Dorico SE is Steinberg’s free music notation software for macOS and Windows, and it was recently updated to version 6.
Music notation software has come a long way since the likes of SCORE in the late 1960s and even the early days of Sibelius.
These days, there’s no shortage of useful options, including a few handy freebies like Musescore and Dorico SE.
I’m not too familiar with Dorico; I gave up on the Steinberg Download Assistant a while back, and I’ve probably missed out on some great stuff, but it could be such a pain.
If any of you ever shared my frustration, you’ll be glad to hear that you’ll have to download and install Dorico SE via the Steinberg Download Assistant.
That said, I know enough people who never seem to have a problem with it, and Dorico SE has a fair bit to offer, so it’s worth checking out.
The latest version is Dorico SE 6; it offers six templates and allows you to score for up to eight players.
Some might say limiting notation to eight players means Dorico SE 6 isn’t for professionals. While that’s true for some, plenty of professionals regularly score for eight or fewer musicians.
The templates are more flexible than the number suggests; they include Chamber, Choral, Jazz, Orchestral, Solo, and Empty.
However, each template has some sub-templates; for example, under Solo, you’ll find Solo Piano, Lead Sheet, Guitar with Tablature, etc.
Dorico SE 6 allows standard key signatures ( up to seven flats/sharps), accidentals including double sharps/flats, and 220 playing technique presets.
There are paid versions (Pro and Elements) that offer more customization and things like microtonal adjustments, but without listing everything, it’s fair to say Dorico SE 6 provides everything you need for standard notation.
The trick with apps like Dorico is to provide the basics in a highly functional interface. So many have failed in the past because the workflow is terrible; you’re constantly correcting notes because the input isn’t accurate.
I’m happy to say Dorico SE 6 is pretty impressive on that front.
You can input notes via a MIDI controller, a QWERTY keyboard, or via point-and-click. The point-and-click workflow is pretty smooth; Dorico makes it easy to place notes with precision, automatically adds rests, and detects when notes should be tied, so you can race ahead (to an extent), knowing that it will tidy things up.
It’s also easy for beginners with tabs for elements like key signatures and time signatures; if you want to change either, you click on the new selection from the tab, and the software will add it where the playhead marker is.
There’s something satisfying about seeing your work written down in a nice score! If you need a new piano sound to get scoring, check out Venus Theory’s free forms:piano for Decent Sampler.
Dorico SE 6 is available for macOS (Monterey upwards) and Windows (10 upwards).
Download: Dorico SE 6 (FREE – requires Steinberg Download Assistant)
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Last Updated on May 14, 2025 by Tomislav Zlatic.
