I’m writing an arrangement for symphonic band, where there is a standard to have the staff labels left-aligned. I want to have the numbers right aligned, which works fine with the paragraph styles “Staff labels” and “Staff labels (inner)”, condensing, and the settings in Engraving Options, but only if there are two or more instruments per staff. If there is only one instrument on a staff, it remains left-aligned with the staff label. Is there a setting that will also make it right-aligned?
But I’m actually not sure why you get something different. Are you using Player Name instead of Instrument Name for some players ? I can’t find a setting that gives me what you get!
I have the same settings here in Engraving Options and also in Paragraph Styles.
I edited the Clarinet names, but have tried it with the horns to check. Same result. There must be a setting somewhere deep in Dorico’s options that we don’t remember
The question is, why is it working with this workaround, and not with the normal settings? Have you done it this way in your own project, or is there something special with my file?
Most important: it works. But it would be interesting why
(I also tried it with a costum condensing group in Layout options with Clarinet 1 as one group and Clarinets 2 and 3 as a second one, which did not the same as the condensing change.)
My wild guess is that it may have something to do with when things get evaluated. With the custom condensing groups in Layout Options, that info gets taken into account when constructing the staff labels, so Dorico sees one individual clarinet (number grouped with instrument name) and a condensed group of 2. With the condensing change, Dorico has already decided to use the condensed style of labeling (right-aligned number) for all clarinets before it sees what the groups should look like.
But I’m not sure that explains why Clarinet 1 gets an individual label even when set up in Layout Options as its own condensing group.
