Hey there,
I am not sure if I should spend the time and money to learn Dorico so I think it might be a good question to ask users here.
(I have been researching Finale, Sibelius and Dorico and think I will like Dorico the best.)
My style & current skills
I am a musician (songwriter, bandleader on vocals & guitar) and guitar teacher.
To compose my songs I use Cubase 12 Pro and record guitar(s), vocals, bass and I program / fingerdrum the drum parts. My style is traditional electric (Chicago) Blues.
For my videos and for my students I create guitar TABs in GuitarPro8 (I am a GP power user) and I am happy with the results. I wouldnât need a more professional score editor for this.
What I want to do
Now I want to add horn sections to my songs & recordings, think Blues Brothers style.
I need to learn how to arrange for horns and I want to listen to my creations while I try to learn / arrange and then I want to record those parts.
I bought a book with horn scores of James Brown, Blues Brothers, and Soul hits
and some arranging books including âInstrumental Jazz Arrangingâ (Hal Leonard, by Mike Tomaro & John Wilson)
and âJazz Composition and Arranging in the Digital Ageâ (by Richard Sussman and Michael Abene).
Both the Jazz arranging books include Sibelius and Finale tips and files.
I already own NI Session Horns Pro (Sample based),
SWAM Saxophones (modeling) and
V Horns Trumpets, Trombones & Saxophones (modeling).
My question is:
What would be the advantages if I start using Dorico over staying with Cubase only?
I understand in Cubase I would use the key editor to enter the horn parts and in Dorico I could actually enter the notes from the scores (like I do in GuitarPro).
Are there any other differences / advantages in using Dorico except for seeing actual scores instead of a key editor? Maybe easier / more advanced humanize functions etc.?
I understand I can use Expression maps in both programs.
Can I easily use / integrate parts I create in Dorico into Cubase?
Looking forward to your thoughts, experiences and recommandations!
Andi