Issue: Dorico may be overwriting and incorrectly saving some/most clarinets as B flat in MIDI-out endpoint configurations and playback templates - even when other types are explicitly chosen.
This happens in two scenarios. Option 1:
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In Build Ensemble screen, pick some clarinets that are not B flat and add them (here I picked one in E flat, another in A, plus a bass clarinet)
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Result - on my system, Dorico overwrites them to B flat clarinets:
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This might be happening because Ensemble picker is possibly limited to the default “parent” instruments only? However, I don’t see this mentioned in the manual unless I missed it (FYI @Lillie_Harris)
Option 2:
Avoiding the ensemble picker altogether and adding E flat and A clarinets individually, then routing them for MIDI out and saving both the endpoint and playback template results in a similar problem on my system - as soon as I “apply and close” the template or recall this setup in a new project, Dorico re-routes all clarinets to B flat and my assignments are ignored. Somehow the routing is not saved correctly.
endpointconfig.xml
Looking at endpointconfig xml that I saved with correct assignments, I can see that Dorico recorded clarinets as if they were all B flat, completely ignoring my choices and routing.
In this example, I picked and saved 5 instruments in this order: Clarinet in E flat, Clarinet in B flat 1, Clarinet in B flat 2, Clarinet in A, Bass Clarinet. But they ended up being written as the same instrument into the endpointconfig as shown below.
Playback
If I use this incorrect endpointconfig in a newly created project or if I open an existing one and “reapply” this endpointconfig then these clarinets, if used, would be re-routed. Dorico changes the assignments and directs several of these clarinets to the same MIDI channel. This breaks the playback even though buttons are active and playhead is visible.
Manually editing the endpointconfig file to indicate the correct instruments restores the intended MIDI channel assignments and also completely restores playback. (@Ulf - it turns out this was the problem that we had been discussing here and it’s easily fixed with a simple file edit).
However, editing the file obviously doesn’t work when using Ensembles in a fresh project - the instruments are overwritten in setup as shown at the top of the post. As mentioned, this might be a limitation of the Ensemble picker.
Additionally, the problem persists if the endpointconfig is re-saved later for any other reason - these clarinets are overwritten again.
I don’t know what’s causing this, but it’s interesting to mention that as of Dorico 4 there is a generic Sketch woodwind and its parent is the Clarinet in B flat. If I include both Sketch woodwind and my poor clarinets, the Sketch instrument would get routed twice for MIDI out - as a Sketch proper and secondly by bumping the first clarinet in my list and taking its place.