You are here: Encyclopedia > P > Patches > To set up a patch change on playback

To set up a patch change on playback

These instructions tell you how to create an expression marking that produces a patch change during playback (such as “To strings”). If you don’t need a visual indication to appear in the score, you may find it faster to use the MIDI Tool to create patch changes (see To set up patch changes using the MIDI Tool, below). If you’re using QuickTime for playback, you’ll need to define the patch in the Instrument List in order for the patch change to work. See Instrument List window.

  1. Click the Expression Tool  image\Expression_Tool.gif.
  2. Click on, above, or below the note at which you want the patch to change. The Expression Selection dialog box appears. If you’ve previously created the patch change marking, double-click it. The expression appears in the score, where you can adjust its position (see below).
  3. Click Create. The Expression Designer dialog box appears.
  4. Type a patch change indication (“To Clarinet,” for example). You can label the patch change any way you like, or you can leave the text box empty (if you want no graphic marking at all).
  5. Click the Playback tab. The playback options appear.
  6. From the Type popup menu, choose Patch.
  7. The Patch popup menu appears, choose the type of patch change needed, select the appropriate Bank and Program changes.
  8. Press return three times. Depending on your playback settings, you may need to begin playback at a measure prior to the patch change for it to take effect. To avoid this problem you can set Finale to “chase” the patch changes up to the point where you’re beginning playback. That is, Finale will quickly scan the piece all the way from the first measure, noting (and transmitting to your MIDI keyboard) any patch changes along the way, so that playback always begins using the current patch. See “To ‘chase’ patch changes before playback,” below. Chase only supports playback in non-scrolling mode.

 

 

User Manual Home