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How's Dorico Now?

Some people say a notation app sucks when it's not able to make cross staff beaming or has collision between graphical objects. Dorico is very good in those parts. The engraving works really well and saves a lot of work. That's the main goal of a notation app: notating. Playback is for controlling.
So those final statements if something sucks or not are not very helpful if you don't see the whole picture. When you need best mockup features and notation as a secondary part use Logic.
 
I've recently moved across to it (long-time Finale user). I haven't had time to get completely familiar with it yet, but so far I'm very happy with the usability and the final result. For me the output is dots on a page, not a sound file (though Note Performer is doing a more than adequate job of allowing audio proofreading). Although there are still a few notable feature absences, the overall feeling of something that is being thoughtfully designed throughout for usability and excellent end results, rather than having a small core that is then added to with multiple (occasionally rickety) lean-tos, makes it a pleasure to use.

It's a real investment of time to get up to speed with a notation program so that it's just part of the process of writing music, rather than a hurdle to be got over in order to produce sheet music. Dorico definitely doesn't suck, though, and is very much fit for purpose as regards notation (though you may find some gaps, depending on what you're doing). The transparency of the development process is great, too. My main beefs are the lack of offline documentation and the limit to one installation (so I'm using MuseScore on my second machine for now).
 
I don't think it's as bad as you claim, VV, but I'm surprised that several of the composing/MIDI editing features I expected to see in Dorico because they exist in Sibelius aren't in there yet. Dorico still has many good features.
 
I made the switch to Dorico from Sibelius several months ago. Aside from a few features that I would like for more avant-garde/modernist notation, I'm very happy with it, and would not go back. I originally started with Finale over a decade ago and moved to Sibelius in 2012. If you mostly do traditional notation, Dorico will save time over Finale or Sibelius, guaranteed, but you will need to keep in mind that there will be a period where it will take longer to do the same things only because you are not yet used to the workflow and the options. Any software, no matter how well designed, will always seem non-intuitive if you are used to a program that has similar functionality but implements it differently.

I bought Dorico at 1.0 but could not switch until the 2.0 release when they finally added features that I really needed to be able to work. It took me a few months of working in the software to get as efficient as I was in Sibelius, and until that point I had to really force myself to keep slogging away and working with it. Now I am more efficient than I was in Sibelius.
 
I switched from Sib to Dorico and am happy with it. It has a fast note input workflow and it's easier to move things around/edit in Dorico than Sib. It's also customizable so you can create your own key commands for everything, which is important because a keyboard based workflow is faster than using a mouse. It certainly doesn't have the Playback/Midi editing capability of a DAW, but it was primarily created as a Notation tool so does that job pretty well. Looking forward to seeing the Playback/Midi capabilities expanded or Cubase integration in future versions.
 
After 15 years, Sibelius is embedded in my DNA, and it took me about a week of using it non-stop and forcing myself to use Dorico 2 before I really got it. And then a few months later it took about another week of creating all sorts of key commands and customizations (to mimic the Sibelius that's in my DNA). As of now, I'm totally in the Dorico camp, and I don't miss Sibelius at all- especially because of the rhythm displacement feature that's saved me hours.
 
After 15 years, Sibelius is embedded in my DNA, and it took me about a week of using it non-stop and forcing myself to use Dorico 2 before I really got it. And then a few months later it took about another week of creating all sorts of key commands and customizations (to mimic the Sibelius that's in my DNA). As of now, I'm totally in the Dorico camp, and I don't miss Sibelius at all- especially because of the rhythm displacement feature that's saved me hours.

I finally opened the Dorico trial (and was greeted by a helpful notice that I had 7 hours remaining in my as-of-yet-unused 30 day trial). After an hour or two of struggling, basic note input started to click. I'm working on some music copying of handwritten scores (total fail with Photoscore) and I'm already getting through almost twice as many pages in the same time as Sibelius. So far I'm only inputting notes, so will be curious to see how much better articulations and dynamics are.

One thing that's bugging me though... being unable to map the note input rhythm to a custom key command. Or am I missing it somewhere?? Would be great to get those on the number pad like Sibelius does.
 
I finally opened the Dorico trial (and was greeted by a helpful notice that I had 7 hours remaining in my as-of-yet-unused 30 day trial). After an hour or two of struggling, basic note input started to click. I'm working on some music copying of handwritten scores (total fail with Photoscore) and I'm already getting through almost twice as many pages in the same time as Sibelius. So far I'm only inputting notes, so will be curious to see how much better articulations and dynamics are.

One thing that's bugging me though... being unable to map the note input rhythm to a custom key command. Or am I missing it somewhere?? Would be great to get those on the number pad like Sibelius does.
Edit->Preferences->Key Commands->Note Input->Set Note Duration->(choose duration)
 
1,022 pages in the manual and only one instance of the term "inversion"? Seriously?

Every time I look into Dorico to see if it has a feature I would need, want, or expect I am let
down. Engraving is all well and good, but as a a composition tool, this is ****.
 
Today I realized that I'm a much more capable composer because of the easy ability to extend and move note lengths.

Yes, for me, the main advantage of Dorico is that easy ability to move/slide notes around, extend note length that won't muck up everything to the right, insert mode etc. And being able to create custom key commands for those things makes for a faster note input/editing workflow than some other products.
 
I'm holding out for the Tantacrul video on Dorico before I pull the trigger. Still using Sibelius, but Dorico has a very tempting crossgrade educational price
 
I'm holding out for the Tantacrul video on Dorico before I pull the trigger. Still using Sibelius, but Dorico has a very tempting crossgrade educational price
I bougth Dorico 1 EDU crossgrade as soon as possible because I wanted to support the developers (I really enjoyed the development blog). I had no use for the software at this point because I needed at least chord symbols, but more important TAB support. Version 2 is really nice imo but still no TAB support so I decided to skip it. I plan to upgrade and move away from Sibelius as soon as I can write guitar tabs. Imo Sibelius is dead since v8: no relevant new features, but more crashes and clutter. Uninstalled the trial and move back to v7 waiting for Dorico 2.5 / 3.0
 
Well, it looks like graphic velocity control (vital for piano mockups) will not happen before v.3. So I continue with Sibelius 6.2, send the midi to Aria Maestosa for velocity and tempo tweaks, and leave my crossgrade Dorico2.2 in the drawer until the next €100 update...grrr!
 
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Best part of Dorico - Daniel Spreadbury will reply to your private Twitter (and other) messages directly. Met him at NAMM. He’s the real deal. And since he was Sibelius, which I used to love, that’s all I need.

Done and done.
 
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