I just wanted to check if you are new to Dorico and how you are approaching note/voice input.
Yes this can be confusing, but this is what I do.
Mostly I do not care about the colors (it is off).
I usually do a few bars of Voice 1 (up stem) if not a complete section. Then return to the beginning to add in Voice 2. To create Voice 2, Shift-V (which creates voices).
If I need to input into the other voice (wherever I am up to) use just V by itself, which cycles the created voices.
Do this for each staff.
If I am composing, in other words, nothing on paper, (I am inventing the notes in a bar or two at a time), then I do the same, use V to cycle created voices.
Doing a voice at a time for a bar or a few bars or longer, keeps them connecting with beams etc. Again, to swap to the other, use V then input for that voice.
Usually I do not need to reference the colors, but will pop them on if I need to see which note is from which voice, although you have this information at the bottom of the window (very small) when you click on any note.
You can select some bars and filter voice 1 or 2 or upper note etc. if needed to (you might want your colors to match or to tidy up or you have a better idea and that voice is now the other or you want to copy or cut then paste). Or select some notes (in different voices) and you can right-click to swap them, or select just one voice and change it to another if you need to.
Is there a particular reason why you are wanting to see the colors? Generally if you are inputting in one voice, it should be attending to beams, slurs itself as you move along.
After all, when printed, it will presumably be in black and the rests and stem (up and down) will or should be making the voices distinct enough for the player and it does not really matter if voice 2 is sometimes upstem and voice 1 is below and they swap in the next bar (or does it to you for a particular reason?)
However if you are inputting note by note between each voice, jumping about vertically, remember to use V to swap to the other. When you do this, you will see the cursor change to indicate which voice you are inputting into. And as you might already know, inputting rests is generally not required, just arrow along the “grid” (please ask if you do not know what this is all about, someone will answer) and input the next notes for that voice or V to swap.
If you happen to end up with many voices, many unused ones at certain measures during input, then Dorico will consolidate them (as far as I know) which might be what you are referring to when you see the colors change, it does not need to “remember” 7 different voices when only 2 are required for that section.
At most I have ever used 4 voices (piano) (very rarely), generally 3 maximum. For 4 part fugues, obviously only 2 for each stave, sometimes a voice might depart to the other stave here and there.
Sorry if this is irrelevant information.
