Hi all,
I should like other people’s opinions on this matter. My aim is to produce realistic music, esp Classical Music. I don’t have access to live players. I do think in notation but playback is abysmally musak. Music needs feel and strict notation does not provide this. In Cubase notation there is a concept called “display quantisization” which allows a perfermormace to keep its feel, its humanistic timing, but the display of notes can be quantised to get rid of the sight of all those hemidemisemiquavers.
What are peoples workflow, when aiming to produce an audibly pleasing piece and taking advantage of thesetwo incredible bits of software?
Z
Cubase to compose, record and produce music.
Dorico to notate music for distribution
When I compose I do use notation but at this step I use a music sheet and a pencil and have no need for a notation program.
Only if the music has to be distributed I then transfer from Cubase to Dorico.
This Cubase feature you mention “Display quantization” combined with “Note to midi” after the display quantization achieves the results I want, have always been for me the two most important, usefull and time saver features in Cubase to transfer music from Cubase to any notation program.
You can record your MIDI performance into Dorico in real-time and then quantize the display. It’s the same idea conceptually as in Cubase. There are users on this forum who record MIDI all the time. There’s also a chapter in the manual on optimizing Dorico upfront specifically for MIDI recording:
Optimization for MIDI recording
Still, Cubase has a significant leg up is in its MIDI editing and manipulation capabilities and the control of the tempo track. I am using a lot of modelled instruments and I find that “Note Expression” functionality in Cubase is an amazing tool for this, but I’m not even daring to hope it’ll ever find its way into Dorico.
Yes, I often do what @ebrooks mentioned. It allows me to see the notation as I compose (essential for me), but also have a “humanized” performance that works well with virtual instruments.
I generally create duplicate tracks: one for the “real” performance, and one for the notation to be printed.
How do you deal with potential latency playing against pre-recorded parts in Dorico?
I have the buffer set low enough that it’s not a problem, and I have the metronome turned up enough that it serves as the reference point.
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