Converting from Finale to Dorico?

Hi everyone! Is there a best-practice or workflow for converting Finale projects over to Dorico? I tried a music xml file but it came out pretty rough. Hoping there’s a better way, or a good way to get a better result at least.

Thanks!

The way forward is always to clean up your Finale files as best as you can first.

What specific problems are you encountering in the XML import? That’s the starting point for knowing what to do.

In Dorico’s Preferences > MusicXML import, I untick everything, except Note Durations and Text. This basically sets Force Duration on for every note, and ensures that everything shows up, even if it’s the wrong type of thing.)

Essentially, I just use the XML to get the notation in, and then let Dorico do its own Layout. (I have to reset the project to my Layout defaults, as some Layout Options get imported.)

There is usually a bit of revision work: e.g. changing “dim” from text to dynamics; using Select More or the Filter selection can get this done quickly.

If I were you, I would make sure you have a final PDF from Finale, which you can print from without needing to launch Finale, and which also serves as a reference for the Dorico project.

2 Likes