Hi Dan – I don’t think I ever changed playback templates (or any audio output settings for that matter)… It was set to HSSE+HSO (Pro). However, when I changed it to Silence (and applied the changes), then changed back, I definitely got a different balance for some reason after doing this (sounds a bit better), so I’m not sure what’s going on there. They were originally files made in version 2, if that’s relevant.
Now that I’ve reset the template, suppressing the dynamics does indeed make a difference (your initial suggestion worked). It gets me much closer to the balance I was looking for, so thanks for your help, but I’d still be interested in a way to hear everything in one instrument, since I find that even with dynamics suppressed, having the standard two violin sections playing in unison tends to overpower the woodwinds, etc. No fault of Dorico’s, just a little more nuanced a sound than would be ideal for catching harmonic errors. I know you can alter things in the mixer, it would just be nice to not have to adjust on a case-by-case basis.
This may not be possible, but regardless, this is definitely a lot better than without the dynamics suppressed, so thanks again for that idea.
(I’ll again add my vote for a “scrubbing” feature someday down the line for auditing harmonies!)