Tutorials – Dorico

Tip: Extend note durations to fill gaps left when recording

When you record music in real-time using Dorico, it is quantised based on your preferences.
Playing naturally can result in gaps between some notes, especially when using a sustain pedal.
These gaps can be tidied up easily with the help of a simple command.
Go to Write > Edit Duration > Extend to Next Note to extend the duration of notes followed by rests so that those gaps are closed up.
The command can be run over any selection, meaning you can easily choose which parts of your recordings are affected.
To make the process even quicker, set your own key command in Preferences to trigger Extend to Next Note.

Dorico spaces your music for you automatically.
On occasion, you may wish to force the final system to be justified.
Open Layout Options (by pressing Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+L), choose the Note Spacing category, and uncheck the option to Only justify final system in flow when more than n% full.
If you prefer, you can leave the option checked, and just set the value to something higher – this may work better in projects with multiple flows.

Dorico creates part layouts for every player by default.
Sometimes, layouts might be deleted by mistake, meaning they no longer show in the layout selector or the Layouts panel.
Fix this by opening the Setup menu and choosing Create Default Part Layouts.
This will create new copies of any missing instrumental parts that can be dragged to their preferred position, and be found in the layout selector once more.

1. Quickly double or halve note durations for selected music.
2. Use the Write > Edit Duration menu items to double or halve the note durations instantly.
3. With Insert mode enabled, lengthened notes will not overwrite each other, and no gaps will be left between shortened notes.
4. Add your key commands to make these functions even more accessible.

When you have several similarly-named endpoints in the VST Instruments panel (or indeed in the MIDI Instruments panel), it can be difficult to tell which ones relate to which track or Dorico instrument..
The Endpoint Setup dialog allows you to set a name for each endpoint so that you can more easily tell which one is which..