Many questions

Dorico
1

So now that everybody is running correctly, I tried to reproduce one page of sheet music to test Dorico. I ran into a whole bunch of questions:

Is there a possibility to save custom keyboard layout settings (or will be ready to download later)? For us Swiss Germans the German double-s to insert a flat isn’t that useful.

I think the problem with the shortcut for changing octaves was already mentioned in the forums. Ctrl-Alt-Arrow ist the standard Windows 10 shortcut for changing the screen orientation, and I haven’t found any simple solution to disable these hotkeys so far. All possible solutions I found online include writing scripts for additional hotkey software or meddling with the registry.

Is there a possibility to enter a whole bar rest into one specific voice? For example if only the second voice plays and the first enters one bar later.

I saw that it isn’t possible to change the size of individual noteheads yet. Is it possible yet to change other items to cue size?

How can I hide objects? Is it possible to hide something only in the score, but not in the parts?

Is it possible to set up a custom subdivision of rests? For example if in a 6/8 I prefer 2 eight rests at the start of a beat instead of a quarter rest.

In the layout options, it isn’t possible to enter the format in mm, only in pt, which isn’t really practical. Will that be implemented later?

Is it possible to start a slur at the last note of tied notes, not on the first? I now it’s not totally correct engraving, but some people insist on that :-/

Is it possible to add one single pair of brackets around multiple dynamic elements?

Can I set custom sizes of staves?

How can I add a caesura with only one dash instead of two?


All in all I have to say that the Dorico is already a very good program to work with, and the results look really good. I’m really looking forward to work with it once some missing options will be implemented.

2

This functionality comes from your graphics driver, not from Windows itself. If should be possible to disable these “hot keys” in your graphics driver configuration panel, which might be in the “hidden icons” box on the toolbar, or right-click on the desktop and find it in the menu. See display - How to disable the screen orientation hotkeys in Windows (XP)? - Super User for some examples of the sort of thing your need to find.

3

Already one problem solved, thank you! I haven’t thought of that, I only searched the windows settings for it!

4

Is there a possibility to save custom keyboard layout settings (or will be ready to download later)? For us Swiss Germans the German double-s to insert a flat isn’t that useful.

The Key Commands you change yourself will be saved to the keycommands file in the …Appdata>Roaming>Steinberg>Dorico folder and become the default, even surviving program updates…

Is there a possibility to enter a whole bar rest into one specific voice? For example if only the second voice plays and the first enters one bar later.

Make sure you are in the correct voice, and click Insert Bar Rest (Bars and barlines panel on the right)

I saw that it isn’t possible to change the size of individual noteheads yet. Is it possible yet to change other items to cue size?

Not yet…

How can I hide objects? Is it possible to hide something only in the score, but not in the parts?

Certain objects can be hidden by setting their colour property to translucent (alpha channel). AFAIK score and parts will be identical, but the POSITION of text is independent, so e.g. a part specific instruction like V.S! can be dragged off the page in the score to hide it…

Is it possible to set up a custom subdivision of rests? For example if in a 6/8 I prefer 2 eight rests at the start of a beat instead of a quarter rest.

Don’t think there is a setting for that. You will have to use Force Duration (o) and enter them explicitly (Activate Rests (,) and enter them as notes :slight_smile:

Is it possible to start a slur at the last note of tied notes, not on the first? I now it’s not totally correct engraving, but some people insist on that :-/

For now you will have to split the tie with the scissors tool, enter the slur, then re-tie the notes…

Is it possible to add one single pair of brackets around multiple dynamic elements?

You will have to enter the brackets as text and position them manually

Can I set custom sizes of staves?

You can enter System Breaks and change staff size in the properties, which will change all staves. Individual staves can be changed by a relative percentage of 60, 75. A custom percentage is not available yet.

How can I add a caesura with only one dash instead of two?

You can’t yet I think… unless you can get by with a breath mark.

5

No problem with an alternate color for your answers, but can you use something darker (like blue or red) since orange against gray is not easy to read?

6

I quite agree, Derrek! I did this in a dark room, so everything looked different. I’ll try to change it :slight_smile:

7

I tried to prepare some swiss german keyboard setting. This was kind of complicated because the sg keyboard has some dead keys next to the return and backspace keys. But what seems to be a bug is that I can’t enter a ! sign there (it makes it a ¨).

Thank you! That wasn’t too obvious, though …

So, I hope these are on the team’s to-do list :wink:

I managed to do that with a “tick” barline, which is probably also the right way to do it.

8

In addition to the answers you’ve received already…

In the Notation Options dialog, go to the Rests page, and in the ‘Compound time signatures’ section, change ‘Rests at the start of compound beats’ to ‘Split at beat subdivisions’.

9

Very nice, I have to get used to all these options first :wink:

What about the others? Did I just not find these options or do they yet have to be implemented?

10

Unless I’m misreading your original post (which is possible, since it is pretty long), you didn’t ask about any other specific rest situations. If there are other situations you’re expecting to see covered, I suggest you look closely and in detail at the Notation Options dialog, and if you have any further questions after you’ve looked at them, by all means post again with a specific question.

11

Sorry, you misunderstood me. I was asking about the questions 4./5./7./8./9./10. :wink:

12

You’ve had answers to those questions from other forumites, and I don’t have anything further to add.

13

Daniel, these are ugly workarounds. Will they be fixed in near future or rather left like they are?

14

I can’t tell you exactly when these things will be addressed, but of course we plan to improve all areas of the application as it matures.

15

In the layout options, it isn’t possible to enter the format in mm, only in pt, which isn’t really practical. Will that be implemented later?

And what about that?

16

Yes, we expect to be able to allow you to type in any valid unit into those controls at some point in the future, but again, I can’t say when this will happen.

17

Ok. I hope these will be addressed soon. We’re considering buying Dorico just to help it going further because we’re sure it will be the best imaginable program once it’s finished. But some of these issues make it hard to actually use it in many cases (especially cue notes and only fixed sizes of small staves).