I have a couple of questions concerning note spacing (in parts). First of all, the empty bars are proportionally too wide. In the first example, the two empty bars in the middle of the system are almost twice as wide as the first two bars. How do I change this?
In the second example, not only is the first bar too wide but the two empty bars in the third system have different widths. How do I fix this? There’s nothing hidden in these bars; I have all signposts set to show.
In the third example, the widths of the eighths, quarters and half notes are too similar. I’d like the note spacing to be more proportional. Is there a way to change this?
For #1, check out Engraving Options–Rests–Multi-bar rests–Spacing. You can tighten up the min. and max. widths for empty bars.
For #3, check out Layout Options–Note Spacing. You have the option of setting the proportionate ratio. I’d recommend holding down Ctrl (which makes the buttons at the bottom left of the dialog box change) and click “Reset to Factory.” The defaults are pretty good for this.
#2 is strange to me… Did you make any manual note spacing changes in Engrave mode? The handles would be red. If so, select and press Delete.
I’m afraid that I can’t find any settings in Engraving Options/Rests for single bar rest widths, only multi-bar rests. I find it really strange that an empty 2/4 bar is twice as wide as a 2/4 bar filled with a half note.
Nothing has been changed to those bars in Engrave Mode. That strange difference in spacing occurs in all parts which are empty in those two bars.
I’ve not changed the factory settings for note spacing. These are what produced the results above. Increasing the default space for a quarter to 4½ spaces helped a bit. Do I have to do this for every part? Can I do it only for the parts? It looks as though any change made in Layout Options gets applied to the score and all parts, as the note spacing values don’t change when selecting different layouts.
It’s there, keep scrolling through that section. “Width for a single multi-bar rest.” But I find it strange as well. There’s something fishy going on in your document. You’re probably not surprised at this question, but… XML import?
Nothing has been changed to those bars in Engrave Mode. That strange difference in spacing occurs in all parts which are empty in those two bars.
You might try inserting 2 empty bars before those (Shift-B, 2, Enter), then moving the notes into those new bars and deleting the bars you have (Shift-B, -2, Enter). I have no idea why it looks like that.
I’ve not changed the factory settings for note spacing. These are what produced the results above. Increasing the default space for a quarter to 4½ spaces helped a bit. Do I have to do this for every part? Can I do it only for the parts? It looks as though any change made in Layout Options gets applied to the score and all parts, as the note spacing values don’t change when selecting different layouts.
No, you can select all layouts and apply Note Spacing changes. But again, you shouldn’t have to do that. Would you possibly be able to post the file, or part of it? You shouldn’t need to alter those note spacing values.
Also, there’s a (known) bug in the Layout Options dialog. Changes to values only affect selected layouts, but when you select a layout the values don’t necessarily update on screen to reflect what’s stored within that layout.
You can change it at any point with a Note Spacing Change in the Engrave menu.
You can set a different default for each layout (i.e. each part). Note that if you use note spacing changes, it will reset to the default at the start of each new flow in the layout. That is useful if the flows are independent of each other (e.g. separate pieces) because a note spacing change to tweak one flow doesn’t mess up all the following flows, and the spacing doesn’t change if you shuffle the order of the flows, but if you WANT to change the spacing for all the flows you have to change the default for the flow in the Layout Options.
Shouldn’t the width of an empty bar depend on what the time signature is? Shouldn’t an empty 4/4 bar be wider than an empty 3/8 bar? I find it strange to give a ‘single bar multi-bar rest’ (!) a single value in points.
Here’s another strange spacing issue:
Again, you’re missing the point. A bar with a fermata is spaced as a regular bar, with a note value within it. A bar with nothing in it except a rest is treated as a single-bar multirest.
Yes, it is indeed an XML import. I guess I’ll try to stop doing that as soon as possible. Still, a default quarter width of 3½ points yields note spacing which isn’t proportional enough for my taste. Even a default of 4 points yields the result in the ‘proportional spacing’ example above, in which I don’t feel there’s enough difference between the widths of eighths, quarters and half notes.
Another question. I don’t really understand the Layout Options window. Under Layout Type you can select Full score, Custom and Part, but for each of these settings you can select one or more of the layouts on the right, both Full score and parts. Why? What’s the point of applying a full score layout to one or more parts or vice-versa?
Sorry pianoleo but why should a whole bar rest with a fermata be treated any differently visually than a whole bar rest without? What point am I missing?
I’m not saying it SHOULD be; I’m saying that’s how Dorico does it. It’s clearer to understand if I leave the 1 bar multirest number showing:
Look - the two bar multirest and the one bar multirest are the same widths, because they depend on the same spacing rule:
The rest that has a fermata on it is NOT a multirest, because the fermata breaks the multirest and turns that bar into a regular bar. Therefore that bar is subject to the same spacing rules as any regular bar.
Oh, and the section at the bottom of Layout Options is separate from the right panel - it’s about saving the options currently displayed as defaults for each of the three types of layout.
It’s one thing to change the settings for a given layout (or group of layouts). It’s quite another to save those new settings as the default for all future instances of that layout type (Part, Full Score, or Custom).
I often change layouts based on the need of a particular project, but that doesn’t mean I want those settings to be my new defaults for future projects.
You can edit Layout Options for one Layout or any selected combination of Layouts, without restoring defaults or saving defaults. Without the right panel it would be impossible to do that.
You’re missing my point. Regardless of Dorico’s spacing rules, a one bar rest is simply NOT a multi-bar rest and shouldn’t be spaced as such. It should be spaced the same as an empty bar with a fermata (which no more has a note value in it than an empty rest). My rest example you quoted above is visually confusing when reading: that single bar rest should by no means be three times the width of the bar with the fermata. Do you think that looks normal?
