# Dorico SE - free from Steinberg



## Vin (Jan 16, 2020)

Dorico SE: Free Music Notation Software


Including many of the same powerful tools that professionals rely on, Dorico SE is the perfect start for your score. Download Dorico SE now for free!




new.steinberg.net





Looks cool for simple sketching and trying Dorico, still on Sibelius but I've been contemplating to switch to Dorico since I'm a Cubase user, so it would probably be better for integration and faster workflow.


----------



## joebaggan (Jan 18, 2020)

Keep in mind that the free SE version only allows 1 or 2 instruments so is severely handicapped. If you want free, try Musescore. Also there is no Dorico integration with Cubase as of yet. Maybe someday.


----------



## Sears Poncho (Jan 18, 2020)

Tried it, thanks for the link. Had tied earlier demo versions as well.

I don't need it. That's a bit of a relief.  I've been using Sibelius for so long that it would be silly to switch. I'm sure it will be a great program, it's a bit sluggish now but it's an infant. Daniel is a smart cookie, it's in good hands. What they have done in a relatively short time is very impressive.

Some seems like overkill. I really don't need a "ppppppp" preset. "pp" is enough. I don't even know what a 22va is. It has 7 sforzando types, I need 1. I'm sure, someone out there needs "pffff", it ain't me. A lot of the bowing stuff, I have no idea what it is--- I've been a pro violinist for 35 years. Not a criticism, it's just not anything I need.

The tempos: I use Allegro etc. "Eroico" I leave for Beethoven.  The printing options are impressive. I can see how someone who does a lot of advanced engraving and printing would love this. Likewise, I could see how someone how writes modern "classical" music would appreciate all this can do. I've been with Sibelius since version 3, so it would be extremely difficult to switch, but it is a very impressive program.


----------



## Henu (Jan 18, 2020)

They also mentioned that both Elements and Pro are -30% right now. I've been dying to try out Dorico, so this miniversion seems like a great start to see how it works and then get Elements if I like the workflow.

The only annoying thing is that while 12 instruments in Elements isn't enough for a full orchestra (which is my target), the next option is to go full Pro which is a complete overkill for my needs.... and costs _over five times more_ than the Elements.


----------



## Saulius (Feb 2, 2020)

I have a question about Dorico Elements 3. I'm relatively new to writing sheet music, but I want to learn how to write arrangements, especially choral pieces. I've been using Logic's notation for a year now. I can construct decent SATB + piano scores, and the playback is great. I seem to be able to do most everything I need. I even installed jazz fonts for lead sheet sheets, and they look just like the notation in the Real Book. Lots of the features exist but are kludgy or obscure (e..g. n-tuplets, copying lyrics, tied vs. dotted note presentations, score sheet formatting). Some things I can't do at all (Voltas that work on playback and parenthetical markings are two that come to mind, but there's more). I've seen what others can do with Sibelius, and I was considering getting it. The question I have is whether Dorico Elements would be a sufficient alternative. Does anyone have direct experience with it? I'd especially like to hear from anyone who is also experienced with Logic notation and could highlight the differences.


----------



## ptram (Feb 2, 2020)

Something that I would love, and for which I don't think Steinberg would lose money, is the ability of Dorico Pro to read (but not edit) files when no protection key is found. Sometimes this would be useful for review purposes.

Paolo


----------



## Bollen (Feb 3, 2020)

ptram said:


> Something that I would love, and for which I don't think Steinberg would lose money, is the ability of Dorico Pro to read (but not edit) files when no protection key is found. Sometimes this would be useful for review purposes.
> 
> Paolo


Great idea, but I think that is exactly what SE is...


----------



## ptram (Feb 3, 2020)

Bollen said:


> Great idea, but I think that is exactly what SE is...


But SE can only have two players, so it would not be enough as a reader for a full score.

Paolo


----------



## Bollen (Feb 3, 2020)

ptram said:


> But SE can only have two players, so it would not be enough as a reader for a full score.
> 
> Paolo


Oh! But I was led to understand that it still opens the full score, you just can't edit more than two...


----------



## Sears Poncho (Feb 3, 2020)

Bollen said:


> Oh! But I was led to understand that it still opens the full score, you just can't edit more than two...


You are correct. It even comes with full demo scores.


----------



## Thundercat (Feb 3, 2020)

Sears Poncho said:


> Tried it, thanks for the link. Had tied earlier demo versions as well.
> 
> I don't need it. That's a bit of a relief.  I've been using Sibelius for so long that it would be silly to switch. I'm sure it will be a great program, it's a bit sluggish now but it's an infant. Daniel is a smart cookie, it's in good hands. What they have done in a relatively short time is very impressive.
> 
> ...



There is quite a learning curve, no joke. I've been with Sibelius since v1 on the PC, and it was truly a mind-blowing wonderful addition to my life. But now that I'm learning Dorico more fully, it's much more powerful IMO. What I like is that I don't have to tweak the final score nearly so much - hardly any problems with collisions of notes, lyrics, hairpins/tempi/dynamics. In other words, after I input the content, it's pretty much "done" with only a little minor tweaking necessary after the fact.

Not so with Sibelius. I used to spend a lot of extra time futzing around with the spacing and overall look. I hated all the time waste.

YMMV, and I know a lot of folks will stay with Sib. But to me Sib is dead - I shelled out good money for last year's "upgrade" and was sorely disappointed. There wasn't one new feature that my version 7.5 didn't have that I needed. And the "new" features seem so completely paltry and pathetic.

Also, when I opened older scores in the newer version of Sibelius, it "upgraded" the file format, rendering the file useless to try to re-open in my older version later. While I know this is not unheard of, it seemed almost vindictive - when I stopped my subscription to the Sib I lost the ability to open the old scores. Good thing I anticipated that and saved copies especially in the old format just in case.

I do hope Avid don't really abandon Sib, but from my perspective they are using it as a cash cow. I only hope they don't just leave it a corpse.

What's really helped me a lot in Dorico is getting the Groove3 tutorial for it. It has made a world of difference and I finally start to "get" it. Whereas Sib seemed intuitive out of the box, and Dorico doesn't, sadly there was just too much extra time Sib needed and with the loss of the original developer base I'm afraid its days as a cutting edge software are numbered.

Mike


----------



## Bollen (Feb 3, 2020)

Sears Poncho said:


> You are correct. It even comes with full demo scores.


Very smart marketing... Bound to get a whole new generation hooked on it...


----------



## Marc555 (Feb 10, 2020)

What's the difference between the "limited" tablature of SE and Elements and "full" tablature of Pro?


----------

