Dorico -> Sibelius?
- Thread starter ALittleNightMusic
- Start date
This has not been my experience at all, and I always update on day one. And on every occasion that there has been some issue, there has been a hotfix quickly released, usually within 24 hours. Actually, there was just one of these released today, just 24 hours after a minor update. What sets the Dorico team apart is that they actually listen to their users, read the forum, and respond accordingly.
Well, yes… of course it would be better to catch all the bugs internally before a release. That would be ideal. But it’s not very realistic. The biggest companies in the world release software and OS updates that introduce new bugs all the time, and it will often take weeks or months until they fix it. Rigorous internal testing can’t account for every use scenario, especially with a relatively small development team. Bugs are inevitable — For me, what counts is how they’re dealt with once reported. And on that front, Dorico’s team is stellar.
For this reason, the long time standard best practice is to not update anything - software or OS - right away. This allows time for bugs to be caught and fixed, and it prevents the possibility of introducing new problems into a workflow. Dorico is my main tool for my main source of income, and I have yet to encounter any major problem from an update. It’s not a perfect program by any means — there are many things that need to be done to improve and optimize it — but I certainly would not say that poor quality control is an issue.
Maybe you are more tolerant of some things. But I personally think that the quality control of the Dorico development team is a level worse than other companies.
I'm not referring to any specific problem, but Dorico often causes me more or less problems after a new version is released. This situation became more serious after the release of V4 and V5 major versions.
So I think after the next version is released, I won’t buy it immediately. I pay to enjoy the product, not to be a tester.
ennbr
Senior Member
I don't recall anything happening after either the the 4 or 5 releases that stopped me from working
mducharme
Senior Member
I don't recall anything either, that's why I asked
Robin
Active Member
What kind of problems would that be? I don't recall anything either.
I, somewhat stupidly (though not without a backup), decided to migrate a large in-progress file from v4 to v5 when 5 was released. Worked without a hitch, and brought some performance improvements along with it. No problems at all. Would have never been confident enough to do that in my Sibelius days.
Bollen
Vintage Member
Well, as a beta tester, I kind of agree. There are many things that have gone years unaddressed. But also in defence of the team, it is literally impossible to catch bugs that will only occur in some systems. I have been extremely lucky, my PC is over ten years old, and I almost never run into showstopping bugs. I was terrified of joining the beta programme, considering I make my living out of it, but so far everything's been pretty smooth.
Up until joining, I was also one of those people that stayed several versions behind.
Awoo Composer
Active Member
I tried both Dorico and Sibellius. I preferred Sibellius (by quite a decent margin) in terms of it just felt easier to use, faster on my PC with less guidelines that sometimes bothered me.
That being said, the only version of Sibellius that's worth it is the ultimate version, and that's pricey. I'm not a fan of subscription services for software. Dorico Elements would probably be all I need, but I don't own it because I didn't vibe well with it.
I use MuseScore currently. I thought about giving Finale a try; I think MuseScore 4 is great, it just has the same thing about automatically filling in rhythm (which I get irritated by) making it so I have to think about what I'm doing rather than just getting notes down. I prefer pitch BEFORE rhythm.
My favorite notation software I own is Guitar Pro 8, but that's for writing guitar stuff. I tried orchestral stuff in it and it's... funny...
That being said, the only version of Sibellius that's worth it is the ultimate version, and that's pricey. I'm not a fan of subscription services for software. Dorico Elements would probably be all I need, but I don't own it because I didn't vibe well with it.
I use MuseScore currently. I thought about giving Finale a try; I think MuseScore 4 is great, it just has the same thing about automatically filling in rhythm (which I get irritated by) making it so I have to think about what I'm doing rather than just getting notes down. I prefer pitch BEFORE rhythm.
My favorite notation software I own is Guitar Pro 8, but that's for writing guitar stuff. I tried orchestral stuff in it and it's... funny...
Man, this all sounds so masochistic to me. Going back and forth between notation software or DAWs, yikes.
Luckily for me, I bought Dorico, learned it, immediately fell in love with it and we’re now partners in (composing) crimes. It’s WAY beyond just notation software to me. Flows, the Play tab, the ease of which I can write in it and organize my sketches and work with different layouts, etc.
Got a question or a problem? Go to their forum and someone, if not Daniel or Lillie (both at Steinberg) themselves will answer it within minutes.
I bought Finale in 1990-91? Both me and my computer were overwhelmed for years - in a really bad way. We never clicked.
I’m hoping you find your match.
Awoo Composer
Active Member
What can I say? I'm just picky.
Thankfully my DAW is Cubase and I have no issues with it.
Well, then try an uptodate computer with the latest OS. You might be in for a big surprise...
Bollen
Vintage Member
Yes, but let me explain:Oooo...!
a) 7 year old PC, W10, latest german version of DP10, running flawlessly without hickups. New PC 6 months, W11, same Version of DP10: crash fest.
b) 10 year old Macbook Air with the latest OS you could update it to: Logic running flawlessly, no problems at all. New Macbook Air on Sonoma, Logic crashes for the first time ever on one of my systems and it took about 5 minutes to come back to life (for Logic. I myself needed longer...)
c) Me in the Apple Store test driving Logic on latest iPad Pro. Recorded one track Midi with Alchemy, overdubbed with some CCs (moving Alchemy's XY-Pad l-r-l-r), played back 2 times, Logic folds down under the eyes of the shop owner. Did this every second or third time I played it back. (Maybe someone with Logic on iPad could cross check this.)
Right, Sibelius is not involved in this szenario, but my test version of Dorico and my Dorico free both crashed several times on my new Macbook Air M2 Sonoma.
Now, what's wrong, the application or the OS? And how can the standard user solve those problems?
Only solution that worked for me is to freeze the system that you rely on. Don't update a system that's running flawless. Oh vey, that old saying...
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Al Maurice
Active Member
Win11 is not a happy place to be when it comes to audio.
After moving over and installing a patch update, I get no audio from the internal speakers unless I complete a restart.
Who said moving over to new tech would be better! Sometimes to my mind, when it comes to audio apps, it's best to play safe and stick with what works.
After moving over and installing a patch update, I get no audio from the internal speakers unless I complete a restart.
Who said moving over to new tech would be better! Sometimes to my mind, when it comes to audio apps, it's best to play safe and stick with what works.
Awoo Composer
Active Member
So after installing FlexASIO, I was able to use Dorico more effectively (you know, having sound helps when writing). So I actually got an offer to upgrade to Elements for $70 and I took it. Been using it and getting to know it - outside of the ASIO issue I had before, it works great now. I'm sure there's things I'm missing in terms of speeding up my workflow, but I am finding it fairly easy to use.
