Finale to Dorico Conversion

Conversion carries your existing score into Dorico and keeps the notes, markings, and decisions you already made, so it costs less and moves faster. Re-engraving rebuilds the score from scratch to publication standard. If the original was a rough draft or needs editorial work, our Music Engraving & Score Preparation service is the better fit, and the free sample check will tell you which one each work needs.

You can, and for a simple piece it may be enough. But the import often drops or misplaces tuplets, chord symbols, articulations, and measure numbers, and Dorico re-lays out the music, so the result can look tidy while being wrong. We check every bar against the original and correct what the import missed, which is the step that makes a converted file safe to perform from.

Current .musx files and older .mus files from earlier Finale versions. If a very old file will not open, we will tell you during the free sample check and quote it separately. If you have PDFs of your scores, please send them too.

For every work, a Dorico project file, a MusicXML file exported from it, and a PDF of the score, plus PDF parts when you order them. The MusicXML file lets you open the music in other notation programs; our bar-by-bar check applies to the Dorico file.

Conversion is priced per page. A checked conversion is $7 / €6 / £5 per page for piano-vocal music, $8 / €7 / £6 for ensemble or chamber scores, and $11 / €9 / £8 for full orchestral scores. A performance-ready conversion is $9 / €8 / £7, $11 / €9 / £8, and $13 / €11 / £10, with parts at our standard parts extraction rate. Complex or contemporary scores are quoted on request. The minimum project fee is $49 / €42 / £37.

Send two or three representative files. We open them, test the conversion, and tell you which tier each work needs, what the full job would involve, and what it would cost. There is no charge and no obligation.

For larger collections, we open every file, list each work with its instrumentation, page count, and condition, flag anything that needs special care, and sort the archive into a priority list. It costs $1 / €1 / £1 per page whatever the instrumentation, subject to the minimum project fee, and the fee is deducted from your conversion order if you go ahead.

No. You choose which works to convert, and you can start with a few and add more later. If you are not sure where to begin, the archive check gives you a full list of your files to choose from.

It helps, but it is not required. A PDF shows the music exactly as it was printed, so it is the best reference to check against. If you do not have one, we check the conversion against the Finale file itself.

Both include the same bar-by-bar check, so the music itself is identical. A checked conversion moves all of the musical content into Dorico without engraving adjustments, so the layout is Dorico’s own. A performance-ready conversion adds the engraving work that carries your original’s formatting and layout over, including system and page breaks, spacing, and the placement of markings and text, so the score looks the way you designed it.

Yes. We work in batches, in the order of your priority list, so the music you need first arrives first. The archive check is the best place to start with a collection of more than a few dozen works.

Yes. Send your Dorico template or a styled sample score, and we will apply it to every converted work so your catalog stays consistent.

Yes. Your files are used only for your project and are never shared. Your music and its copyright remain yours.

Each tier’s turnaround is listed in the pricing table above, by instrumentation. These times are typical and depend on our schedule, so we confirm a delivery date with every quote. Larger batches are scheduled with you in priority order.

Any difference from the original is our error, and we correct it free of charge. New changes to the music itself are welcome and quoted separately.

Use the form below. Attach two or three representative Finale files, with PDFs if you have them, and tell us roughly how many works you have and what you need them for. We will reply with the results of the free sample check.