Hello Dorico users
I’m just starting to use the condensing feature. Can anyone answer me a couple of questions, pls.
(1) I notice that the online help says that condensing is very demanding on the processor. So if I condense, can I then de-condense so that I am not working with an overloaded processor.
(2) If I write a choir part on 4 lines (SATB), can Dorico easily condense this to a choir reduction? Will it mark two lines of the reduction S.A. and T.B. And if the four lines have lyrics happening at different times, will it place, say, S. lyrics above the line and A. lyrics below.
Thanks for any advice.
- Yes, Condensing is a toggle on the Edit menu.
- Yes. You’ll need to set custom condensing groups from Layout Options > Players.
It’s generally advised to keep condensing switched off when editing and only turn it on when you go and engrave the full score. It’s fully reversible.
I use an uncondensed working full score and a condensed conductor full score rather than switching one layout from condensed to uncondense since the process of condensing is what really takes time and processor attention.
But when you then switch to the condensed layout, the same amount of recalculation needs to take place as when you toggle condensing in the working layout, making it equivalent in terms of processor load, right? The only thing you can eliminate is Dorico recalculating with every edit, which indeed slows everything down.
Thank you very much to you all. I’ll be working on this tomorrow.
In my experience the shift from one layout to the other takes minimal time, about 3 seconds switching from full to condensed in a score of Pomp & Circumstance #1.
AFAIK once you have condensed a flow, Dorico “remembers” the condensed version until you close the project, and even continues to update it as you edit when it is not displayed.
Of course that can be a disadvantage if you want to do a lot of edits to the uncondensed version. The solution is to switch condensing off, close the project, and reopen it.