I have an orchestral score that is currently A3 paper size
There are 30 staves on each page
The score is 54 pages long
My understanding is that it is universally accepted note space size should be no smaller than 3.5pt for the conductors score.
My issue is that due to the crowded nature of my score, it looks like I have to “manually” go in and reformat every single page to avoid collisions between instruments and generally clean things up. Obviously this is going to be extremely time consuming.
And Yes, I LOVE the copy “Staff Spacing feature”, although each page is different.
Is there any advise to help alleviate having to manually tweak every single stave for a 54 page score.
Could you post a screenshot of a page? (Without getting into copyright issues, of course…)
I packed 26 staves into an A4 format, but it was quite “regular” music, nothing too far over or under staff besides tuba and flutes, and Dorico did an awesome job without me interfering.
Maybe the staff size can be a little bit smaller, only for your busiest pages? Dorico’s smallest size is “Size 8” (3.7 mm). Are you already smaller than that? I have conducted scores, such as G. F. Hass’s in vain, that are really tiny, at least on their busiest pages.
I think there is a way to adjust a page’s staff size individually, but I can’t find it right now, sorry…
You could save lots of space if you combine rhythmically identical voices to one voice, and with “a 2” markings for unisons. But maybe that’s not an option for you?
You have a lot of empty staves there. You really should hide the unused ones by specifying that option in the Vertical Spacing section of Layout properties.
The double woodwinds don’t have to be notated as separate voices, since they play the same rhythm. All the double stems, slurs and articulations just make it harder to read, suggesting that there are differences between voices other than different pitches. A 2-voice notation should be reserved for sections where voices are in fact independent. It’s easier to spot in the score.
You could combine Ob I & II as well.
If you don’t like hiding empty staves in general, you can use a broader rule and hide only empty groups. In your example, Percussion.
