A thing I want to do in creating an arrangement is to duplicate a whole part, from the beginning to the end of a project (all flows), to create another part that can be edited, renamed, and included as a part in an alternative layout (arrangement) within the same project.
I would have thought there would be a quick way to do this in Dorico 4, but I can’t find one. It seems like I have to create a new player and then select and copy material in every flow separately. This is quite tedious. Am I missing something?
I’m not sure I understand what you’re trying to do but if I’m right:
All you need to do to use a part in an alternative arrangement is to make a new full score layout - then in setup select the new layout on the right and deselect the players you wouldn’t like in it and select the instruments you would like in it.
Similarity if you intend to add new instruments in then you’ll need to deselect those instruments from your original full score layout.
Either way, you can create as many layouts as you like and they can include as many or as few of the flows or players as you like - it’s incredibly flexible! The only thing to bare in mind is that if you select the flow in setup and deselect an instrument, all of that instrument’s material will be deleted.
Yes you’re probably right - you can move instruments between players (would be quite handy to be able to opt-drag and so duplicate instruments between players)
“Score” - a layout with more than one player (if not all players), containing one or more (or even all flows) of a piece
“Part” - layout with one player/instrument, containing one or more (or even all flows) of a piece
If you want the music to remain the same, and remain in sync with the source, would clef and transposition overrides that you can set per-layout be what you’re looking for? E.g. if you wanted the same line to be playable by a Clarinet in Bb and a Horn in F.
If you want to change the music belonging to the duplicated player after copying, then copying manually is probably necessary. But there are tools at your disposal that might make the process quicker.
Lillie, no the clef and transposition overrides are not the solution here.
This is simpler than perhaps I am making it sound. I have read the page about tools for making large selections. I want one tool to make a bigger selection than that: one that covers all flows in the project.
@Derrek He wants to duplicate the music, not just the formatting.
Copying Flow by Flow isn’t too bad unless you have a lot of them. Then it can be tedious. If you have many Flows, the best option may be to duplicate the File.
David, still a question, as I am trying to understand: what for do you need another player with the same music? Can’t you just make an additional layout and hand this to your extra player?
I might have completely misunderstood you: do you mean “extra staff” / “extra stave” in your score, containing the same music?
If so, I did not get your meaning of “part” right.
@David_Arditti
I assume that the official Dorico terms for what you call “duplicate a whole part” is “duplicate a player with content”.
No, there is no way in Dorico to duplicate a player with content.
The function “Duplicate Player” adds another player of the same type holding the same instruments as the original but without any musical content.
The way you are doing it (create a new player and then select and copy material in every flow separately) is the only way I am aware of to achieve what you want to do.
I have often to do this for almost the same reasons you mention (to create another part that can be edited, renamed, and included as a part in an alternative layout (arrangement) within the same project.)
And for anyone thinking “Why on earth would you want to do this?!?!” I can assure you there are situations where this is very usefull
The fastest way I found is to select the first bar in a flow, use the function Select To End Of Flow, copy into the new player, then repeat for the next flow.
Using a key command for this function makes it relatively fast.
But you surely know this already.
FR
In Dorico you can copy music only within one flow.
On my side I would indeed welcome an additional function “Select To End Of Project”
In this context I found something interesting/funny:
you can select music in a whole flow and then, using the STRG key (windows), it is possible to select any additional bar from the next flow!
Note that you can only ad one bar at a time to your selection but when you copy and paste what you have selected only the content of the initial flow is copied, the additional bars will not be copied
Exactly what I’m trying to do right now and couldn’t find a way. For those wondering why… I have a completed a score with 16 players and 24 flows. My violinist is no longer available for the performance so I need to re-arrange the violin player part for a less able performer. I know I could duplicate the file, but I would rather keep my options open and also -since I may well still come back and edit the project as a whole- only have one project to make edits to. It is easy enough to have two full score layouts, one showing the proper violin part, and a second showing the simplified version.
Someone found a way to select music in more than one flow, but unfortunately duplicating such a selection doesn’t work. In this thread there is a sample script for iterating through flows to do operations sequentially.
Anyway, your solution of 2 scores in one project is the way to go.
I’d go even further and wish for the option “Duplicate Player with notes, VST instrument, play modes (keyswitches), FX plugins and sends".
Whenever I manage to get the tuning, loudness and velocity curves and play modes for my electric guitar vst instrument just right, it happens so often that I wish for an exact copy of this track with all its player/VST instrument/playback settings to try out something alternative or additional with exactly that same instrument and sound settings.
But I can see how it might be complicated to implement duplicating ALL of this…
Btw, I’d love it also, if the FX plugins, settings and sends wouldn’t be automatically removed from the track when I only want to try out some different VSTs from HALion, let’s say switch between several pianos or acoustic guitars to explore which one sounds best in the mix. It’s a bit time consuming that every time I do that, all of my playback settings are completely gone even though I’d have needed them, only swapping instruments of the same kind. Copying the plugins with their settings to a duplicated track isn’t possible either, so I always save the settings of every plugin to another preset (that I might never need again) to be able to reproduce them without too much effort.
It’s doable, but it would be so much more convenient if they simply weren’t removed.
For some of us out there: Dorico is badly in need of an Arranger track, such that exists in most other DAW’s. This would go towards solving the problems of duplicating content, trying out alternative versions and ideas and generally helping alleviate possible ‘roadblocks’ to effective musical creativity.
I concede that there are those users who are quite happy to do without this feature; those that would very much like it, and there are those such as myself who cant do without. Those that have crystallised an idea and those that have not yet.
Dorico isn’t a DAW, and personally I pray that it doesn’t endlessly bloat to become one. We have plenty of perfectly good DAWs already… Notation not so much
Yes I agree with you about the bloat, but that’s because those DAW’s are catering more for audio production rather than for MIDI and notation. Most of the bloat is directed towards audio.
I’m only wishing for comprehensive notation software that ALSO facilitates experimentation - trying out different versions/ arrangements/ themes etc. An Arrange track or mode of operating could help such an endeavour quite easily and non-destructively.
Cubase has this feature, and it could possibly be easily implemented into Dorico as the code could be shared.
As I mentioned previously, there are those people who seem to already have a set vision of what they want to produce musically, for which they probably have no need for an arrange track, and those who are interested in trying out alternative ideas, themes etc. in an easy, no destructive manner. Why deny the latter? Do you consider they are such a minority as to be ignored?
