Write mode allows you to input and edit your music, including changing the rhythmic positions of items, changing the pitch of notes, and deleting notes and items. The available toolboxes and panels allow you to input all the notes and notation items that are most commonly used.
In Dorico SE, you can change the pitches of existing notes in a variety of ways.
Dorico is based on a number of key concepts that come from its design philosophy.
The user interface of Dorico SE is designed to keep all of the important tools at your fingertips. This chapter introduces you to key aspects of the user interface.
In addition to opening and importing/exporting projects and other file formats, project and file handling also includes auto-save and project backups.
Setup mode allows you to set up the fundamental elements of the project: instruments and the players that hold them, flows, layouts, and videos. You can also determine how they interact with each other; for example, by changing the players assigned to layouts.
The project window in Write mode contains toolboxes and panels with the tools and functions required to write your music.
Dorico SE distinguishes the processes for inputting and editing music.
The rhythmic grid is a unit of rhythmic duration whose value affects certain aspects of inputting and editing, such as the amount by which items move. However, it does not control the duration of notes and items that you input.
In Dorico SE, the caret is a vertical line that extends above and below five-line staves but appears shorter on percussion staves and tablature. It shows the rhythmic position at which notes, chords, or notation items are input, which can be partway through tie chains.
In Dorico SE, you can only input notes during note input, which is when the caret is activated. This reduces the risk of you adding notes to staves accidentally.
In Dorico SE, you can change note durations both during note input and for existing notes.
MIDI recording is a way of inputting notes into Dorico SE by playing them in real time on a MIDI device. This can be particularly useful if, for example, you prefer to improvise your music rather than plan pitches and note durations in advance.
You can input many types of notations, both during note input and by adding them to existing notes and music. In Dorico SE, notation is a broad term that includes many different items, including articulations, slurs, dynamics, and more.
In Dorico SE, there are multiple different ways you can select notes and items in your project, from selecting items individually to making large selections covering multiple staves. You can also change whether notes play back during note input/selection.
In Dorico SE, there are editing methods that are common to most notations, including lengthening/shortening items and changing their staff-relative placement.
You can temporarily hide all visible elements that do not print, such as signposts and selection highlights. This allows you to view the current layout as it will appear when printed/exported without switching to Print mode.
There are different ways you can navigate around the layout currently open in the music area, such as moving the selection to different items or bringing specific bar numbers or pages into view. Many navigation methods function in multiple modes.
In Dorico SE, signposts indicate the positions of important items or changes that cannot be seen in the score, such as key signatures with no accidentals, hidden items, and rhythmic feel changes.
Insert mode changes how notes are input and how edits you make outside of note input affect the music. When Insert mode is activated, notes are pushed to subsequent rhythmic positions instead of being overwritten if you input new notes or lengthen existing notes. Similarly, deleting notes or reducing their duration with Insert mode activated pulls surrounding notes closer together without leaving rests between them.
Arranging tools in Dorico SE allow you to allocate notes to different staves and voices quickly and efficiently.
You can raise/lower the pitch and register of individual notes, including grace notes, after they have been input by octave divisions, staff position, and octaves.
You can transpose whole flows or specific selections, including selected key signatures, using the Transpose dialog.
You can change the pitch of notes after they have been input using the note tools popover.
You can repitch notes after you have input them while keeping their durations the same. For example, if you want to duplicate the rhythm but have different pitches.
You can change the enharmonic spelling of notes so they are shown as their enharmonic equivalents; for example, to show the stepwise movement in a phrase clearly, or to avoid altered unisons in a chord. You can do this for all layouts or only in the current part layout.
You can split flows at specific rhythmic positions. For example, if you want the music from a specific bar onwards to be a new flow, separate from the preceding music.
Comments allow you to add notes or instructions at precise positions in your project without affecting the music. They are considered annotations in Dorico SE, meaning they are not printed by default.
Play mode allows you to change how your music sounds in playback, including by adjusting the mix, changing the playback template, and assigning VST instruments.
Print mode allows you to print your layouts or to export them as graphics files, such as PDF and SVG.
There are various ways you can control the layout and formatting of pages in your project, including changing the size of pages and adjusting note spacing.
Properties are settings that apply to individual notes and items and allow you to edit them, such as by changing their appearance or position. You can access properties in the Properties panel.
The Key Editor is a MIDI editor that comprises multiple components. It allows you to edit notes and other playback items, including note velocity, MIDI CC, and tempo. You can access the Key Editor in the Key Editor panel in the lower zone.
The Mixer allows you to control the volume, panning, and sounds of channels in playback.
In Dorico SE, the library is the total compilation of visual items and options that are available in all projects on your computer. It combines factory default settings, custom items/options you have saved as default, and items/options only available in the current project.
