Manual adjusting staves/notes squishes other objects

[hierodeacon]

Greetings.

When I try to move a note, say, to the left, I find all the notes to its left moving to the right. Or if I move it to the right, the notes to its left start moving farther away to the left. The same phenomenon with moving staves up and down.

I suppose the app is trying to be helpful, but I find this behavior unpredictable and frustrating. What's it called? Can it be turned off? Or do I simply need its usefulness to be explained to me?

Thanks for your help.

Philip

[andyg]

Why do you need to move notes or staves? Sibelius makes a very good jog of layout and note spacing, and you usually have to have very specific reasons to want something different.

You can move a note left or right using its X parameter in the Properties box.

Alas, the video blog about formatting, layout etc is offline at the moment, but a good read of the Reference about Layout, Formatting etc would be a good move.

[hierodeacon]

[quote="andyg"]Why do you need to move notes or staves? Sibelius makes a very good jog of layout and note spacing, and you usually have to have very specific reasons to want something different.[/quote]

I have heard this before but I am not happy with Sibelius's automatic spacing. I work with documents imported via MusicXML and I often find that after splitting a measure and appending it to the previous or next system (via 'Make into system') the system spacing is beyond absurd (staves on top of each other, for example, or so sporadically spaced as to look absurd).

Also -- aside from XML files -- I regularly find that there is not enough space between systems of a grand staff in choral reductions so that the lyrics are turning red everywhere. Or lyrics in choral recitation are not spaced evenly because of the spacing of notes which I have made invisible. Or I want more space between certain notes because the word is longer but Sibelius doesn't take enough account for that. Or, after splitting a measure, having it end with an invisible bar line, and then prepending it to the next system, I find the notes before and after the invisible bar line spaced as if there were a visible bar line. Etc.

So my question remains: how can I move a note or staff by dragging without it making other notes or staves move in the opposite direction?

Philip

[andyg]

I answered your question about moving notes already. Reset Note Spacing may also help, and you can of course set your own preferences for this in the Note Spacing Rules.

As for staves, don't drag - well, only as a last resort. Unlock any formatting that may remain from the XML import, use the formatting commands like Reset Space Above Staff etc, then Optimise Staff Spacing. This should clear up the ind of problems you've mentioned, and then I think you'll find that Sibelius' handling of spacing is more what you expect.

But read the Reference before you start, you will save yourself a lot of time. As and when that video blog becomes available again, I'd suggest you watch it several times. I'm a long-term Sib user, but I still found things I didn't know! Details on its reappearance will not doubt appear on the official Sibelius forum - remember that this one - although useful - is not the forum.

[Rob M.]

So my question remains: how can I move a note or staff by dragging without it making other notes or staves move in the opposite direction?

Layout involves rather a lot of complex and interactive rules, and getting your head around the interactions is often less than intuitive. Sometimes you really do have to "RTFM".

The Sibelius Reference is a good place to start, but it may not be enough. With complex topics like this one, it's often helpful to get more than one viewpoint. You haven't indicated which version of Sibelius you're using. If it's version 5, you could do a lot worse than have a look at Marc Schonbrun's "Mastering Sibelius 5" (Course Technology, Boston, 2009). He devotes an entire chapter to layout and formatting issues, and his comments helped me to understand aspects of Sibelius's layout behaviour that I had not understood even after reading the Sibelius Reference. He also provides specific information about moving notes and re-sizing measures and staves without using a mouse to drag anything.

Not sure you want to lay out a bunch of bucks for a reference manual like Schonbrun's? Try your local library. It might be worth the trouble.

[jford]

Open the properties dialogue (in the toolbar, click on the box that has a triangle and a box with a checkmark) and then click on the note you want to move. Click on the "general" tab in the properties dialogue box. By adjusting the value in the "x" box you can adjust the position of the note.

FWIW I do often have to use this, especially when I'm doing scores that involve chant-style notation. So, you're not alone!!

Julie