When condensing, Dorico 5 uses “a2” to note that all the instruments on the staff are playing in unison. It appears to do this, however, after every rest, even if that rest is a 16th or smaller. Is there a setting to control how often “a2” appears in condensed staves?
You tend to get more player labels when using manual condensing
Try to use condensing groups set up in Layout Options and Notation Options before manually condensing.
If you’re not getting shared stems where you would expect them, check for discrepancies between the parts - even down to whether dynamics are grouped in the same ways.
Yes, it sounds like you have used Manual Condensing.
Feel free to upload a section of your project where you’ve felt the need to manually condense things (or even if you haven’t done this and the a2’s are everywhere). There may be an easier way to achieve your