MIDI

MIDI, or Musical Instrument Digital Interface, is the computer language that computers and MIDI instruments use to speak to each other. If you need help setting up your MIDI system, consult Setting Up Your MIDI System in Installation & Tutorials. If you’re interested in some of the technical aspects of MIDI, see the More on MIDI.

Dozens of Finale features make use of MIDI. If you’re interested in affecting MIDI playback through the use of graphic expression marks, see Expressions (or see the entry for the individual marking). If you want to edit a specific MIDI data type, see the entries Key velocity;  Start and Stop Times;  Patches;  Continuous data; and Pitch wheel.    

If you’re interested in step-time MIDI input, see Speedy Entry or Simple Entry.For information on recording and transcribing real-time MIDI performances, see Recording with HyperScribe and Transcribing a sequence.

To create or transcribe a standard MIDI file for exchanging with sequencer programs, see To export a MIDI file.

To assign the staves in a piece to MIDI playback channels, see MIDI Terminology –MIDI channels. For information on sending patch changes, see Patches. To synchronize Finale’s MIDI input or output to that of an external sequencer or another computer, see MIDI Sync.   

You have a wide range of MIDI driver choices and can send and receive MIDI on more than one instrument per port. Furthermore, supports up to 64 channels.

To copy or erase captured (or edited) MIDI data

Once you’ve either captured MIDI data or edited MIDI data in the score (using the MIDI Tool), you can either copy this MIDI data to other parts of the score or erase it completely from a selected region. For example, if you’re creating a piano piece in which the sustain pedal should be pressed at the beginning of each measure and released at the end, you only have to create this pattern of MIDI controller data once using the MIDI Tool. Thereafter, you can simply copy the “pedaling” data from that one measure to any other measures in the score.

When you “erase” MIDI data, you’re erasing variations from the default value of the particular MIDI data you’re editing. For example, if you erase Key Velocity data from a region, you’re effectively restoring the default velocity value (such as 64) to every note in the region. (You set this default velocity value in the Base Key Velocity box [choose Playback Controls from the Windows Menu, click the speaker icon].) Similarly, if you erase Note Duration (Start/Stop Time) data from a region, you’re erasing the difference between the notated attacks and releases of the notes and the actual attack and release points (as recorded in HyperScribe or edited with the MIDI Tool). In short, you’re restoring the playback of the selected region to a straightforward, “perfect” rhythmic feel.

1. From the Window Menu, choose Advanced Tools. Click the MIDI Tool  . The MIDI Tool Menu appears.
2. From the MIDI Tool Menu, select the MIDI data type you want to erase or copy. Choose Key Velocities, Note Durations, or Continuous Data; if you choose Continuous Data, a dialog box appears so that you can specify which kind of MIDI continuous data you want to edit. Click the appropriate button (Sustain Pedal, Modulation Wheel, and so on), or enter the continuous data number in the text box. Click OK.
3. Select the region whose playback data you want to affect. Click to select one measure, shift-click to select additional measures, drag-enclose to select several on-screen measures, click to the left of the staff to select the entire staff, or choose Select All from the Edit Menu.
4. To erase the selected MIDI data type from the selected region, press Backspace, or use the Selection Tool to clear Continuous Data.
5. To copy the selected MIDI data type to another region, drag the selected region so that it’s superimposed on the first target measure. If the first target measure is not on-screen, scroll until you see it. Then, while pressing ctrloption and shift simultaneously, click the first target measure. The Copy MIDI Data dialog box appears (unless the first target measure is directly above or below the first source measure).
6. Type the number of times you want the material (horizontally) copied. Click OK (or press enter).

To send an All Notes Off message

On rare occasions, you may encounter a situation called MIDI lock, in which your synthesizer is “stuck” on a certain note or chord.

From the MIDI/Audio Menu, choose All Notes Off. Finale sends an “all notes off” message to every note of every channel. You should find that, after a moment, the situation is corrected.

To correct erratic MIDI playback

If you’re working with a very “notey” score, you may at times find that your computer gets overwhelmed by the amount of MIDI data it’s asked to play. For suggestions, see To correct erratic MIDI playback.

To specify the MIDI device

In order to specify a MIDI device (sound card or MIDI interface), you must first ensure it is properly installed on your computer. For details, consult your MIDI Device manual.

