Expression Maps as external files

Dorico
#1

Hi,

If I understand correctly, the correct way of dealing with expression maps shared between different documents is to import them in the document in edit. If you make a change that should be shared with all your other documents, you have to export the edited expression map, then import it again in the other documents, after having deleted the older, outdated map.

I would like to see a different method: expression maps are actually stand-alone files, to which a Dorico documents read the programming when you select the map. If you edit the external expression map file, you can select the map again in a Dorico file, and all the new settings are immediately updated in the Dorico document.

This will allow to preserve the existing programming (from which you can still export a different expression map), and at the same time be very fast in loading the updated settings from a shared expression map file.

Paolo

#2

This is what playback templates are for. If you create a playback template, any expression map referenced by the mappings in the playback template are included in the playback template.

#3

Daniel, thank you for your answer. I fear I’ve not been clear in what I want to achieve, however.

I create my own Expression Maps. And reuse these maps in various Dorico documents.

If I edit an Expression Map, I want to let all the other Dorico documents use it. To do this, it seems to me that I have to go to Play > Expression Maps and choose the Export Library command.

Then, I have to open each one of the existing Dorico documents, go to Play > Expression Maps again, and choose the Import Library command to import the modified Expression Map. Then, the old Expression Map in the existing documents has to be removed from the list of maps.

I would like to avoid the Export/Import operation in all of the existing Documents. I would like that just clicking an Update button, or selecting the modified map again updates it in an existing Dorico document I can open after having modified the map in another Dorico document.

Is this something I can do somewhere with the Playback Template? Sorry, but I was unable (my fault) to find how to do.

Paolo

#4

What exactly does “Update to expression maps and percussion maps with higher versions” do, in Edit / Preferences / Play ?

Are you giving your own expression maps version numbers?

#5

If you create a playback template and then subsequently update the expression map, if you re-create the playback template, any time you open a project that uses that playback template, Dorico will check the playback template on disk to see whether the expression and percussion maps in the playback template have a later version number than the one in the project, the project is automatically updated to the latest version of that playback template.

#6

Ah, that’s clear. Understood, thank you!

Paolo