This past spring, I dove into the Spitfire Audio Colossus Re-Scoring Competition with an approach that started simple: a piano reduction in Dorico, then a MIDI export to Logic Pro, where I fleshed out the arrangement using Spitfire’s Contemporary Drama Toolkit, Abbey Road One, Ólafur Arnalds Cells, and Omnisphere 2. For a full breakdown of that process, see my post here.

After the competition, I decided to take things further by creating a full orchestral score in Dorico and building a new Logic Pro template based on Spitfire’s BBC SO and Abbey Road Orchestra. My goal was not only to improve the sound, but also to test a workflow I could use for future orchestral projects.

The Good: Dorico’s Notation Power

Writing the expanded score in Dorico was a pleasure—everything felt intuitive and efficient, especially compared to Finale. But when it came time to export MIDI for Logic, I hit a few snags.

The Not-So-Good: MIDI Export Challenges

Depending on the expression map you are using, Dorico exports a lot of extra MIDI data, and there’s no way to turn it off. The expression and modulation information didn’t translate well to Logic, so I ended up deleting everything but the notes and velocities and redoing all the expressive details by hand. The BBC SO expression maps from Dorico’s website didn’t help much either.

I get that Dorico can’t know how I want velocities mapped to my sample libraries, but it still made the process more tedious than I’d hoped.

Mixing & Template Insights

Spitfire’s plugins have multiple volume controls, which can get confusing. I found that using Logic’s mixer for overall volume, and plugin controls for expression/modulation, made things much easier. Other key takeaways:

• Logic’s velocity values didn’t always match Dorico’s (fff = 100 instead of 120–127).
• Short articulations need careful velocity/expression; long ones depend on modulation.
• Map divided parts (like Flute 1 & 2) across solo instrument/leader and section instruments.
• Quantizing and humanizing MIDI in Logic helped restore a natural performance.

Mixing Approach

For this version, I used the AMEK 9099 on group buses (details here), and my usual mix bus chain: SSL G Bus Compressor, Fairchild 670, and ATR-102.

Downloads & Links

• My updated 2025 Orchestral Template for Logic Pro:

• This is the final audio master of the piece:

• You can view and download the Full Score here:

• This is the final version of the video:

Conclusion

Upgrading my competition entry was a valuable learning experience. Dorico is a fantastic notation tool, but exporting to Logic for detailed mockups still takes some manual work. The payoff: a more expressive, nuanced orchestral sound—plus a workflow I’ll use again.