Dorico 3.0.10 released

Recommendations concerning notation and publishing software in a non-partisan environment.
Post Reply
benwiggy
Posts: 835
Joined: 11 Apr 2016, 19:42

Dorico 3.0.10 released

Post by benwiggy »

The team at Dorico has released an update, containing "over 90" bug fixes and small improvements. Much of this irons out teething problems (if you can do that) from the v3 release, making it a much more polished product.

This release also marks the availability of the 30-day demo download.

Daniel has also announced that we can expect a 3.1 release before the end of the year, which will enhance existing capabilities and add new features.
User avatar
John Ruggero
Posts: 2453
Joined: 05 Oct 2015, 14:25
Location: Raleigh, NC USA

Re: Dorico 3.0.10 released

Post by John Ruggero »

I just finished a 30-day trial of Dorico 3. As brilliant as the program is, it still lacks features that are essential for me and so I must go with my head rather than my heart and stay with my present setup.

I need:

1. easy input of several alternate and individually adjustable fingerings applied to a single note.
2. ability to draw graphic elements.
3. ability to change beam thickness and length locally.
4. complete control over beaming breaks and patterns, both globally and locally.
5. centered beaming of all intervals without a workaround.
6. better preservation of smooth slur contour when adjusting.
7. prolongation dots after the bar line without a workaround.

Desirable, but not crucial, would be:

8. a more adaptable workspace: floating panels, ability to modify the panels to create libraries etc.
9. usable conversion directly from a SmartScore MusXML without having to convert to MusXML in Finale
10. ability to design piano and other braces through numerical input

When 1-7 are in place, I will buy Dorico in hopes that I can adapt it to my working style
M1 Mac mini (OS 12.4), Dorico, Finale 25.5, GPO 4, Affinity Publisher 2, SmartScore 64 Pro, JW Plug-ins, TG Tools, Keyboard maestro

http://www.cantilenapress.com
benwiggy
Posts: 835
Joined: 11 Apr 2016, 19:42

Re: Dorico 3.0.10 released

Post by benwiggy »

John Ruggero wrote: 13 Nov 2019, 16:57 7. prolongation dots after the bar line without a workaround.
Do you mean the old 18th-century practice of putting an augmentation dot after the barline instead of using a tied note? Does any software offer that?

How does the control of beaming, globally and locally, fall down? I find the global controls pretty good, combined with the time sig combinations, and you can make changes locally. Also: 'centred beaming'?

There is certainly missing functionality in Dorico for me as an early music editor, mostly to do with accidentals, and some inflexibility. I'd also like to see individual staff hiding and cutaway scores. But equally, Dorico performs tasks instantly that would take me hours in Finale, such as having separate sections with automatic title headings in score and parts, or even just laying out the music attractively.

I commend you for trying it out: you certainly have the highest standards of exactitude, and I hope that Dorico will meet your needs before long.

Outright omissions are one thing, and certainly can be 'deal-breakers'; but I do find it amusing when people on the Finale forum dismiss Dorico out of hand (wthout even trying it) because something requires a workaround, and in the next breath they describe a lengthy procedure for achieving another effect in Finale :lol: !
User avatar
John Ruggero
Posts: 2453
Joined: 05 Oct 2015, 14:25
Location: Raleigh, NC USA

Re: Dorico 3.0.10 released

Post by John Ruggero »

benwiggy wrote: 14 Nov 2019, 07:13
Do you mean the old 18th-century practice of putting an augmentation dot after the barline instead of using a tied note? Does any software offer that?
It's also a 19th century practice used by Beethoven, Brahms and others, and I need to be able to do it. One can fake it in Dorico as in Finale, so maybe it is not an absolute requirement for me, but I expect more from Dorico than I do Finale since it's going to require a large investment of time to shift to a new program. Dorico is almost there since it can do triplets over the bar line, so perhaps it is not so hard to add this.
benwiggy wrote: 14 Nov 2019, 07:13 How does the control of beaming, globally and locally, fall down? I find the global controls pretty good, combined with the time sig combinations, and you can make changes locally. Also: 'centred beaming'?
As with Finale, one can't do the famous 16th note 32nd rest 32nd note beaming without Dorico breaking the 16th secondary beam.. But unlike Finale there is no workaround. And there may be other beaming patterns it can't do. Daniel promised to prioritize this and other beaming options in a recent post. At this point, however, it renders Dorico completely unusable for me.. https://www.steinberg.net/forums/viewto ... ts#p919574

The inability to change bean thickness is another show-stopper for me. I don't want to take files into a graphics program when I hit a brick wall with Dorico.

Dorico can't center beaming for intervals less than a 4th. There is a workaround, but it is cumbersome and there is no reason for the limitation. It needs to be fixed.

One of the problems in designing a program that does so much automatically is that one has to take care of every possibility or a user may find themselves up the creek without a paddle. For that reason, my greatest concern about Dorico is whether it has sufficient built-in flexibility to handle situations unforeseen by the designers. I am not yet convinced that Dorico has this kind of flexibility.
M1 Mac mini (OS 12.4), Dorico, Finale 25.5, GPO 4, Affinity Publisher 2, SmartScore 64 Pro, JW Plug-ins, TG Tools, Keyboard maestro

http://www.cantilenapress.com
Post Reply