I run Dorico Pro 5.1 under Windows 11 and have a problem importing flows. Previously I had imported music from an XML file and split the movements into seperate files (projects) to facilitate editing of the many errors created during the import procedure. When this was done I had 8 files each with it’s own movement.
I created a project and named it Nutcracker Suite and imported the first movement (Flow 1). This was for a Bb clarinet and had cues which I had formatted manually so the setup was for one Bb instrument.
I then learned how to use the Cue option and here I use Flow III as an example because it is for A Clarinet and contains several cue instruments and I wanted to see if I could add this as a new flow to my project. The result is shown here:
The question is, how to add flows with different instrument constellations. I enclose the two files described here.
Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a.dorico (998.7 KB)
Nutcracker_Suite_OP71a-Kl1_Flow3a.dorico (1.1 MB)
You can import flows with different instruments. When you import the flow, there’s a dialog asking whether you wish to use the existing instruments (I would suggest to answer yes). Make sure that all instruments are ticked in the full score layout, and that each individual layout only has one instrument ticked.
You could also check which flows are ticked for each Layout, so that the tacets are correctly set.
If you want to have one single layout for Clarinet in A and clarinet in B, the easiest way is to open the Clarinet in Acplayer’s card, which reveals tha A clarinet “instrument” (a bordered clarinet name), drag and drop it into the clarinet in B player’s card. Their layout will now show both instruments and instrument changes might appear (according to the settings made in Layout options>Players)
Hope it helps!
I tried following your instructions but failed to understand the logic. The first snipped shows my attempt to define the instruments in the first movement:
The second snippet was the equivalent for the second movement:
Could you perhaps send me snippets showing how this should be done correctly.
It’s not clear to me what your desired end result is here.
In your first screenshot, the first flow is selected (bright blue). The left and right panels show that this flow only contains music for one player (Bb clarinet), and only one layout includes this flow (Bb clarinet).
In your second screenshot, the second flow is selected. The left and right panels show that the flow contains music for all 5 players, and the only layout that contains this flow is A clarinet.
I think in the second flow you’re using the other instruments as sources for cues, and you only care about the clarinet part. But if you want the Bb part from the first flow and the A part from the second flow to appear in the same layout, then you need to combine things differently – as @MarcLarcher suggests, move the A clarinet instrument from the A clarinet player to the Bb clarinet player.
Is this what you’re going for? Or is it something else? I can help with some screenshots once I understand.
- move the A clarinet instrument from the A clarinet player to the Bb clarinet player .
I think your interpretation is correct but how is this done?
It’s realy quite simple. I want to combine the two attached files into one with two flows. The first file is for Bb clarinet and the second for A clarinet. The second file contains a number of additional instruments used for Cues. I am trying to use the add flow function in Dorico to achieve this.
I opened your first project file, and then I imported the flow from your second, so I think I’m in the same place you are.
In Setup mode, I’ve expanded the cards for the two clarinet players (Bb and A). You can see that each player is holding one instrument. (The player name is above, in gray text, and the instrument name is below, in blue text.)
What you want to do here is to put both clarinet instruments into the hands of one player. To do this, you can just drag the A clarinet instrument and drop it onto the Bb clarinet player.
Now the Bb clarinet player is holding two instruments – a Bb clarinet and an A clarinet. (You could do the same thing by clicking the three dots to the right of the A clarinet instrument and choosing Move Instrument to Player.)
If you switch to Write or Engrave mode, you’ll see that the clarinet layout (now called “Clarinet (Bb) and Clarinet(A)”) contains the music for both instruments. You’ll also see that Dorico has automatically added instrument change labels to show you which one is playing:
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It’s realy quite simple. I want to combine the two attached files into one with two flows. The first file is for Bb clarinet and the second for A clarinet. The second file contains a number of additional instruments used for Cues. I am trying to use the add flow function in Dorico to achieve this.
Isn’t that what I just demonstrated? I opened one file, imported the flow from the second file, and combined the two clarinets into one player. Did you try following my steps to see if they accomplish what you want?
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There was still something I was missing here! So I started from scratch again.
- I open Nutcracker_Suite_Op71a-Kl1_Flow1a and rename it Nutcracker_Suite_Op71a_2.
- I import Nutcracker_Suite_Op71a-Kl1_Flow3a for existing players and selected all. I check that all players were ticked in the full score layout, and that each individual layout only had only one instrument ticked.
- I dropped Clarinet A into the Clarinet B player’s card and deleted the empty handed player and layout . The B Clarinet label remained named Clarinet B! and there was an empty unnamed player at the top of the instrument list! . I had to go back to the original file, Nutcracker_Suite_Op71a-Kl1_Flow1a and do a rerun to correct this and now it appears that all is well - the flow has been added and the result looks good. I will continue with the other flows and see how that goes.
Thank you for your input and patience, John.
