Edit Music Symbol dialog

The Edit Music Symbol dialog allows you to edit the appearance of music symbols, such as ornaments and articulations.

  • You can open the Edit Music Symbol dialog by choosing Library > Music Symbols.

Note
  • You cannot create new music symbols in the Edit Music Symbol dialog, you can only edit existing music symbols. If you want to add custom symbols to your music, you can, for example, create custom playing techniques or line annotations.

  • Chord symbols, accidentals, noteheads, lines, and playing techniques all have their own dedicated editors.

Edit Music Symbol dialog

The Edit Music Symbol dialog contains the following sections and options:

  1. Category menu

    Allows you to select which type of music symbol is available in the music symbol list.

  2. Search field

    Allows you to filter music symbols according to your entry.

  3. Music symbol list

    Contains all the music symbols in the project within the currently selected category and your search filter, if applicable.

    The action bar at the bottom of the list contains the following options:

    • Save as Default : Saves the currently selected music symbol in its current state as the default for all future projects. Appears as for music symbols saved as default.

    • Revert to Factory : Removes all your changes to the selected music symbol, returning it to its saved settings and appearance.

  4. Name

    Displays the default name for the selected music symbol.

  5. Component selector

    Allows you to choose components to add to the music symbol. You can add different types of components by clicking the respective tab titles.

    • Glyph, for example, or . You can use different styles of glyphs by selecting different fonts and font styles/weights from the menus. You can search using SMuFL or Unicode ranges. Click Add Glyph to add the selected glyph to the music symbol.

      Note

      A full list of the different ranges of glyphs is available on the SMuFL website.

    • Text, including numbers and other text. You can use numbers and text from the available Preset text list or select any font available from the menu and enter your preferred text into the text box at the bottom. Click Add Text to add the selected or input text to the music symbol.

    • Graphic: Allows you to load a new graphics file or select an existing graphic from the Select existing list in SVG, PNG, or JPG format. You can see a preview of the graphic in the Preview box. Click Add Graphic to add the selected graphic to the music symbol.

  6. Editor

    Allows you to arrange and edit the components that make up the music symbol. You can arrange and edit components by clicking and dragging them in the editor and by using the controls at the bottom of the dialog. You can also use the handles on each component to change their size.

  7. Editor action bar

    Contains selection and view options for the editor.

    • Zoom: Allows you to change the zoom level in the editor.

    • Select: Allows you to select the next/previous component.

    • Show Attachments Show Attachments button: Shows all the attachments on all components in the editor.

    • Delete : Deletes the selected component.

  8. Controls

    Contains controls that allow you to edit individual components. Controls are divided into tabs according to the aspect of the selected component they affect. For music symbols, the Component and Attachments tabs are available.

    The Component tab contains the following options:

    • Offset: Controls the position of the selected component. X moves it horizontally, Y moves it vertically.

    • Scale: Controls the size of the selected component. For graphics, X controls its width, Y controls its height.

      Note

      Although some components scale their height and width independently, others retain their aspect ratio, meaning only one value affects their overall size.

    • Z order: Allows you to Bring Forward or Send Backward the selected component in relation to other components when they overlap.

    • Color: Allows you to change the color of the selected component.

    The Attachments tab is only available if the music symbol comprises at least two separate components. It contains the following options:

    • Attachment from: Sets the attachment point on the component to the left of the selected component to which the selected component attaches. We recommend that you select a right edge attachment point for Attachment from.

    • Attachment to: Sets the attachment point on the selected component which attaches to the component to its left. We recommend that you select a left edge attachment point for Attachment to.

There are eight attachment points for glyphs and graphics, and eleven for text, due to the extra space required for letters that extend below the baseline. The example diagram helps you visualize how these points relate to components.

Diagram with glyph, graphics, and text attachment points labelled

The attachment points have the following names in the Edit Music Symbol dialog:

  1. Top Left

  2. Top Center

  3. Top Right

  4. Middle Left

  5. Middle Right

  6. Baseline Left (text only)

  7. Baseline Center (text only)

  8. Baseline Right (text only)

  9. Bottom Left

  10. Bottom Center

  11. Bottom Right