Creating custom instruments

You can create custom instruments with different transpositions, names, staves, playable ranges, and other available settings. You can save custom instruments as default to make them available in multiple projects.

Procedure

  1. Choose Library > Instruments to open the Edit Instruments dialog.
  2. In the instruments list, select the instrument that you want to duplicate as the basis for your new instrument.
  3. In the action bar, click New Instrument from Selection .
  4. In the Instrument section, enter the required information in the following fields:

    • Name in instrument picker

    • Variant name

  5. Optional: To change the instrument families to which the new instrument belongs, click Edit , then activate/deactivate instrument family checkboxes.
  6. In the Staff Labels section, click Edit Instrument Names to open the Edit Instrument Names dialog.
  7. Enter new names in any of the name fields.
  8. Choose one of the following options for Show transposition:

    • Always

    • Follow Layout Options

    • Never

  9. Click OK to save your changes and close the Edit Instrument Names dialog.
  10. In the Staves and Clefs section, in the Staves subsection, change the values for the following options, individually or together:

    • Number of staves

    • Number of staff lines

  11. Optional: If your instrument has two or more staves, to change which staves are joined by a bracket/brace, change the value for Span of bracket.
  12. Optional: If your instrument has two or more staves, choose one of the following join types:

    • Brace

    • Bracket

  13. Choose one of the following options for Default stem direction if contextual:

    • Up

    • Down

  14. Activate/Deactivate the following options, individually or together:

    • To define the instrument as being vocal, activate Vocal staff.

    • To define the instrument as being in the rhythm section, activate Rhythm section instrument.

  15. In the Clefs subsection, select the clefs that you want to use from the following menus for each staff:

    • Clefs for transposing layouts

    • Clefs for non-transposing layouts

  16. In the Transposition section, do the following:

    • To change the octave transposition in concert pitch layouts, change the pitch for Written middle C (note 60) sounds as.

    • To change the transposition in transposed pitch layouts, change the pitch for In a transposing score, written middle C (note 60) sounds as.

  17. Activate/Deactivate Uses key signatures.
  18. In the Range section, change the pitch ranges as required.
  19. Optional: To make the instrument available in all future projects, click Save as Default in the instruments list action bar.
  20. Click OK to save your changes and close the Edit Instruments dialog.

Result

The new instrument is created in the current project.

If you clicked Save as Default so that it appears as , the instrument is available in all future projects on your computer.

After Completing This Task

  • You can use custom instruments in projects by adding them to players.

  • You can define bracket grouping and system object positions for custom instruments by adding them to instrument families.

  • You can define the default positions of custom instruments in scores by adding them to instrument score orders.