Dorico Elements

It is a great product for traditional sheet music composers. You can directly write music after connecting your virtual instruments and export the audio. Tricky part is that there are some limitations to get full real orchestral vibe. So, you need to create your own template for some specific setup and compose for it. For example, one of my setups there is piano(1)+strings(5)+percussion ensemble(1 - using piano staff). Elements version has limitation on instrument numbers. Thus, it is A+++ for me.

I really didn't want to invest in another notation program. After trying the free version for a short time I realised just how quickly I could enter and compose scores. Elements does restrict some of the layout functions and the number of instruments. I am using the downloaded version which doesn't allow use on more than one computer. The electronic licensing felt a bit complicated but so far it has worked ok.

With any comprehensive program there is a learning curve but the logical design makes this fairly painless. I'm still learning but really enjoying the process. Somehow the controls seem to encourage experimentation during composition. Halion and the provided instruments produce a reasonable sound but it is easy to use alternative VST libraries.

I feel a further investment in the pro version, maybe to celebrate the lifting of lockdown.