Halion and Groove Agent are a couple of free VSTi - install them or don’t if you only want to use other sound libraries - but you’ll need something to hear playback. They don’t run unless you use them as instruments.
The Library Manager is a UI for installing/managing sample packs and sounds for Halion and Groove Agent, or any other similar Steinberg instruments you might have purchased separately like say Padshop II. It runs when you run it or it might be used silently during an upgrade or install (I dunno).
Don’t quote me, but I think Steinberg has or was in the process of moving to the unified media bay component so that you can have a unified view of all your patches, presets, and sound sets in Dorico, Cubase, Wavelab, etc. It seems to run as a separate process like the audio engine does, and I just watched it shut down and exit after Dorico did.
The ASIO driver is optional, but a good choice if you have issues with the driver for your audio interface. Definite improvement on generic options like Asio4aLL. I don’t use it. I use my Focusrite 18i20 ASIO drivers - which do run all the time in my setup.
Its been a while, but I seem to recall the team saying that Dorico checks for activation on startup, and then it is done. No iLoks or anything with Dorico 5.
Agree. It would be nice to have a feature to import from Finale mus files, although I’m not sure how feasible/ development heavy that is going to be. @dspreadbury … any opinions? I’m talking about importing *.mus files with one click.
Side note: Took advantage of the crossgrade offer, since Finale is riding the sunset anyway. The Halion sounds out of the box is good. Notating takes some getting used to. Overall Dorico does seem more integrated, i’m working on a mini project now (on Dorico). …slow and steady… as they say
I have so many questions, i can’t even begin to start asking ! oh well…
Hi @kelvynchin, I’m afraid it’s not possible to do that. The reason is that a lot of the way Finale displays things is not stored in the .mus file but handled in program code which is not accessible to Steinberg.
When Finale generates MusicXML, it makes the definitions much more explicit and that makes it possible for Dorico to reconstruct the score.
You can bulk-convert Finale files using an option in Finale and that is your best option.
Bought the xgrade, installed. No major issues, went smoothly (2 days ago when makemus dropped the bombshell). intel i7 PC, 16GB RAM, win 11.
I do find it a bit computationally heavier than Finale (based only on 2 days of tinkering around with Dorico) – meaning when i save a score, or when i toggle between screens and functions, there is a noticeable lag. The project files when saved are also way larger than finale’s .mus files (but not obscenely so.)
Overall, i think there are very good things about Dorico. more integrated, you can actually zoom or pan during playback, ease of setting up 3rd party soundlibs etc.
my only concern so far wrt to app (other than the steep learning curve) is, as mentioned, heavy memory hog? It has also crashed my system once yesterday (but then again, Finale does that once in a while as well).
That, and having to convert all my old files into dorico.
It looks as if you are experiencing a crash that we have seen ourselves and which will be fixed in the next update: if you make sure that you clear any selected item in the project (Command-D is the shortcut to clear the selection) before you close the project window, you will avoid this crash. Sorry for the inconvenience caused in the meantime.
Regarding the fidelity of MusicXML import, Dorico approaches this from a semantic point of view: the goal is not to reproduce the original document exactly as it appeared in the originating application, but to import the musical data in as close a manner as possible to how it would appear if you had input it in Dorico. So it is to be expected that the appearance of the music will be different, and be in accordance with the Layout Options, Notation Options, and Engraving Options that are in force in the project – and indeed this is what gives the software its power, because changes made to those options will then apply globally throughout the project, cutting down on the editing that is required.
Hi @RichardTownsend , alright I can see why it’s technically not possible. Thanks for the tip. Good news is finale will still be available for a while yet with all license activation (for reinstalls) preserved … so I do have time. I’m finishing up my last project on finale and started a mini project on Dorico . wish me luck
Good Luck! Be prepared to stop the immediate task you’re doing in Dorico and do some background research into a feature you don’t understand - that really helped me get to grips with it.
oh wow! thanks for this, really helpful cos i’ve been struggling (for just the past 2 days) with the new notating paradigm of dorico. I also checked “allow multiple items to be created with the mouse” and “load pointer with item” and the notating now mimics what I’m used to in finale.
Oh yes, it looks like it, doesn’t it. I just upgraded by PC so maybe in another year. That could explain the laggy software functions. I’ve also downloaded BBCSO Discover, and am contemplating paying for the “Core” edition (got an educators’ license discount) - although my 16GB RAM may not be sufficient.
Anyways, I’m liking what I see so far wrt the new products. fingers crossed. It’s the migration of my old finale scores that i’m really worried about now.
Dorico saves the “state” of each VST when you save the document. Not the actual sample, but all the information that each VST needs to recreate itself next time. So the majority of the increase in file size is caused by that.
Though there is also more data to store, as Dorico defines the notation in more precise ways.
Hi all! I just came back from vacation and found out about the sudden news. I’m really evaluating to take advantage of the Finale users’ offer, but since I sometime work with pieces that use advanced techniques, I was wondering how and if Dorico approaches the matter (or if it plans to do), or if maybe I should look somewhere else. Finale’s contorted versatility really prized the efforts you put in it and you could do almost anything you want to your score, or notes, etc.
Thanks!
If you can put the BBCSO samples on an SSD, you can decrease the pressure on your memory by changing the “Preload” setting in BBCSO to a lower number, as low as 1000 I believe. You can change that setting regardless, but its less painful with the SSD.
I’ve been trying Dorico and I’ve come to the conclusion that the best compromise is to enter the music in Finale and export it to Dorico for lyrics and formatting since lyrics and page layout are the weakest aspects of Finale. I find enterring music in Dorico slow and frustrating. I can zip along in Speedy Entry in Finale with fewer hiccups and less hair pulling.
On another topic: why are the files in Steinberg Download Assistant listed with icons? A simple list would be better. Also, why is there no search - or am I missing something.
I tried launching SDA from Terminal and I was rather suprised at the amount of snooping it does on my computer. Why?
I suffer from visual migraines after Lasik surgery. When it triggers, I can’t see anything for 15 minutes at a time.
I tried the dark versus light modes, but it doesn’t seem to affect the background at all. If there is a config file without a UI even that I can change the value, I would like to change it to:
RGB: 247 223 178
HEX: #F7DFB2
In its current state, I can’t use the program for long periods of time.
About Ulf’s zoom meetings, I know from personal experience that @gdball is telling the truth! I had asked a question and -very probably- the same day I found myself in a zoom meeting with @Ulf. Like a fairy tale for a previous Finale user!
BTW, the problem was solved on the spot and my impressions of @Ulf was that he was gentle, persistent and knowledgeable, to say the least of what I’m indebted to say.
