Multiple voices

The Layer system treats each staff as four transparent layers, if you’re entering music in step time (Simple Entry or Speedy Entry tools).

To enter multiple voices using layers

Each staff in PrintMusic has four transparent layers of music. Each layer can play back over a different MIDI channel and synthesizer patch, and each can have its own dynamics. You can view one layer at a time, or all simultaneously. When you’re placing expression marks in the score, you can tell which layer is receiving the mark by the indicator in the lower-left corner of the screen, which identifies the current layer by number.

• Choose the layer you want to edit first, using the popup menu in the lower left corner of the screen.
• Click the Speedy Entry tool  , and click a measure in which you want to enter music. The editing frame appears. Enter the music for the first layer in the usual way (see Speedy Entry).
• Press shift-down arrow. The editing frame flips to the next layer, and the first layer is dimmed. (Shift-down arrow moves you downward through the four layers—from Layer 1 to Layer 4—and shift-up arrow moves back toward Layer 1.) You can now enter and edit music in this layer.
• To flip an individual stem, position the cursor on it and press the L key. Press L again to make it flip back.
• To drag a rest, click and drag it up or down. If you want the rest to snap back to its default position, position the cursor on it and press the asterisk (*) key.
• To hide a note or rest, position the cursor on it and press the letter O or H key. Press O or H again to restore the entry. Use this feature to hide a Layer 2 half rest, for example, to give the appearance of a second voice entering on the third beat.
• Press zero (0) to exit the editing frame. When you use the Selection tool to copy music, you’ll copy whichever layer or layers are showing. To copy Layer 1 only, for example, choose Show Active Layer Only from the View menu, and choose Layer 1 from the Layer: popup menu (lower-left corner of screen); copy in the usual way (see Copying music).

To move music from one layer to another

• Click the Selection tool  , and select a region of music. See Selecting music for some region-selecting shortcuts, but note that, for this procedure, you must select a region of complete measures.
• Choose Move/Copy Layers from the Edit menu. The Move/Copy Layers dialog box appears.
• Specify how you want the layers’ contents moved. For example, to move the contents of Layer 2 into Layer 3, select Move Contents of Layer 2 into and choose Layer 3 from the popup menu.

Be careful how you use the elements of this dialog box. If you set it up incorrectly, you could lose music—for example, if you direct PrintMusic to place the contents of one layer into a layer that already contains music. (PrintMusic will warn you.) Note that you can also copy from one layer to another while leaving music in the original layer intact. To do this, select the Copy radio button.

• Click OK (or press return).

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