Importing MIDI issues - track names

Hi Daniel,
I’m having some basic issues with MIDI file imports into Dorico.

Track names not recognized by Dorico on input are automatically given “Flute” track names. When exporting a score from Finale as XML, the track names are imported correctly, but exporting the same score as a MIDI file leads to the “flute” track name problem. This also happened with a simple test DAW file exporting a MIDI file. This is a small thing but causes serious delays in our workflow, particularly when we’re keeping custom patch track names on orchestration sketches or when we dump a file with 50+tracks in it and most of them come out “Flute”, it’s very confusing. Any help?

-Dan Brown

The problem here is that MIDI files just don’t have enough information to describe what instrument they actually are. Dorico does try to have an educated guess if the track names contain ‘piano’, ‘clarinet’, etc, but if they are named after custom patches as you have then there’s nothing at all that Dorico can do to work this out automatically. At some point we will probably have a custom dialog that shows on importing files where you can tell Dorico what MIDI tracks map to which instruments (and then remember that mapping for future imports).

For the moment though, you can change instruments in Setup mode once they are loaded. If you have a choice between MusicXML and MIDI then I would advise always using MusicXML because so much information is lost with MIDI.

Hmm, the clients usually send us DAW session files or just a MIDI file when we’re doing sketches, so often XML isn’t an option. Could we get a program option to turn Doricos track name prediction off to just pull in the actual names? On further testing Dorico was misreading some common abbreviations like “Tbn, Vc, and Hp”

There’s lots more work for us to do on MIDI import, and retaining the original track names would definitely be something we could add when we come back around to this area.

There’s lots more work for us to do on MIDI import

Yes, please! Although I have mentioned it elsewhere already, hopefully sooner than later. I’m sure there are many who will work using this particular workflow, going from Cubase DAW composition via MIDI to Dorico (or, as I have done in the past, to Finale,which imports MIDI, incuding track names, much better, so it’s definitely possible). Not hat I would invest in an upgrade from Cubase Elements, but doesn’t Cubase Professional (for those who have it) actually have the function to export Music XML files?

If you have a choice between MusicXML and MIDI then I would advise always using MusicXML

I have just found out that Cubase Professional can indeed export Muscic XML files