The three movements (flows) in my piece have very different requirements for staff and system spacing, but I cannot find a Layout setting which will allow me to set these differently for each flow. How to, please?
Thanks.
Can you upload the score, or at least provide some screenshots of the different flows, and list the Ideal Gaps values you’re using?
Remember that Dorico applies the Ideal Gap values. Then it does any collision avoidance, moving things further apart as necessary. Then it justifies the whole page.
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Here is a page from the flow I wish to compress, perhaps enough to get three systems per page:
Here is a page from another flow which I think should not be compressed any further:
Here are my settings:
You have to understand that Ideal gaps are actually the minimal gaps you are willing to accept. Dorico will never go less than there… Until the 100% fullness is trespassed, and then anything ugly can happen.
I would probably try and set the braced systems (pianos) down to 5.5, the staff to staff down to 5, the others down to 7. Then the very interesting settings are after those: space between systems should remain quite high (12? Or more?) and the last two settings are very important. I think I would try decreasing the first, which is minimal distance with stuff from adjacent staves, because your piano material is stuffed with that. Try diving it by 2. (1 space? 1/2 space) and see how it changes the whole layout.
Then you can start fine-tuning vertical justification. You should quickly find something nice (60-90?)
Hope it helps!
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If the whole thing is a Piano duet, then you should be able to find a fairly consistent scheme over the whole thing. You won’t get three systems to a page without reducing the staff size, and possibly reducing the header.
You need to look at the page fullness percentages in Engrave mode, and compare them to the Justification Percentages. It looks like your first example is spacing out the staves, while the 2nd example is spacing out the systems.
(Also the two players will probably know which line is theirs after the first system, and don’t need full labels on every staff. )
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