I have a feature request, which would be to allow for a bit of integration of some basic things between Write mode and Engrave mode. It gets really tedious to have to switch back and forth so often just to delete something when I’m in Engrave mode, or simply move a notation object when I’m in Write mode.
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I know exactly how you feel - especially since I’m accustomed to other notation programs that don’t separate the “roles” so rigidly. Unfortunately, it’s not likely to happen, just because that separation is one of Dorico’s guiding principles. Remember, the idea is to write as much as possible before getting into engraving, which merely affects how what you already have written is printed. Likewise with Play and how what you already have written is exported in audio samples. (Any real performance will obviously introduce some deviations.)
We should be thankful that at least we can adjust engraving options from within Write mode now - indeed, any set of options from any mode. That should take care of most of the changes we are thinking of while still writing, at least on a global scale. What basic things (presumably for local/one-time changes) are you having in mind?
I suppose that if we know that some engraving is going to have to be locally changed later on (yes, there are some tweaks that can only be done this way, but remember - that happens only in exceptional cases by design), it would be nice to be able to add a note/comment to that effect from within Write mode. But like I mentioned above, if we’re talking about adding some Engrave mode features to Write mode, it would depend on the specific features in question.
That separation is such a fundamental feature of Dorico, I doubt there will be much change.
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I know compared to other notation software this takes some getting used to. I find it is best to enter absolutely everything, and I mean everything that could possibly count as music notation (including lines, playing techniques, articulations, tempos, etc.) before doing anything else. Then, and only then worry about how it looks on the page. When I stick to that routine, and of course make all the Engraving, Layout and Notation options as to how I want things to look before I do anything, then I rarely have to switch between Write and Engrave mode.
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I do tend to forget sometimes that I have to switch modes to do certain things. And I’ve been using Dorico ever since it was developed, so I should have gotten used to it by now. However, I must say that I do see the reasoning behind it, and that I think it’s my problem, not theirs, and that I merely have to force myself to get used to it. (I spent a long time in Sibelius before ‘coming over.’)
I should probably also say that I recently bought the cheapest version of Cubase, and that the learning curve for using a DAW is about a thousand times harder than the one you mention!
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I agree 100%.
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Have you tried using two windows, one in Write and the other in Engrave mode?
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I would wager it’s worth knowing what you need to move. Of course there are plenty of times where you need to, but often many times when there’s a better way.
Custom paragraph styles with distances from the staff, dynamics positioning options, etc. There’s a lot that can be done without manual adjustments.
Today I was fooling around in Word formatting a chord chart, until I thought… I wonder if I can approach this like Dorico? That is, maybe there’s a more efficient way.
A few minutes later I had set up some custom paragraph styles and assigned shortcut keys to them. Cut my time down by 90%. Many such cases. Don’t just start moving things around; ask whether there may be a better way.
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This! And a Stream Deck, where you can place System Breaks in Write Mode… 
There is no Engrave mode in Elements.
Erm? Yes there is. But with fewer functions than Pro.
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I’d love to be able to set system and page breaks in Write Mode - I mean, I can delete them in write mode already!
This is genius! I hadn’t thought of that and I’ll be using it quite a lot.
Only on my desktop computer where I actually have 2 screens but it’s a really good idea.
Thank you!
There are ways of creating system and frame breaks in Write mode, even though the factory shortcuts don’t work there.
The easiest way is probably to record macros, which can then be invoked from the Script menu or from the jump bar. Make sure you switch to Engrave mode before starting macro recording, so that the only thing that gets recorded is the frame or system break action.
You can also add key commands that perform the actions Edit.CreateFrameBreak and Edit.CreateSystemBreak and add them manually to your key commands file. The important thing is adding them to the section for the kWriteMode context; the factory settings are designed to work in the kEngraveMode context. Note also that Shift+F is already the factory key command for the fingerings popover, so you’ll have to use something different for a frame break.
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I stand corrected, this must have been introduced in version 4, and I didn’t notice.
You are very welcome. Not my idea but a good one for certain phases of work. I sometimes use even more than 2 windows to mimic the floating tool palettes in Finale.
Is this something different to creating simply a key command?
Yes – if you add key commands for these actions in Preferences > Key Commands, Dorico will add them in the kEngraveMode context – they will only work in Engrave mode. If you want them to work in Write mode, you have to add them by hand to your key commands file, in the correct section.
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Sounds really interesting, I’m not at my computer, but will check it tomorrow. It helped me a lot in my workflow if I would be able to manage:)
Many thanks, Asherber!!!
I doubt you will ever see any significant change like that. As software gets older the more difficult it becomes to make fundamental changes. Not impossible mind you. That is exactly what happened to Finale it was simply too difficult and time consuming (means too expensive) to reprogram. IMHO, it is happening to Sibelius right now.
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