This is primarily a matter of aligning dynamics horizontally. If a dynamic at an earlier rhythmic position is applied after the fact, like adding mf to the beginning of a hairpin, sometimes they get grouped automatically, sometimes they don’t.
Also, if dynamics are even the slightest bit non-adjacent (separated by a fraction of a beat), they won’t group automatically, even if visually they should be aligned, and therefore grouped.
I’d like to suggest two things:
- Dynamics automatically group if they are within X beats of one another, X being a value that can be set in Engraving Options.
- Adjacent (or semi-adjacent) dynamics group automatically, even when added at different times.
Basically, I’m asking for a more automatic grouping of dynamics everywhere, if they’re close enough that they look mis-aligned.