In our documentation, we use typographical and markup elements to structure information.
This documentation applies to the operating systems Windows and macOS.
This documentation uses American terminology for musical items.
The following typographical elements mark the following purposes.
Elements of the user interface are highlighted throughout the documentation.
Key commands are sets of keys that perform defined tasks when pressed together. They are also known as keyboard shortcuts. Many of the default key commands use modifier keys, some of which are different depending on the operating system.
On the Help menu you find items linking to additional information.
This chapter helps you to get started with Dorico Pro.
Dorico is based on a number of key concepts that come from its design philosophy.
The user interface of Dorico Pro is designed to be as unobtrusive as possible while keeping all of the important tools at your fingertips.
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.
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.
Engrave mode allows you to manipulate and modify every item in your project, but without deleting them, moving them rhythmically, or changing the pitch of notes. You can also determine how the pages in each layout of your project are formatted for printing or exporting.
The formatting of pages in Dorico Pro is determined by a number of factors, including the layout’s staff size, page margins, the master page applied to them, any casting off values applied to them, system and frame breaks, and frame padding.
Play mode allows you to change how your music sounds in playback, including by changing the playback template and assigning VST instruments, inputting automation, adjusting the mix, and changing the sounding duration of notes in playback without affecting their notated duration.
Print mode allows you to print your layouts or to export them as graphics files, such as PDF and SVG.
