You can. In the Window menu click New Window, and move it where you want. Just remember to select the window you want to work in, otherwise key presses will go to the other one!
Wow! I cannot believe I didn’t realise this before, total game changer!!! My productivity just went up 100%!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Me neither.
Jaw still on floor…
Hi,
I need a bit of help in defining a basic expression map. I am new to Dorico (liking it a lot so far!) and am probably missing something simple. Here is my situation:
(I feed the output of Dorico to a Yamaha MX-49 via MIDI, but this is just FYI as I don’t think it affects the problem.)
I am writing some Jazz and am using the Jazz quartet template and notating on the Drum staff. I have programmed a simple hi-hat and snare rim shot sequence. I am just using the default hi-hat note entry (no open or closed symbols) and I am using the Sn. Dr.: Rim technique on the snare symbols, which shows the quarter notes with the line drawn through them. Here is a picture:
Phrase.jpg
Here is a view from the Play (sequencer) page:
You can see that the output is set to MIDI Channel 10 (fairly standard), and you can see the two playing techniques being displayed: Natural (for the hi-hat) and Rim (for the snare).
Here is the first expression map that I created and assigned to Channel 10:
Expression Map Rim Only.jpg
In my first attempt, I defined only a “Rim” technique which transposes the note down one semitone (which selects the rim shot sound on the MX-49, C# instead of D). This plays the snare rim shot correctly, but it plays the hi hats as a low tom, which means it is transposing the hi hat down a semitone as well, even though it is not marked with the “Rim” technique and therefore (I presume) should not be transposing it.
In my second attempt, I defined both the “Rim” and “Natural” techniques, with the latter doing nothing to the notes. This seems like it should work, however something odd happens when I save this expression map: The sequencer view updates and now shows the hi hat playing a “Closed” technique (though I have changed nothing in the sheet music and have not notated this), and the snare now changes to “Natural” (even though I have not changed the sheet music and have the snare notes notated as “Rim” as describe above). Why does it do this?
When I play the phrase with the second expression map (with both natural and rim techniques), the hi hat now play correctly, but the snare plays as a regular snare- e.g., the “Rim” technique seems to be ignored.
I tried a variety of other settings- for example, creating an additional “Closed” technique that does nothing- but no matter what I seem to do, as soon as I include a “Natural” technique, the snare switches to “Natural” even though it is notated as “Rim.” Thus I don’t seem to be able to get it to play the hi hat normally (no transpose) and the snare as “Rim” (transposed -1 semitone). What am I doing wrong? Any help or suggestions would be appreciated, thanks!!
Jim
For drum playback you want to be using a Percussion Map, not an Expression map.
You might want to try this video of Anthony’s for an overview of percussion maps: Percussion | New Features in Dorico 1.2 - YouTube
You can then define which notehead type uses which MIDI note for playback on your Yamaha MX49.
Just a quick note:
I notice techniques that are symbols above individual notes (harmonics, bartok pizz. etc.) don’t trigger the right playing technique properly. What I find is that they often just play the previous technique. At times I can get them to work, but I have to line a bunch of them back to back, and even then they sometimes don’t work randomly.
Are you aware of the issue by which simultaneous PTs do not playback correctly? For example, following a pizz section, an arco on the same note as a slur or an articulation needs to be judged slightly to the left, or add a “nat.” and hide it. It may be these issues you mentioned are positioned in conjunction with other playback mods.
There is a current limitation for the playing techniques such as harmonics and any other symbol that goes over a note. These won’t currently play back. The reason for this is due to the fact the symbols have zero length, so they will switch techniques but then instantly switch back again. This is something we intend to fix in a future version.
I just have a quick question for you all:
How do you deal with virtual instruments and switching between multiple players?
For instance, in Sibelius I just wrote a rule in the playback dictionary that triggered the “a2” patch whenever I put “a2” in the score. In Dorico instruments are specific to staves, so how do you, when writing switch between the “solo” and “a2” patches for playback? I don’t want to have to write into separate staves because it would make the rest of the process rather cumbersome to have then combine the parts for the printed score.
To expound on the idea say I am writing for two flutes, which then play together. Instead of having each flute play the same note (which would sound terrible in playback) I want one flute to trigger the “a2” patch, which is more realistic.
At the moment there’s no good way to do this, but in the future it will be possible to handle this kind of situation more elegantly.
Another question:
Sibelius and Finale have “intelligent” playback systems that change volume (through CC or Velocity) based on note only the dynamic, but also the notes that came before it, after it, the gaps, speed, the phrase, etc. Dorico however seems to just shift randomly around a given dynamic. When are we going to see such a playback system implemented in Dorico?
thanks, I look forward to it
As for when Dorico will have something approximating Espressivo from Sibelius, we don’t have any immediate plans, but it’s definitely something we are thinking about as the program matures.
I really like what Noteperformer has done with creating algorithms to shape the phrases of instruments, and would love for those sorts of algorithms to be implemented in a notation software for use with any VST.
I suspect you are being over optimistic there. It works well for NotePerformer, because the same guy did the note shaping and also made the sample library.
Finale’s “human playback” probably works best with the Garritan samples that are bundled with it - and also with the full Garritan libraries as well as the cut-down “free” versions in Finale.
I’ve never noticed Sibelius do anything very “intelligent” with performance. You can usually recognise that an audio track was created using Sibelius Sounds within the first 15 seconds, but that’s not because it’s good!
Dorico 2.2 has been released and in the description of the improvements I don’t see anything on expression maps for Iconica. Did I miss something or hasn’t anything changed since last August?
ISSUE WITH DORICO 2.2 : “NATURAL” KEYSWITCH REMAINS “ON” ALL THE TIME.
I have upgraded to Dorico 2.2 and have now a big playback issue : when there are empty bars before the introduction of first notes of an instrument with a playing technique such as “Staccato”, both the “Natural” and “Staccato” key switches are “on” and the technique does not play properly. In one word the “Natural” keyswich is “on” at the beginning of the playback and remains on “on” after the introduction of a new playing technique.
The problem does not occur when starting the playback at a selected note with “staccato” playing technique (for example) : the problem occurs only if I start the playback at an empty bars before (“Natural” is keyed “On” and remains on “On”).
Both articulation in my expression map are in the same exclusion group. I use the Spitfire libraries. My Expression Maps were perfectly working with the version 2.1 : on the same piece of music just before upgrading the “staccato” was key-ing off the “natural” technique and vis et versa).
Curiously the problem disappear if in the first bar played back there is a Natural followed by a Staccato then followed by a Natural again : all the playing technique occurring after these three notes behave properly, that is switching on and off. 
So at this stage I have to input these three notes at the beginning of my music and on every staves to have the playback correct !!!
HELP & EXPLANATION will be very welcomed as I can not use playback anymore with Dorico.
Rudie,
I’m afraid the guys that could be building up the whole expression maps for Dorico are… the Dorico team! And as you can judge by the amount of new features and bugs solved, they have been quite busy lately 
You haven’t missed anything.
There are still some fairly basic issues with Dorico’s playback. It doesn’t surprise me that Steinberg wouldn’t want to “run before they can walk” and release a set of Dorico expression maps for Ionica, that don’t make it sound as good as you might expect after watching the demos and tutorials on YouTube!