PreSonus Notion 6 - Notation Software (Boxed) - Manual (Page 128)

8.15
The default mode of note entry is single-voice mode: all notes on each staff pertain to a single instrument .
In multi-voice mode, up to four parts can be notated on the same staff: as many as eight in a grand staff . If
you want, you can assign each to a different instrument ( see Change Instrument per Voice, Ch 11.8 ) .
Two Voices
It’s convenient to discuss using multiple voices on a single staff first with two voices (this topic) and then with up
to four voices (next topic) . With two voices, all notes with stems pointing up are the upper voice (Voice 1) and all
notes pointing down are the lower voice (Voice 2) . Of course, to Enter notation you need to be in Edit mode .
Visual Help
If you find you would like a visual indicator of the separate voices, you can
go to the Menu bar and select View > Show > Show Voice Colors (so it
receives a checkmark in the menu) . Voice 1 notes remain in a standard
black color and all Voice 2 notes then appear in a purple color .
Enter Voice 1 (Upper Voice)
By default, all notes you Enter are considered to be part of Voice 1 . Until
you add Voice 2, note stems of Voice 1 will point in either direction, depending on the degree on a staff .
Enter Voice 2 (Lower Voice)
To switch to Voice 2, press [Windows: Ctrl + 2 ; Mac:  + 2] or go to the Entry Palette and click in the
third pane from the left . To verify you have multi-voice entry enabled and you are in Voice 2, you view a small
v2 mark in your Music Cursor .
Switching to Voice 2 triggers two events: all succeeding notation you Enter appear as Voice 2
(stems down) . At the same time, every time you add a Voice 2 note, any Voice 1 note(s) in the same beat that
happen to have stems down now have their stems pointing up . In the example below, Voice 2 notes have
been added to only the first half of the measure: note how the upper F in beats 1 and 2 point upward .
Two voices on beats 1 and 2 (only).
To assign a different instrument to Voice 2 than Voice 1, see Change Instrument per Voice in Chapter 11 .
When you finish with Voice 2 and want to return to Voice 1, press [Windows: Ctrl + 1 ;
Mac:  + 1] or click in the Entry Palette (third pane from the left) .
Shared Voices
For notes you share on both voices, press [Windows: Ctrl + 5 ; Mac:  + 5] or click in the
Entry Palette (third pane from the left) . To verify the notes you Enter will be shared by both
voices, you view a small v1+2 mark in your Music Cursor .
Multi-Voice Entry