Music spacing: fixing spacing conflicts between layers

[ewindels]

Trying this again with the CORRECT image:

Is there no way to automatically fix the spacing between layers 1 and 2? E.g. have the layer 2 notes not be in the same space as the layer 1 notes at the beginning of the measures. There's a fair amount of this, and having to fix it manually is really cumbersome.

[motet]

It doesn't seem like a spacing problem. Rather, the crossed voices makes the ties get in the way of the sharps. I don't think Finale would solve this for you even if everything was in one layer. Flipping the ties on the red notes would help. I'm curious what Dorico would do in this case, though.

[Peter Thomsen]

It seems that the issue here is cross-voicing, where the Layer 1 upstem melody sometimes is a third below the Layer 2 downstem melody.

I suppose that you need a layout like this - right?

I could be wrong, but I do not know of an automatic solution, sorry.

However, for me fixing manually is not so cumbersome.
I use the (very technical) dialog box Edit Frame.
My own steps:
(in Layer 1)
Speedy Entry Tool.
Click outside the staff, to exit the entry rectangle.
Hold down the correct modifier key (Windows: Ctrl; Mac: Option), and click in the staff/measure.
The dialog box Edit Frame appears.
Hit the Tab key once, to go to the Position field.
Change the Position to 7pt (if you have selected Points as Measurement Units in Finale, just hit the number 7 key).
OK.

NB:
Before doing this, de-select Automatic Music Spacing.
You can always Apply Music Spacing later, where-ever and when-ever needed.
Just do not do it in these very measures - or the notes will be moved back to their default position.

[ewindels]

Argh. Thanks, Peter.

[elbsound]

The Perfect Layout plug-in can already solve this layer conflict and many others.
Here is a video of your example and some more spacing issues processed with the default settings of Perfect Layout:

[BuonTempi]

Finale's inability to space notes correctly in different layers is a major deficiency in such a mature product. Even something as commonplace as this:

requires tedious manual adjustment.

Before doing this, de-select Automatic Music Spacing.
You can always Apply Music Spacing later, where-ever and when-ever needed.
Just do not do it in these very measures - or the notes will be moved back to their default position.

And as for this... having to turn off Auto-spacing, or run the risk of accidentally undoing all that work....

I'm curious what Dorico would do in this case, though.

By default, Dorico does this (though other 'defaults' may be possible depending on settings/options.)

It's also easy enough to 'swap' the left/right order of items at the same rhythmic position.

MuseScore 4 puts the notes stem-to-stem, rather than head-to-head, though I'm not au fait with all the possibilities.

The tie would need flipping, or alternatively, swapping the order of those two notes.

Neither might be perfect without further manual adjustment in this instance, but both are a better starting point.