Enabling/Disabling condensing

You can enable/disable condensing in each layout independently, with separate options for condensing section players and divisi staves. For example, in a large-scale work with orchestra and chorus, you might want to condense vocal staves in the full score but show uncondensed vocal staves in a custom vocal score.

Similarly, you might want to condense divisi staves in the full score but show separate divisi staves in the part layouts.

Important

Enabling condensing in any layout in a project can cause Dorico Pro to operate more slowly, due to the large number of calculations involved. Therefore, we recommend only enabling condensing after you have finished the majority of the required work, such as inputting notes and notations or adding flows.

Prerequisite

You have input the notes and notations you want for each instrument onto their separate staves. If you have input the music for multiple parts onto the same staff, you can explode it.

Procedure

  1. Press Ctrl/Cmd-Shift-L to open Layout Options.
  2. In the Layouts list, select the layouts in which you want to enable/disable condensing.

    By default, the layout currently open in the music area is selected when you open the dialog. You can select other layouts by using the selection options in the action bar, Shift-clicking adjacent layouts, and Ctrl/Cmd-clicking individual layouts.

  3. Click Players in the category list.
  4. In the Condensing section, activate/deactivate Enable condensing.
  5. Choose one of the following options for Section players:
    • Exclude from condensing

    • Condense divisi

    • Condense divisi and adjacent players

  6. Optional: If you chose Condense divisi and adjacent players, activate/deactivate Exclude adjacent violin section players from condensing.
  7. Click Apply, then Close.

Result

Condensing is enabled for solo players in the selected layouts when the Enable condensing checkbox is activated, and disabled when the checkbox is deactivated. Condensing for section players and divisi staves depends on your choice for Section players.

When you click Apply, the list of available condensing groups updates according to your changes.

Note
  • In Write mode, you cannot select anything on condensed staves. In Engrave mode, you can select notes and items on condensed staves but you can only edit them graphically.

  • Condensed music often requires different rhythmic spacing than uncondensed music, for example, to accommodate the width of notes that are a small interval apart. Therefore, enabling condensing can cause the casting off in the layout to change.

  • Condensing is never enabled in galley view. If you want to see all staves separately without disabling condensing in the current layout, you can switch to galley view.

  • Solo staves in divisi changes are never condensed.

  • You can also enable/disable condensing by choosing Edit > Condensing. You can also assign a key command to this on the Key Commands page in Preferences. This automatically updates the layout option but only for the layout currently open in the music area.

After Completing This Task

  • You can create custom condensing groups for each layout to control which staves condense together. You can also include/exclude individual condensing groups.

  • If you want more control over the condensing result, you can change condensing from selected rhythmic positions manually.