I’m having an issue where an A2 marking is relabelled immediately after it’s already been notated. Any thoughts on why this is happening?
Dorico looks at chunks of music separated by rests independently. It consider the quarter note the start of a new phrase, so it puts the a2. You can hide it with the properties panel.
Read the version history and/or watch the condensing video on the YouTube channel for more in-depth explanations.
Maybe there could be a setting “Don’t show condensing label when it is identical to the preceding one on the same system” but for now, manual hiding is indeed the way to go.
We cerrainly have some remaining tasks on our condensing backlog to try to reduce the number of player labels you see in situations like this.
This is really maddening. I have a rhythmic figure that repeats in a condensed part, and Dorico places an a2 after every rest! I have to go to Engrave mode and select each a2 and hide it in the properties panel? Individually? REALLY? The most maddening thing of all is that it only does this with my oboe and trombone parts. The bassoon parts look fine.
Please fix this Dorico.
You don’t need to post this multiple times.
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Sorry. I thought they were different threads. My bad!
Still…I can’t seem to figure out the problem. It took me about 40 minutes to select and hide every single unwanted a2 in Engrave mode. And of course in Write mode I couldn’t select them because they were condensed.
Some constructive feedback:
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Allow multiple selections in Engrave mode. In Play mode you can select all, but in Engrave mode you can only click one item at a time, or you have to drag over a swath of music and you end up selecting things you don’t want.
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When selecting multiple items in Engrave mode, allow “player labels” to come up in the “filter” context menu. As of now they don’t come up.
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Have an option in the condensing menu for allowing the user to select his or her own phrase lengths. Having the phrase restart at a new rest doesn’t help for multiple short figurations, such as triplet figures or sixteenth figures with a rest.
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This already exists. Just select an object at the rhythmic position you want the change > create a Condensing Change > in the dialog, tick the instruments (on the left) that you want the change to affect > done.
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I’m still struggling with this, wrapping my head around, can’t remove these weird a 2, despite trying everything.
Chopin Etude Testing.dorico (3.7 MB)
Look at trombones 1.2., always displaying the a2 each system.
Initially I set the trumpets to show as up-stem and down-stem voices and then change to “reset” on bar 15. From that point on it has the same issue as the trombones, with a bonus of another “a 2” in the middle of the system on bar 22 for no reason (which also repeats later).
Yes I also have lots of player labels being hidden on woodwinds.
For the records: you can select similar objects with Option-Shift-A, as explained in the help documentation or this video:
So, you could select all “a2”s and then deselect individual ones, if that’s the easier option.
You can’t do this in Engrave mode.
Edit: regarding a 2 text, not the rest.
The main issue that you are having is that some of the music you want to condense does not have identical positions although it looks the same. All you need is one slight difference and it will not condense. In some places you are forcing the condensing into one voice - this is where you run into trouble.
Case in point, for the Tpts, try:
- Remove all Condensing Changes except for the Up-stem Voice 1 and Down-stem Voice 1 that you want in Bar 1, and the Reset that you want in Bar 15.
- You will see that Bars 20-23 will not condense the Trumpets.
- This is due to the breath mark at the end of Bar 23. Copy and paste it from one to the other (removing the existing one) and it will suddenly condense. (If you select either of them, you will see that they are attached do different rhythmic positions)
Regarding a2 at the beginning of each Tbn staff (and any condensed staff): this is expected. Dorico restates the a2 at the beginning of each system by default.
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Out of interest, why do you want separate voices at beginning of trumpets?
It worked! Thanks.
Right, but I’d like to at least have an option for it to be “cautionary” since having it so many times like this can confuse the conductor. Overall a better control on condensing would be great.
I like this style more, feels more consistent than alternating between all in one voice and different voices if there’s pitch crossing or independent rhythm.
Just a preference I guess 
I agree and disagree lol. I agree because I don’t like the clutter but I think it would be helpful in a lot of cases for a conductor to be able to know straight away if it’s one or both players playing. And I think it should be consistent throughout the piece.
EDIT: I may even have separate voices the whole time if Player Labels didn’t get placed in annoying positions and affect vertical spacing.
There is an option to always show separate voices if that helps? Or do you prefer a phrase-by-phrase choice whereby if a whole phrase is unison then you want it as one voice, but not if it splits etc?
Hah, I get it. I just think it should start show “a 2” in parenthesis after the first “a 2” is applied for the first time. If the scenario is either one of the players playing or both players playing different pitches and/or durations and then become unison then the “a 2” is applied, without parenthesis of course, as it would be considered “the first time”.
Oh really? It must have escaped me. Can you tell me where it is?
However, yes, if the whole phrase is unison I would like it to be on one voice, everything else in separate voices.
I will try to send a project back with this enabled. (I have a feeling I was wrong)
EDIT:
Yes, you can only set this for unison passages. This setting wouldn’t apply to the trumpets at the beginning of your project as they aren’t unison (just rhythmically), which is why you need to override it. Apologies.
No worries, that’s another thing that would be cool to have.
Also, if the parts cross a lot, there’s no reason you have to condense them. If the 2 staves fit on the score page, you might as well let them be separate.