1. Choose MIDI Setup from the MIDI/Audio Menu. The MIDI Setup dialog box appears.
2. Specify the MIDI IN Device (from which you want Finale to receive MIDI input). While Finale can play back up to eight devices, it only records from one device at a time, and will not address the MIDI channels on all eight cards discretely.
3. For MIDI OUT or playback, specify the devices from the drop-down list. If you have more than one MIDI card installed, specify which one you want to carry MIDI channels 1 through 16 by entering the number in the Base Channel field.
4. Click OK (or press enter).

To change a MIDI channel in mid-staff

To change a staff’s MIDI channel within a piece, you create an expression that’s been defined for playback as a MIDI channel number.

1. Click the Expression Tool  .
2. Click on, above, or below the note to which you want to attach the channel-change expression. The Expression Selection dialog box appears.
3. Click Create. The Expression Designer dialog box appears.
4. Type the text for your Text Expression. You might want to call an expression that switches playback to channel 2 “To channel 2,” for example. To change the font, highlight the text, then from the Text menu, choose Font. If you want this marking to be invisible, don’t type anything at all.
5. Click the Playback tab. The playback options appear.
6. From the Type drop-down list menu, choose Channel. Enter the channel number in the Set To Value box. Click OK or Select in each dialog box until you return to the document.

To move or delete the channel-change expression

1. Click the Expression Tool  , and click the note to which the expression was attached. Its handle appears.
2. Drag the handle to reposition the expression; select it and press delete to remove it.

To assign a staff to more than one MIDI channel

Finale normally allows you to route each staff to a single MIDI channel. For some effects, however, you may want the staff’s contents transmitted on more than one channel—for example, if you want to mix the sounds from two different patches. To create this arrangement, you have to create an expression (which can be invisible, if you like) defined for playback. This marking’s playback definition involves the creation of a MIDI data dump.

1. Click the Expression Tool  ; click on, above, or below the note at which the music should begin playing over additional MIDI channels. The Expression Selection dialog box appears.
2. Click Create. The Expression Designer dialog box appears.
3. Enter the text (if any) for your data dump expression. To change the font, highlight the text, then from the Text Menu, choose Font. (You can leave the text box blank, if you wish.)
4. Click the Playback tab. The playback options appear.
5. From the Type drop-down list menu, choose Dump. The Playback Data Dump dialog box appears.
6. In the Number of Units text box, enter 2 or 3 (depending on whether you want the staff’s playback routed to a total of 2 or 3 additional MIDI channels). A staff can play over up to three MIDI channels, including the primary MIDI channel you’ve established for the staff.
7. In the first Data box, enter $FF. This code, including the dollar sign, is a special notation that tells your MIDI Instrument to prepare to receive additional MIDI channel information.
8. In the next Data text boxes, enter one or two numbers, corresponding to the MIDI channels you want the staff’s playback routed to minus one. In other words, if you want the staff to play over channels 5 and 6 (in addition to its primary MIDI channel), enter 4 in the second Data box and 5 in the third. (Also be sure to delete the default “$00” value from each text box before entering your MIDI channel numbers.) When Finale plays your score and reaches the expression you’re creating, it will reroute the playback to the MIDI channels you’ve just specified.
9. Click OK or Select or Assign in each dialog box until you return to the document. You return to the document.

Technical note: Here are some other codes you may find useful if you plan to make extensive use of the Data Dump feature. If, at some point in the staff, you want to change only one of the additional two MIDI channels you’ve specified, create another expression. Define this expression, too, to have a Data Dump Playback Definition; however, in the Data text box that originally displayed the MIDI channel that you don’t want to change at this point, enter the code $FE. Example: Your first Data Dump expression added channels 5 and 6 to the staff’s playback; its Data boxes displayed $FF, 4, and 5. You want the additional channels now to be 5 and 12, so you create a new Data Dump expression; its Data boxes should display $FF, $FE, and 11.

Finally, you can “turn off” any additional MIDI channels you’ve specified with a Data Dump expression by entering $FF in the appropriate Data box. Example: Your first Data Dump expression added channels 5 and 6 to the staff’s playback; its Data boxes displayed $FF, 4, and 5. You now want channel 5 to drop out, so you create a new Data Dump expression; its Data boxes should display $FF, $FF, and $FE (because $FE, remember, is the “don’t change this channel” command).