Incorrect placement of dynamics (bug?)

Dorico
#1

Is this a bug or a change in the way dynamics are entered in Dorico? If it’s a change, it’s very annoying, let me tell you. Seems like a bug to me, though.

Here’s how to reproduce the issue:

  1. Create a new file and add any instrument
  2. Write some notes, say 4 crotchets
  3. Select the notes and add a hairpin
  4. Select the first note, invoke the popover for dynamics and enter a dynamic
  5. Expected behavior: the dynamic appears under the first note
  6. Actual result: the dynamic is created after the hairpin

I hope I’m not repeating any previous report. For the record, I searched the forum but couldn’t find any post describing this issue.

Antonio

#2

Antonio,

Instead of using Enter (Return) to confirm the dynamic (popover) use Alt+Enter.
Then the dynamic will be placed before the hairpin.

Jan

#3

I noticed this behavior, I agree it’s quite strange, at least it’s counter-intuitive. Of course, the “proper” workflow would be to invoke the dynamics popover when all the notes are selected and input “dynamic” “hairpin” enter (without the quotation marks, for instance mp<) but in a real world, it’s quite common to use the hairpin keystroke and realize later that there’s a dynamic missing. I’m quite confident that the team knows about this one, and for a long time now!

#4

Thanks, Jan! Interesting to know that works. That’s for entering dynamics that apply to a specific voice. Unfortunately, that won’t work in my case because I’m writing a piano piece and using several voices. I’ll just have to deal with the issue until it’s resolved in a future update.

#5

Yes, totally counter-intuitive. In fact, I usually enter hairpins first and then decide the dynamics, so this bug is particularly annoying to me. I hope you’re right the team already knows about it.

Antonio

#6

It may be a desired improvement in functionality, but it’s not a bug.

#7

An improvement? Why would it be an improvement to have a dynamic appear in a place other than the one selected by the user?

I’ve even come across a slightly different case where the dynamic appears twice, both at the beginning and at the end of the hairpin.

And then there’s what Jan says, which I can confirm, that the dynamic appears in the right place if created with Alt + Enter, which is a command to create a dynamic for a specific voice. If this is a new behavior, shouldn’t it be consistent across different input methods?

Finally, I also searched the “version history” document and couldn’t find anything about a new behavior for dynamic input.

Until someone on the team says this is a new behavior and explains the logic behind it (which I can’t imagine by the way), I’ll continue to believe it’s a bug.

P.S.: for anyone interested on the other case, just do the following: fill two bars with crotchets, create two hairpins, one for the first bar and one for the second bar, now select the first crotchet of the second bar and enter a dynamic. Result: the dynamic appears at both ends of the second hairpin. Interestingly, the first dynamic is grouped with the first hairpin and the second with the second hairpin.

#8

You’ve got the wrong end of the stick. Dan’s clarifying that what you’re asking for is a desired improvement, but that the current behaviour is not a bug (given that the software is working as the developers designed it to work). There’s nothing new about the current behaviour.

#9

But this is not the way Dorico behaved in previous versions. I am absolutely sure. I have been using it since version one and my workflow has not changed. This behavior started with the latest version. In previous versions I was able to enter a dynamic after a hairpin and expect it to appear in the right place, I have no doubts about it. In fact, a proof of what I’m saying is that the dynamic appears in the right place if you use Alt + Enter.

#10

But this is not the way Dorico behaved in previous versions. I am absolutely sure. I have been using it since version one and my workflow has not changed. This behavior started with the latest version. In previous versions I was able to enter a dynamic after a hairpin and expect it to appear in the right place, I have no doubts about it. In fact, a proof of what I’m saying is that the dynamic appears in the right place if you use Alt + Enter.

I confirm, that also to me this behaviour seems new with Dorico 3

#11

I’m sorry; I misunderstood the fact that there is a change between the way that Dorico 2 handles this and the way that Dorico 3 handles this. One way to bypass this problem is to select and edit the existing hairpin (via the popover) rather than invoking the popover from a selected note.

#12

Hey! That’s an excellent suggestion! I wonder why I didn’t think about it! Thank you!

Antonio