Importing MusicXML into an *existing* flow

Dorico
1

  1. I have an existing Dorico file for a large orchestral piece. The first movement (first flow) is finished and complete.

  2. I have a DAW-created Music XML file which contains piano sketches for the second movement. I’d like to import this file into Dorico to become the second flow. But I want to preserve the ensemble from Flow 1.

How do I do this?

I’d really like the piano sketches from the Music XML file to become new additional instruments (piano is fine) in the second flow. That way, I can copy/paste material from the sketches into the individual instrument tracks, then when orchestration is complete, I can delete the piano sketch tracks.

2

Choose File > Import > MusicXML to import the MusicXML file into your project as a new flow, and allow Dorico to create new players as needed. You may have to manually remove the newly-created Piano player from the existing first flow.

3

Thank you for this.

It did work as expected, but with a few quirks.

Upon importing the MusicXML for the second movement, the new (temp piano) staves for the second movement did NOT auto-add to the first movement, which is nice.

But I had to specifically enable every single instrument from the first flow individually. (I tried but couldn’t figure out a way to shift-click all of them at once.) And oddly, if I clicked too fast down the checkbox columns, some of them would become de-selected accidentally. I ended up having to slowly and methodically click on each one, wait a few seconds, then click on the next one. Odd behavior. Not a huge concern for what is basically a one-time operation, but it “felt” buggy. I can post a screen video if this isn’t clear.

And finally, once I did re-enable all the 1st flow instruments within the 2nd flow, the 2nd flow didn’t inherit all of the 1st flow’s custom stave bracketing. Again, not a huge deal since it’s a one-time operation, but it would have been nice if it had just inherited everything so that the 2nd flow was ready for work without me having to redo work.

4

You can use Ctrl (on Mac, Cmd) + click to select multiple players. Then check the flow box.

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5

Thanks Dan. I had tried shift-clicking players and other things like that. That would temporarily choose multiple players, but then not let me batch-check them.