Most of what you outline there is avoidable if you have one file for the score and one file for all the linked parts. Sometimes I do this to avoid the frustrations in dealing with cues in voiced parts, particularly, as the parts file will have every part on its OWN staff. The problems are not insurmountable with only one file, but things get an order of magnitude easier with the two-file system.
In any case, I use the Dennis B-K Patented Ass-Saving method for avoiding screwups. I start a file calling it MyTune001.mus, then every couple of minutes when I stop to drink coffee, pick my nose, or cogitate on a musical problem, I Save As, raising the number by one. This way, I can revert to a previous version very easily and I can even copy and paste interim work to an older file. This is kind of a manual version of Timeline on the Mac. Christopher On Sun Jan 6, at SundayJan 6 7:57 AM, Lee Actor wrote: > To those of you who are enthusiastic proponents of linked parts, I have a > question: how do you keep your sanity? In a word: with all the parts in a > single file, if something goes wrong, EVERYTHING goes wrong. > > I'm working on the parts for a 150+ page orchestral score, with the score > locked down in one file, and a copy of the score for editing parts -- there > just seems to me to be too many hoops to jump through to make everything > work in a single file, and compromises I'm not willing to make (like > inability to have different music spacing factors in score and parts). Even > with my finalized score safely out of harm's way, I'm finding it > distressingly easy to inadvertently mess up a carefully laid-out part while > working on another part of the score (mostly while adding and adjusting > cues). No doubt this is due to my relative inexperience with linked parts, > but having to treat your tools like you're always walking on eggshells is > not conducive to productivity. It's got me seriously thinking about going > back to extracting parts, which at least has the advantage that you can't > inadvertently mess up the flute part while you're editing the oboe part. > > I'm having a hard time coming up with practical reasons for the superiority > of linked parts -- in terms of productivity, not in terms of design or > concept. Having something change in a part not being worked on is a > nightmare to me, and I have no problem with having 25 different files in a > project instead of one or two. I'd really like to hear from more > experienced linked parts fans as to what advantages I'm overlooking. > > -Lee > > > Lee Actor > Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic > http://www.leeactor.com > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Finale mailing list > Finale@shsu.edu > http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
