Unable to find or create a workable handbell template, so I’m taking another crack at the HB “playback template” referenced in the Dorico blog. It looks great in theory, but seems unusable in reality, starting with prerequisite download of Garritan Personal Orchestra 5. GPO5 says it wants Aria 2.026, but the latest version for Windows is 1.959, per Make Music. (Perhaps v. 2.026 is latest version for Mac??)
Wondering if this handbell template is only designed for Mac users? See template here: [Project Templates – Dorico]
Also, handbell composers transitioning from Finale need a macro similar to TG Tools “Create Handbells Needed Chart” (scans the score and creates a BNC centered under the title at the top of the first page).
P.S. Notes entered will not play back. Trying to use this template results in 2 error messages:
- “This project references a Playback Template that is not installed on this system”.
- “ARIA Session Loader This session was made for Aria 2.026 while your version is 1.959. Please update!”
Sadly, MM have give the Mac version of ARIA Player a higher version number than the Windows version, which means they are incompatible.
If you just open the ARIA Player VST and re-apply the Handbell instrument in the ‘slot’, then it should all work.
You should be able to use the Handbell in the Finale-bundled Garritan instruments, if you don’t have GPO5.
Thanks, Ben, but like many handbell composers, I do not use a “handbell” sound for composing. A good piano sample is much cleaner, and it’s easy to imagine how it would sound on bells. Also, starting with a piano template opens the grand staff that’s needed for handbell music.
The only reason I’ve been searching for a workable handbell template since purchasing Dorico is the lack of a macro to create a Bells Needed Chart, which is essential for handbell music. TG Tools’ “Create Handbells Needed Chart” in Finale scans the complete score and places a perfectly sized & spaced BNC chart, centered under the title. I suppose I could export XML to Finale, run the BNC macro and import the file back to Dorico, but that seems like a rather inefficient way to work. Do we know if a similar macro is in the works for Dorico yet?
I can see that it is entirely possible to create a beautiful score in Dorico, but for now the best solution is to continue using Finale for handbells and projects that have a deadline.
If you don’t want or need to use handbell sounds, you don’t need to use the handbells playback template. Simply apply one of Dorico’s factory playback templates, then if you want to use a piano sound, go to Play mode, and load a piano patch into the plug-in.
We know that for handbell arrangers, being able to create a “bells needed chart” easily is important, and we will think about how best to support this in future.
I too am hopeful that a Bells used feature as described by LR603 is incorporated into a future Dorico version. I am a professional handbell engraver migrating from Finale. I relied on the TG Tools plug-in to help create the Bells needed chart. Also, I often engrave music that is not “stand alone” handbell music, rather a handbell part is featured in a choral piece with piano. So the bells needed chart needs to be in both the conductor score as well as the handbell part itself. The other individual parts (e.g. choir and piano) should not show the bells used chart. I’m trying to think through how I can do this in Dorico with its current limitations.
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I believe the Dorico Handbell Template already puts the Bell Chart into a separate flow. That should make it easy enough to leave that flow out in the parts that do not need to see it.
EDIT: Apparently Dorico does not put the chart in a separate flow, but that does not mean one cannot split the flow in two at the appropriate measure to create what one needs.