Tutorials

Tip: Remove page overrides to fix layout issues

Editing text frames directly locks page layout in place.
This can lead to layout issues if the music changes.
Reset Page Overrides in Pro using the Pages panel, and using the menu command in Elements.
Set Project and Flow Titles using the Project Info dialog.
Now the layout responds to changes in the music.

When using Insert mode, you should be aware that later music can be affected.
Setting the Stop position means music beyond that point is not affected by Insert mode edits.
Use the System Track to show and hide the Stop position, or use the key command Shift+Alt+I.
You can also drag the Stop position to a new location, or drag it off the music to remove.

Single players can hold multiple instruments.
Section players can divide.
Single players cannot divide.
Create a new section player, and drag the instrument from the single player onto it. Its music moves with it. The single player—which is now empty-handed—can be deleted.
Now you can create a divisi staff for the section player.

1. There is a new option in Dorico 4.2 that will ignore punctuation when positioning lyrics.
2. Find the setting in Engraving Options, in the Spacing section of the Lyrics category.
3. The option is set to Ignore by default for new projects.

Use the Playing Techniques panel to open the editor and create your own playing technique.
Playing techniques can be either symbols or text. Use any Paragraph Style to set the format of text.
Set a continuation line, using a Dorico default or a line you have created yourself.
Choose a shorthand to use in the popover.
In the editor, Save as Default to save the playing technique to your User Library, and use it again in future projects.

Press the Add Ensemble button, or type Shift+E. Type the instruments you wish to create, typing a comma after each one, and press Add.
Dorico recognises orchestral shorthand to identify instruments, and you can specify how many of each instrument to add.
Press Tab to ‘bank’ the current instruments and clear search field, then continue adding more.
You can add entire orchestral sections at once, and even use numeric shorthand (e.g. 2222 for double woodwind).
Double-click instruments in the list to switch between creating them as single or section players.
Save your custom ensemble, giving it a name and category. It will now be searchable in the Build tab, and available in the Choose tab.

To select all notes in a specific voice across a selection, press J to open the Jump Bar and search for the filter commands.
There are filters available for each up- and down-stem voice.
Find a command in the Jump Bar even faster by typing just the first letter of each word.

When Link mode is engaged, selecting a tempo item in the score opens the Tempo Editor.
This allows you to make subtle edits to the playback performance without having to show those edits as tempo markings in the score.
Select a note to switch back to the Expression and CC lanes.

Sometimes you may need to use different staff labels in your score than the default instrument names. For example, you may wish to label a multi-instrument percussion staff simply as ‘Percussion’. Or, in dramatical pieces, you may wish to identify character parts rather than using Soprano, Mezzo-soprano and so on.
In Setup mode, give your players the names you wish to identify them with in the music.
In Layout Options, choose Staves and Systems and check the relevant players to show their player names instead of instrument names.