I want to buy Dorico but I am unsure on the best version to go for. These are my needs…
I am playing clarinet almost 3 years and am now playing 2nd clarinet in our brass and reed band. I wanted to take my music parts for clarinet and convert these to digital files so I could listen and play. It will also give me a better understand of the parts.
With this in mind, it will be for two instruments max. 1st and 2nd clarinet (or alto sax). Which version is adequate?
Welcome to the forum, @TonyMcGartland. You may well find the free Dorico SE version adequate for your needs. You have nothing to lose by giving it a try!
If you find it insufficient, then there’s an inexpensive upgrade path to Dorico Elements, which has more capabilities.
Thanks for the reply @dspreadbury - I’ve no issues about buying. Is there much difference between the free download and the SE edition? Does it have clarinet sounds on playback?
A simple search brings up the comparison tool which will tell you everything you need to know:
The clarinet sounds in both Dorico SE and Dorico Elements are pretty basic – the full Dorico Pro product contains a better sampled clarinet as part of the HALion Symphonic Orchestra library that is included with the full product. But if Dorico Pro would otherwise be overkill for your needs, then it might be a better use of your funds to think about Dorico SE or Dorico Elements and then adding NotePerformer, which is inexpensive and provides the best price-performance of any sound-based add-on you can buy for your notation software. (It’s not a Steinberg product, but you’ll find many fans of it here.)