To use a MIDI guitar for entry

There are two components necessary for entry with a MIDI guitar, the MIDI guitar itself, and a guitar to MIDI interface. The guitar to MIDI interface translates pitches from the guitar into MIDI signals to be sent to the computer. Consult the instruction manual that came with your guitar to MIDI interface to insure it is connected properly to the computer. Then in Finale, go to the MIDI setup dialog box (under the MIDI/Audio menu) and choose the appropriate MIDI IN driver. For more information on MIDI setup in the Finale Tutorials.

There might be a slight delay from the time the string is plucked to the time the MIDI information reaches Finale. To compensate for this, you may need to adjust the MIDI Latency setting:

1. From the MIDI/Audio menu, choose MIDI Setup.
2. In the MIDI Latency text box, enter “25” ms. This is just a first guess. Getting this value to match the precise delay may require some trial and error. You may need up to 150ms to compensate for the delay. The ideal amount of latency will depend on your hardware configuration.
3. Coordinate MIDI channels for your guitar strings. From the MIDI/Audio menu, choose Tablature MIDI Channels. The MIDI Channels for Tablature dialog box appears. The MIDI data for each string on a MIDI guitar reaches Finale on its own MIDI channel. In order to properly organize this information, you need to tell Finale the MIDI channel assigned to each string. In this dialog box, enter the channel for each string as defined on your guitar to MIDI interface. Consult your interface’s instruction manual for information on assigning strings to MIDI channels, or viewing the currently selected MIDI channel for each string. See Tablature MIDI Channels dialog box.

Once you have hooked up the MIDI guitar and set the latency and string MIDI channels, follow instructions for Recording with HyperScribe on either a notation or tablature staff. You can also use a MIDI guitar for entry while using the Simple or Speedy Entry Tools. The principals for using HyperScribe for entry with a MIDI guitar are the same as entry with a MIDI keyboard.

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