Here’s a link to a YouTube video about making a leadsheet of Autumn Leaves .
There is a learning curve, I admit, but after that you can make lead sheets pretty fast.
Good luck !
4 Likes
You are putting everything manually 
Of course it is going to be good. I am talking about real time LIVE MIDI recording with the tempo. Grab a keyboard. Record live “Lullaby of Birdland” melody and compare what’s on original lead sheet and what is in Dorico. I know that everyone is trying to help but after so many posts I STILL don’t know why Dorico spelled the same MIDI input in 2 different ways. To help me better understanding please answer my questions. This is not about fixing, working around etc. It is about understanding software behaviour. I would love to know the answer why Dorico didn’t use natural D in Bb major scale ??? and why spelling is not consistent. That is all . Only 2 questions to begin with. Thanks again very much
I explained the D natural above. After a D-flat, Dorico is going to display a stepwise motion upward by visually indicating a 2nd on the staff, hence the Ebb. Thank goodness t wasn’t D-flat to D-natural. Yuck.
As far as why the 3rd phrase… I don’t know. Perhaps something having to do with the previous phrase ending on an F? Spelling algorithms are complicated things programmed by smart people, but they’re rarely perfect without any manual adjustment.
I have no idea what you typed, but when I enter Db to D on my MIDI keyboard in Bb major, Dorico changes the Db to C# just as it did for Fred above. If you want something different, then you want a custom solution and have to do the work manually: that is to be expected.
You don’t need to understand “why” in order to use the program. You just need to know what to expect, and Dorico acts in a predictable manner. If you are using a non-standard way of expressing things, then investigating the Edit > Filtering capability may help you change all your C# to Db if that’s what you want.
Well, that’s a little unfair I think. We all spend a good bit of time on this forum wanting to know “why,” because we want to!
2 Likes
I didn’t say one doesn’t want to; I said one doesn’t need to. 
It seems to me that Dorico behaves in a consistent way, which people have tried to explain. I suspect the OP saw the results he did because of something done inadvertently, and unless we know what that was, it will be difficult to explain any further than others already have.
Quarter of century ago when I was teenager my father bought me a gift. Technics SX-KN3000 keyboard-arranger. It had “big” display and step sequencer function. Very simple and yet effective.
You only pressed the record button once and that was it. The keyboard was split so you recorded chords with your left hand and your melody with right hand. Everything at once. One take. After that I was able to see all my chords on the display and during playback. I could see every single note input in the step sequencer as well as all other parameters (pitch, length, velocity, pedal, etc). It was 25 years ago and as a side note I can add that I never experienced something like Ebb (double flat) And now we have a sophisticated software that is useless for people like me even after many major upgrades. If it is good for you I am happy for you but for me is very limited, not user friendly and what is most important not FAST !!!
I have waited for years to be able to use this software. The “Autumn leaves” tune from the tutorial above. With all due respect but I would just increase the tempo to 250bpm, have quarter note quantize and bingo. No more than 1 minute and I would have the whole song recorded. Chords and melody together at once. One take only. But unfortunately this software is not capable of doing this. Correct me if I am wrong please. Also is there a specific forum where I could request future updates ? I have waited 4 years I can wait one more but I just would love to transcript 300 of my lead sheets before I die I have been playing piano for 25 years. I can play on time and very, very fast. It would be a joke if I limit myself with manual input on the PC. I would like to thank everyone for your help and replies.
1 Like
If you’re looking for real-time midi recording, Dorico is your best option from among all the major notation programs right now. Certainly head and shoulders above Finale.
I regularly write music using real-time recording, but a little cleanup is always inevitable. And I’m a pianist by training, so it’s not because I’m plunking.
I realize it’s probably impossible to say this without sounding obnoxious, but… for the vast majority of use cases, if Dorico is too slow for you, you’re not doing it the right way. Of course no software is perfect, and I have my own small gripes here and there.
It shouldn’t take more than five minutes to create one of these typical lead sheets from start to finish. By that, I mean lyrics and formatting too.
To answer your specific questions: no, you need to enter the melody and the chords in separate takes. But after you record the melody in real time, you can play in the chord symbols sequentially quite fast, no need to wait for the metronome. And yes, you can certainly crank the metronome up as high as you can play the melody accurately. There are also settings for latency correction and quantization.
This is the place for feature requests. The team reads every post.
1 Like
Oh and PS: one take with melody in the RH and chords in the LH would be amazing. I know there have been discussions about things like “smart split points” and other recording improvements, and this would be a great addition.
I know Dorico is the best software on the market. That’s why I bought it , but being the best doesn’t mean good for everyone. Looks like we are on the same page now. Simple jazz lead sheet template with proper fonts, layout and settings (no double flats, etc) is a must. One midi channel for right hand (melody), another midi channel for the left hand (chords) or keyboard split can also be used. There should be separate quantize for the melody and the chords. Chords most of the time are whole bar, half bar or quarter note. Melody is always more complicated. While playing the piano I also play bass lines with my left foot. It would be great to record 2 midi channels in real time. My piano performance and my left foot bass lines. How about organists ? Can we record our organ performance and print it out ? 2 manuals and bass ? Those are my suggestions.
Something like jazz lead sheet with real time midi recording should be included in the basic Dorico BTW. Jazz musicians don’t make a lot of money. The same with students.