Dumbass user needs help getting started with Dorico - lots of it!

Dorico
1

Dear Anyone.

Am the owner of a legit version of Dorico, and HALion. And lots of other legal VSTs, some legit free, some demo versions, some paid for. Got Dorico because I write everything with notation - got Asperger’s, find that easier - and it LOOKED like my 32-bit program, Quick Score Elite Level 2 so I hoped it would be as easy to understand/use. Dorico’s proving to be a nightmare that would terrify Freddy Kreuger!

1.) Can I use anything other than HALion with it, if so, how? (I’ve read the manual on all these questions, I think I’m too dumb to understand this thing’s complexities. WHY does it have to be so complex, my last one, Quick Score Elite, was lovely and simple and got the job done - but was only 32-bit.)

2.) Can I MIX inside Dorico? Quick Score let me use insert effects, 4 per track. Went onto MuseScore, which didn’t. Does Dorico, even if not using HALion?

3.) The big one and hopefully last one for now. If I’m not using HALion, because you guys have told me how to use 3rd-party VSTs, can I AUTOMATE the sounds, even if the 3rd-party VSTs don’t do CC changes? I ask because with Quick Score I had a whole collection of VSTs that made lovely noises but were stuck on full volume because Quick Score used CC7 for volume change and the VSTs didn’t recognise it or have MIDI Learn. I’ve still got the VSTs, they still make lovely noises - can Dorico automate them despite them not doing CC7? Remember - I can’t test them because I’ve no idea if Dorico can DO third-party VSTs yet - I can’t make it happen, dunno if that’s me or Dorico! (No offence, don’t like all the HALion sounds.)

Yours hopefully, (shurely that should be ‘hopelessly!?!’)

Chris.

2

no doubt lots of people will chime in as usual with specifics according to what you seem to be struggling most with so I’ll restrict myself to very brief answers:

  1. yes, Dorico can use all standard VST’s
  2. yes, Dorico has a mixer which you can call up with F3. There you can put in inserts of varying kinds. There is a separate reverb one.
  3. sounds can be automated through Expression maps which programme which technique is to be used and which controller(s) should be used for dynamics. Fine tuning of CC’s can be done in the Key Editor
3

There are lots of video tutorials about using Playback with other VSTs. I’d recommend sitting down with a drink and watching some of them.

Dorico is complex, but there are consistencies throughout, so once you’ve learnt one thing, other parts will work the same way.

Dorico uses Expression maps to … map notation onto MIDI data that the VST wants. So you can assign a given CC or Note Velocity for dynamics. CC7 is normally used for the mix volume.

4

Yes indeed Sir! I have used my Aria Player software as a plug-in, with its myriad Garritan SoundFonts. Works fine. . .