After reading my Sibleius manual I started doing this. I found that you can do this in Finale also.

Start a new file (or edit the VD template). Edit the staff styles (You can also rename them as new ones) so that the input notes are the notes that you see on the page and the output notes are the notes from the keymaps you want that correspond. You can customize this based on notehead and position. Then enter normally with the keyboard. This also helps you eliminate the right and left hand differentiation and avoid slight differences in velocity. (If that is your preferernce)

I'm still reading on how to get a modification such as a buzz to change the output mapping when written on the same line as the normal notes with the same notehead. I'll let you know when I find it... Or give a shout out if you know how.

...VD can be used with the qwerty in a way that I think many of us want. But you have to take time to work with the house styles. Although, once one of us gets the style all finished up for "regular qwerty use" we could just export the house style and upload it to this group for everyone else.

yo.

I think I have this ironed out. To use alternate sounds such as buzzes or dreadlocks, simply create new noteheads and give them shortcut numbers. After enter a note with the keyboard push shift-option-# (on a mac) as your shortcut to change to the alternate (looks the same) notehead.

In the staff styles dialog you can set these "different" noteheads to the same lines but have them trigger different sounds. Also, if you use qwerty to enter notes this way, the playback doesnt quite sound right volume wise. this is because you will need to use live playback to determine the accent volumes and also to determine how much, say, a hairpin will crescendo. And, to make playback sound just how you want, you will want to enter a few dynamics and hide them.

If you enter using a MIDI keyboard, similarly you will have to physically enter the dynamic by how hard you hit the key. This "enters" the live playback setting for you. you can also enter crescendos and other dynamics this way if you are using the midi keyboard. just make sure that you have the hairpins and such so that they DON'T modify the sound on playback. (get to their properties by selecting them and pushing option-command-p)

The qwerty way you can easily avoid inconsistencies in how hard you are hitting the MIDI keyboard. And you can make all rooftops one accent level and accents another during playback very quickly and easily. However, you will have to take an extra second or two to add the extra dynamics and live playback settings.

Further, if you enter with the MIDI keyboard and want to avoid the difference between right and left hand sounds, just enter all rights or lefts or whatever.

If you like the look of the template you can always modify this and save it as another name. Then you will have two templates, one for MIDI and one for QWERTY.

Everyone should be happy now.

On a side note, I am thoroughly happy that I started using this. I can't imagine how I used to write stuff without it. It's live feedback as to how it will sound. Cut and Paste for structure and hear it again. change a dynamic or aa bass split and hear it again... TRULY AWESOME.

Thank you tapspace.