I currently use Dorico 1, but if it is not possible to do what I’m about to ask in Dorico 1, then I would like to know the way to use it in Dorico 2.
I do not like the choir sounds in Dorico, so I was wondering if I could instead use a string sound to replace the voice sound, and then change the staff name to for example, baritone instead of cello. What is the best way to do that?
Yep.
In 2, at least. Never used 1.
Add a string section sound, click on the instrument in Setup, Edit name.
This works, and is of course the right way to rename instruments. But in this situation Dorico still thinks you have a string section rather than a voice part, which nullifies some of its clever behaviour (for instance, automatically positioning dynamics above the staff for voices to avoid lyrics).
It’s also possible to do it the other way around and avoid this disadvantage. Create the instrument you really want (voice, soprano, tenor, whatever), then change its playback sound to something else in Play mode. I do this routinely to change Halion’s dreadful choir sounds into ordinary piano or strings. (Not Halion’s fault: I’ve never yet found a sample library that renders the human voice at all well.) For instructions: Changing sounds - Dorico - Steinberg Forums
I actually don’t mind the voice samples in NotePerformer 3. Really not bad at all.
I agree with randywombat: Keep the Player and Instrument as a Singer, but change the sample in Play mode using the VST panel.