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Configuring instrument playback

Note. Playback sound assignments are saved with the document. If a Finale 2012 file is opened on a computer lacking a device used in the document, Finale will display "(missing)" under the Device column for all Instruments assigned to that device in the ScoreManager after sounds have been loaded. Prior to loading sounds, files last saved in Finale 2012 will list the device/Audio Units plug-in. For files last saved in Finale 2011 or earlier, the Staff Name appears in place of the missing device prior to loading sounds. (Sounds are loaded at playback, when opening the Audio Units Banks & Effects dialog, or when making edits to the ScoreManager.)

Whether you are using Audio Units or MIDI for playback, you can easily change the instrument sound. All scores created with Finale 2012's Setup Wizard, and instruments added with the ScoreManager, are assigned to playback sounds automatically. Use these instructions to change the sound assignment for existing scores, which can be particularly useful when working with older scores created in earlier versions of Finale, or when opening the file on a computer with a different sound configuration.

Finale offers 8 Banks of 16 channels for a total of 128 different sounds possible. For a description of how Finale handles bank and channel assignments for MIDI and Audio Units playback, see Finale Banks & Channels.

Assigning Finale's Included Garritan sounds to score instruments

Finale 2012 handles playback of its included Audio Units sounds (and other sound libraries offered by MakeMusic) automatically using Sound Maps. At any point, whether you want to revert to the original sound assignments, or if you are working with an old file that has not been assigned to Audio Units sounds, to automatically assign all score Instruments to Audio Units sounds (based on the Sound Map Priority), choose MIDI/AudioReassign Playback Sounds. See MIDI/Audio/Reassign Playback Sounds.

Instruments can also be assigned to individual Garritan sounds manually using the ScoreManager and the Aria Player...

To assign Finale's included Garritan sounds to score Instruments manually

  1. Choose MIDI/Audio > Play Finale Through Audio Units.
  2. Choose WindowScoreManager and ensure one of the available Sound Maps are selected under the Device column for all the instruments (e.g. Garritan Instruments for Finale for the Garritan sounds). These Sound Maps link your score instruments to a Audio Units device installed on your computer, such as the Garritan sounds. When a Sound Map is selected, Finale automatically loads its library of sounds into the Aria Player, which is also loaded into a Bank in the Audio Units Banks & Effects dialog box.
  3. Under the Sound column, select the desired playback sound. Finale assigns the sound to the Instrument, automatically using the next available channel and bank.

Note. Each instrument occupies a different amount of RAM. For example, the Garritan “Flute Pla1” sound uses only 1.17 MB of RAM whereas the Steinway Piano uses 10.55 MB. If you are experiencing choppy playback or missing instruments, AU instruments may have exhausted your computer resources. If this is the case, try loading the “Plr#” instruments instead of the “Solo” instruments to conserve RAM.

You can select a sound for each staff in an Instrument (for multi-staff instruments like piano), and also each individual layer of each staff. To do so, click the triangle to the left of the instrument/staff name; for staves, Finale displays new rows of information that correspond to the staff’s Layers.

Assigning 3rd party Audio Units sounds

Finale allows you to manually assign any Audio Units sound to one of your score Instruments using the ScoreManager.

Note. If you have swapped the Bank assignment to a different player in the Audio Units Banks & Effects dialog box, all Instruments assigned to that bank are also assigned to the new player, and sounds will need to be assigned manually in the new player. See Swapping a player on a bank.

Note. Consult the documentation accompanying your 3rd party Audio Units library to ensure it is properly installed on your computer.

To assign 3rd party Audio Units sounds to instruments

  1. Choose MIDI/Audio > Play Finale Through Audio Units.
  2. Choose Window > ScoreManager.
  3. Click the Device column for the instrument you would like to assign and choose your Audio Units device. If this is the first time you've used the device in the document, it is automatically loaded into the next available bank in the Audio Units Banks & Effects dialog box and assigned to channel 1 in the ScoreManager. The next time you choose this device, Finale automatically uses the same bank and assigns the instrument to the next channel, 2 (then 3, 4, etc.) up to 16 channels. If the same device is used for the 17th channel, Finale loads the device into the next available bank in the Audio Units Banks & Effects dialog box and channel numbering starts again at 1. (The bank for each instrument is listed under the Bank column of the ScoreManager).
  4. Under the Sound column, click Edit Player to open the 3rd party Audio Units interface. Select the desired sound, ensuring the slot used for the sound corresponds to the channel assigned to the instrument in the ScoreManager.
  5. Close the ScoreManager and playback to audition your selected sound.

Assigning Instruments to MIDI sounds

If Play Finale Through MIDI is selected under the MIDI/Audio menu, Finale uses the MIDI sound settings assigned to instruments for playback. There are many reasons you might choose to use MIDI sounds for playback:

Assigning internal General MIDI sounds

If you would like to playback through MIDI using your computer's speakers, you can use Finale's built-in General MIDI synth, "SoftSynth," or your own internal soundcard's synthesizer.

To assign an instrument to an internal MIDI sound:

  1. Choose MIDIPlay Finale Through MIDI.
  2. Choose Window > ScoreManager The ScoreManager appears.
  3. Under the Device column, click the popup menu for the staff you are assigning and choose the desired device (e.g. SoftSynth or another MIDI synthesizer installed on your computer). If the device you would like to use is not available, choose MIDI/AudioDevice SetupMIDI/Internal Speaker Setup to open the MIDI Setup dialog box. For Playback To, choose SmartMusic SoftSynth or QuickTime Playback.
  4. Under the Sound column, click the popup menu for the staff you are assigning and choose the desired sound.

Assigning external MIDI sounds

If you would like to playback through MIDI using an external MIDI device, like a MIDI keyboard or sound module, first configure the MIDI Setup dialog box (Playback ToMIDI System). Then, use the Sound column of the ScoreManager, using the Set Patch To dialog box. See To establish MIDI sound settings for a score Instrument.

 

 

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