MIDI Setup dialog box

How to get there

Choose MIDI/Audio > Device Setup > MIDI/Internal Speaker Setup.

What it does

Noteman says: When you install a new version of Finale on your computer, your MIDI setup settings are not copied from the previous version.

The MIDI Setup dialog box first appears when you launch Finale for the first time after installing it on your computer. At that time, you are asked to specify your computer's MIDI configuration so that Finale can make use of connected MIDI devices. You can also edit these settings at any time by accessing this dialog box from the MIDI/Audio menu.

• Auto-Detect Input Devices. This check box allows you to automatically assign MIDI Input devices to banks. For example, if you unplug one external MIDI keyboard and then plug in a different model, Finale automatically detects the new device and adds it to the Input Device for base channel 1. When checked, Finale disables the other Input menus.
• Playback To: MIDI System • QuickTime Playback • SmartMusic SoftSynth. Choose MIDI System to playback using the MIDI System specified in the MIDI System pop-up menu (to the left). Select QuickTime Playback if you want Finale to play back your piece using QuickTime sounds through your Mac’s speaker instead of a MIDI instrument. Choose SmartMusic SoftSynth Playback to use Finale’s General MIDI sound font for instrument sounds during Internal Speaker Playback.
• MIDI System: CoreMIDI. Use this pop-up menu to select the MIDI system you plan to use for communication within your MIDI setup. Choose CoreMIDI to use Apple’s built-in MIDI System. Finale lists the available input and output devices for each bank of 16 Finale channels. Select the Output and Input Devices you plan to use. Finale Channel: 1-16 • 17-32…113-128. There are 128 Finale channels available for MIDI note entry and playback. They are grouped into eight 16-channel banks. Each bank represents one or more MIDI devices and their 16 available MIDI channels, depending on your MIDI setup. For example, each bank of Finale channels could be mapped as follows:
• Finale channels/MIDI channels on the connected instrument:
  • 1-16 Device One 1-16
  • 17-32 Device Two 1-16
  • 33-48 Device Three 1-16
  • 49-64 Device Four 1-16
  • 65-80 Device Five 1-16
  • 81-96 Device Six 1-16
  • 97-112 Device Seven 1-16
  • 113-128 Device Eight 1-16
• Enable Inter-Application Ports. Check this box to tell Finale to publish its virtual drivers. When this box is checked, Finale generates four "Finale 2014 Input/Output" ports which you can select in other MIDI applications that support inter-application MIDI. For more information, see To use Inter-application MIDI.
• Output Device • Input Device. The Output and Input Device options let you choose where you want MIDI data sent to or received from. This pop-up menu lists the port(s) that are available for MIDI, from which Finale can receive and play back MIDI data. For details specific to each MIDI system, see Setting up your MIDI system.

  To select an input or output device for a bank of channels, choose an item from the appropriate pop-up menu. If an item is unchecked, it is not currently in use and you can select it; if an item is checked, it has already been selected for the current bank of channels; if an item is gray, it’s already in use as an input or output device for another bank of channels—and you must deselect it from the other bank of channels if you want to reassign it. If an item is italicized, it does not exist in your current Audio MIDI Setup. If you want to select more than one item, SHIFT+select for additional items.

  The items you select for a bank of channels appear in an abbreviated form in the pop-up menu. To see the full listing, click the pop-up menu to see which items are checked.

• Receive MIDI Sync From. Select the input device that directs Finale’s real-time transcription and playback. When you use MIDI sync, Finale follows the tempo of another device, such as a drum machine. You can only receive MIDI sync from one device. For details specific to each MIDI system, see How to use OS X MIDI Setup.
• Send MIDI Sync To. Select Send MIDI Sync To if you want Finale to transmit MIDI sync signals whenever it plays back your score. This check box works the same as in previous versions.
• Send MTC To. Select Send MTC Sync To if you want Finale to transmit SMPTE MIDI Time Code signals whenever it plays back your score. Click the pop-up menu and choose the program you would like to send MTC signals to. If the program is not in this list, open it and set it to receive MTC. (Consult the program’s documentation if you do not know how to do this).
• MIDI In Latency. Enter a value in this text box to correct for a delayed response from an external MIDI device during a HyperScribe session. The MIDI latency value compensates for the short delay it sometimes takes for MIDI information to travel from an external MIDI device into the computer.
• Percussion Input Maps. Click this button to open the Percussion Input Maps dialog box where you can properly configure an external MIDI device for percussion input.
• SmartMusic SoftSynth Settings: Choose this option to open the SoftSynth Settings dialog box where you can adjust SoftSynth settings such as the output level.
• Audio MIDI Setup. Choose this command to open OS X’s Audio MIDI Setup dialog box where you can adjust settings for MIDI input and playback. For example, you might use Audio MIDI Setup to assign a name to the port used to connect your external MIDI device. (The port’s name will appear accordingly in Finale’s MIDI Setup dialog box).
• OK • Cancel. Click OK (or press return) to return to the score. Click cancel to discard any changes you’ve made to the MIDI setup, and return to the score.

Tip: Refer to the beginning pages of the Finale Tutorials to assist you in connecting your MIDI instrument to Finale.

See also:

MIDI

MIDI/Audio menu