Steinberg Dorico Pro 6 (download)

General

As soon as you work with musicians, a score is indispensable. A keyboard player could learn some things by heart, but a string or wind player in an orchestra usually has less memorable material, so a score is essential. Fortunately, creating such a score can be done very well with software. Dorico has had a long list of fans, making it one of the great notation packages. Dorico has now reached version 6. The strong point of this series is the engraving, which produces visually beautiful results that are also easy to read. The latter should not be underestimated: the easier a score reads, the better your orchestra can sight-reading, and the better the results will be. This is also the fun part; a score is not just your MIDI file in another form, it is really a new interpretation of your musical idea. The most important new feature in Dorico Pro 6 is also the most fun: Expert Eyes, or proofreading. This is an aid that tells you where your score might go wrong in practice (i.e. at rehearsals and performances). These can be very small but important details, such as a warning that there is not enough time in the score to change instruments.