Also fyi, Finale users can get Dorico Pro for only $150 instead of the usual $580 so that might make me slightly biased take it as you will

Anyways in conclusion I'd say Dorico is really solid and definitely going to be my main recommendation to people alongside Musescore cuz I just hate Sibelius, and Finale is just no longer an option which is still kinda sinking in ngl

And on this note I know Steinberg is planning to more closely link Cubase and Dorico in the future to eventually work seamlessly with each other and seeing as I'm also considering switching to Cubase this is pretty hype

and for my biggest point, Dorico is the only notation software I've used that has a lot of utility in midi editing and sequencing and while it has a long ways to go it's really cool to see a notation app acknowledge people like me who use DAWs first and notation 2nd

The big downside to the engrave menu is that Dorico is really strict about formatting settings ONLY being in engrave and NEVER in write mode, so that leads to me having to switch menus to access really basic formatting options

The Engrave menu (for formatting) is absolutely goated. This is without a doubt the most transparent and clear way I have ever seen these settings laid out in any notation app. Most of them do it through an endless maze of intimidating pop up boxes and I hate it.

Dorico has a weird way of score organization where instead of having instruments you have players that you then add instruments too. as a percussionist who usually has to play multiple instruments, I love this idea. However the way its presented is a bit confusing and takes a second to grasp

First off, I absolutely love the look of Dorico both in interface and font. Coming from Finale I'm getting like a modern interface jumpscare since using that made me feel like I was in the 90s. I love the inky look that Dorico gives the music, makes it feel way more authentic

Based