Inserting repeats not intuitive

Dorico
#1

Hi,

This is frustrating: I’m stuck right at the beginning of a piece. I have 6 beats (actually a set of notes), to be improvised over freely. The notation for that isn’t really in the cards for Dorico right now it seems, so I settled for a repeat sign around the 6 notes. I can set the opening repeat but if I try to click the closing repeat, it not only doesn’t work, but it deletes the open repeat. I am sure you have bigger fish to fry, but I think it’s important to point out that if this program is going to become the new standard, things like this should be incredibly easy to do. I should just be able to click the closing repeat and it should add one wherever the flow ends (or if I have a note selected, it should happen AFTER that note).

I don’t even want you to explain how to “actually” do it…as a millennial I know I can figure that out, but I hate wasting time doing that almost as much as I hate complaining about it in forums. I’m just saying that I feel like most people would probably agree that this ^ way would make a whole lot more sense?

Best,

J

#2

J

What do have selected when you click the close-repeat sign? Select the barline where you want it and click the symbol, that should give you what you want. Or position the caret after the last note and click, that also work. If you still have the start-repeat selected when you click on the end-repeat, then yes, the start-repeats disappears and there’s no end-repeat, because Dorico won’t place an end repeat at the beginning of a flow.

#3

This part I agree with for ending repeats. But overall I haven’t had a problem since I usually select the barline where I want the repeat sign to go.

#4

For whatever reason, positioning the caret after the last note was not working! It may have still had the opening repeat selected, but who would select something and then use the arrow key 6 times to move the marker away just to keep editing that object? The answer is no one. When moving the marker to the far end of the bar and clicking the close repeat sign it should reorient itself there, and stop dwelling on the past.

I am first to admit that I’m completely new to this program, and I just have to get used to it. I would just like to see more attention to details like this from the developers: the reason I rage-quit Finale for the final time was little inefficiencies and irritations like this which compound when you are working on something for 3+ hours.

J

#5

J - I don’t see the behavior you’re describing on my end. Create start-repeat. Invoke caret, move caret to end of phrase. Create end-repeat - the repeat is created where the caret is, the start-repeat is no longer selected.

Craig - having the repeat created before the selected note is consistent with the idea that objects are created at the rhythmic position that is selected.

#6

That is particulary frustrating when you have to learn a new soft from perspective of an old way of doing things.
I used Dorico for about a month now and I still make mistakes from old habits even after scoring about 150 pages.
I have to change my mind and learn a new way of thinking and in the end, while Dorico is far from perfect, its internal logic proved to be very consistent (to me, at least!) and I sure can do better scores (and in a faster way) after a month than after 15 years on other soft!

#7

v, I disagree with your response to craig. Yes, an item is created where the marker is, and that fits the rhythmic ruler system they have (which i think works great). However, we work left to right and read left to right so it follows that adding something should be consistent with that order, especially when it is a nonrhythmic element.


I think the problem was that I entered notes first, then the repeats. Placing the caret as far over as possible to the right (past the last note) still inserted it before the note. Giving up on that, I added the left repeat, thinking it would somehow help. It did not deselect itself even though I tried to move the marker back over to the end, and clicking end repeat simply deleted the first one. This may have been a bug because I started a new file and could not replicate.

#8

I’ve tried and can’t replicate. The repeat mark appears at exactly the rhythmic position. Adding an end repeat doesn’t delete the start repeat even if it is selected when entering the end.
I find it better to select the barline, and enter ‘start’ or ‘end’ in the popover.

#9

It sure would be helpful to have an image of what you are trying to accomplish.