Making enough space for lyrics

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chuckpuckett
Posts: 40
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 9:44 pm
Sibelius Version: 7.5.1
Operating System: Windows

Post by chuckpuckett » Tue May 31, 2022 11:51 pm

I've actually had this issue for years, but I finally thought, "Maybe I don't have to do this tedious thing, maybe someone has a suggestion."

Here's the deal. When I add lyrics to a song, by default I set the Note Spacing Rule it to 2 spaces (default is .75). Then I Reset Note Spacing. Which takes care of most of the problems. But inevitably, I will get some lyrics "mashed" together anyway. The only way I've found to fix it is to manually drag the offending note to the right until it finally frees up, and I can leave enough space to make it nice and legible, But also inevitably, when dragging, the note itself moves up or down, so I have to screw around with it to finally get everything right. Frustrating, and not what one wants to use a high-powered notation program to do.

I've tried more space in the rule, but there's a limit (2 spaces seems quite a lot as it is). And the mashing always seems to happen anyway.

Does anyone else have this problem? And a more elegant way to address it? Dragging notes around seems inordinately stupid.

Thanks.
Chuck Puckett
Against stupidity, the gods themselves strive in vain.
I don’t want to steal the show. I only want to borrow it for a while.


MikeLyons
Posts: 1631
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2016 7:20 pm
Sibelius Version: Ult. 2024.3.1/7.5
Operating System: Windows

Post by MikeLyons » Wed Jun 01, 2022 7:50 am

Sibelius has always been bad at spacing lyrics and other text (not to mention pedal lines and other such issues).
Instead of dragging with the mouse, you can move notes either in the inspector or using [shift][alt][left/right arrows].
Maybe consider having fewer bars on a system to give Sib a better chance of getting the spacing correct.
Maybe consider using a slightly smaller staff size, which will also give Sib more wriggle room.
Sib 6.2, 7.5 and 2023.6, Windows 11, 32GB RAM, 16TB 7200RPM Storage, 2TB SSD, Note Performer 3.3.2, EWQLSO, EWQLSC, Harmony Assistant and some others. mike@mike-lyons.co.uk

andyg
Posts: 1727
Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2006 8:55 pm
Sibelius Version: 7.1.3 and 6.2
Operating System: Windows

Post by andyg » Wed Jun 01, 2022 8:26 am

Lyrics mashing together is often a pretty sure sign of having too many bars on a system. So I'd also suggest reducing the number of bars per system. Reset the Note Spacing rule, unlock everything and let Sibelius do its thing with the layout. You can try reducing the staff size as suggested, but also think about reducing the font size for the lyrics, which can often ease things.

chuckpuckett
Posts: 40
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 9:44 pm
Sibelius Version: 7.5.1
Operating System: Windows

Post by chuckpuckett » Wed Jun 01, 2022 10:36 pm

Thanks for the help. Shift+Alt+L/R was a GREAT thing to learn!
Chuck Puckett
Against stupidity, the gods themselves strive in vain.
I don’t want to steal the show. I only want to borrow it for a while.

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