Do you have additional audio hardware and drivers? On a Mac, the system audio can handle apps using the audio simultaneously, though that’s sometimes not the case for other audio drivers.
Hi Sharon.
I crossgraded from Finale after 30 years and over 30.000 pages of written scores in the last week and needed 3 f… days just for copying one 60 bar song for baritone and piano. So I know what you mean… Its hard. You have to reinvent your very detailed workflow and learn to assign the terms with new words and expressions to solve the problems with the manual. We have to be patient with ourselves… not only with arts…
stay brave
very best regards
Alexander
the question is, where you come from in notating music, how long you spent time with another program and which projects you are working on.
If you have to write an opera after decades having used finale, then you know, what Sharon is referring to.
Anyway, kindest regards and best success with your work
Alexander
right. It is hard to understand, complex and takes a long time to get accustomed with… like any other complex ability
Hi Alexander, I am interested to hear how you did the copying. Did you re-input the music into
a new Dorico project, or did you do some kind of export/import from Finale?
Dorico has some templates to start with (in the hub), there is a template: Choral “Solo voice and piano”. That’s the best starting point, either for starting a new song or for importing a music.xml file from another application.
Welcome to the forum and Dorico, @Sharon_Thoms. I hope the past week has brought some decreasing frustration.
A fellow migrator (though in 2022) from Finale after 32 years, I can relate to the challenge of making the transition to Dorico.
Here’s a post from the fall that might, I hope, add just a bit more to the many helpful replies above:
I have dorico, hauptwerk, and studio one pro open all at the same time on many days, and can use each without incident, so I suspect it’s something in how you have everything configured.
Er? I was reporting that I have NO PROBLEM Dorico working alongside other programs…
I’ve just downloaded it and started watching videos. I’m so depressed (distressed in fact). It’s so completely different to Finale., which I’ve used for 30 years. How am I ever going to get my head round this? I have commissions to finish, plus teaching at uni full-time. It’s going to be a choice between learning the software or cancelling commissions and losing work. In fact, it’s not a choice as Finale is now dysfunctional. I simply cannot complete these commissions now. The swap over period was just way too short. I’m really upset by that. A MakeMusic customer for 30 years, and this is how it happens. 
Welcome to the forum @camdenreeves!
What happened to the Finale you were using before the announcement? i.e. why the rush?
Also, when you have time, you MUST check this out:
What gave you the idea that Finale was dysfunctional? True, it will never again be upgraded, but if it worked for you two weeks ago then it should work the same now.
Anyway, I would never use unfamiliar software for professional work.
To cancel a commisssion because of this seems somewhat of a hysterical reaction.
I have watched that video already, thank you. It’s miles away in complexity from what I’ll be doing.
Finale is not working correclty, and my understanding is that there is no longer technical support for Finale. There are some insurmountable issues with the programme that have developed (bugs I guess), so it is no longer useable…at least not without tech support to help me fix things (even if they’re user error). I downloaded the latest update today, and it’s the same.
I’m 51, so learning new software is not as easy for me as it was. The whole thing is very distressing. I am actually thinking of retiring from composition right now as a result of this. Either that, or just going back to handwritten scores. I am sure the younger generation can find their way round Dorico, but for someone a bit older there seems no support tailored for the kind of issues we’re facing. I’ve been using Finale for 30 years (including championing it in my teaching at uni).
I am quite distressed right now, it is true. Sorry.
The link that I posted - the First Steps guide - has very little videos, in fact. Did you actually open the link? (My post tells me that it hasn’t been clicked yet)
Have you seen the Dorico to Finale videos yet?
Yes, I did. It’s a pdf. I also watched a video (posted higher in this thread) where someone from Dorico talks through that First Steps Guide. I watched the whole thing. The one that takes you through an Aflat major waltz.
I haven’t found ‘Dorico to Finale’ videos. I would be grateful for info on those. But isn’t it just a completely different concept of software? It looks like starting fresh is unavoidable.
Could you be a little more specific about what you’re struggling to grasp? We might be able to help!
The very expression of wisdom.
Last time I checked, Finale is still working perfectly, and there’s absolutely no reason for panic.
Which leaves plenty of time to get to grips with Dorico (by my reckoning, it will take a good year to get the hang of it; let’s not forget how long it took us to master Finale).
There will be technical support for Finale through August 2025.