MIDI tool menu

How to get there

Choose Window > Advanced Tools Palette. Choose the MIDI tool . The MIDI tool menu appears.

What it does

The commands in the MIDI tool menu let you edit the captured MIDI data in your document in various ways. Once you’ve edited MIDI data (and returned to the score), you can then erase it, or copy it from one passage to another. Be sure the MIDI data type you want to manipulate is selected in the MIDI tool menu. For an in-depth discussion of working with MIDI data, see Editing MIDI data.

Edit Key Velocities. Choose this command to tell Finale that you want the editing commands (Set To, Add, Scale, Percent Alter, Limit, Alter Feel, and Randomize) to affect the key velocityStrictly speaking, key velocity refers to the pressure or force with which a piano-style key is depressed. A key velocity value can be used in MIDI to denote the attack tone or the volume of a MIDI event (although MIDI CC 7, Volume, is more common for the latter). In Finale, key velocity is generally interpreted as volume, with one notable exception being several of the Garritan Instruments for Finale. of the selected music. If you select this command while you're in the MIDI tool split-window, you see the velocities of the notes on the screen represented as a bar graph. After you select this command, a check mark appears beside it in the MIDI tool menu.
Edit Note Durations. Choose this command to tell Finale that you want the editing commands to affect the Start Times and Stop Times of the selected music. If you select this option while you’re in the MIDI tool split-window, you see the durations of the notes on the screen represented graphically as horizontal lines—the longer the line, the longer the note.
Edit Continuous Data. When you choose this command, the View Continuous Data dialog box appears, in which you can specify which MIDI controller continuous dataContinuous Data is a broad MIDI term which includes both Controller data, such as volume or aftertouch, as well as patch, pedaling, and pitch wheel information. Continuous Data is not associated with particular notes, but is stored with measures. you want to edit (and view, if you're in the MIDI tool split-window). Sustain pedal usage, pitch or modulation wheel changes, patchParticular instrument sounds within a MIDI channel. Consists of a simple program change or a combination of bank and program changes. Different MIDI device and software manufacturers may refer to a patch as a sound, part, voice, or program. changes, and monophonic aftertouchA MIDI signal transmitted by changing the pressure of a MIDI controller while it's held. (Useful for creating crescendos or decrescendos). There are two types of aftertouch: Channel Pressure (Monophonic Aftertouch) and Key Pressure (Polyphonic Aftertouch). are a few of the options; if you have other kinds of controllers, you can identify them by number. After you've specified the continuous data type you want to edit, you return to the score (or MIDI tool split-window); you can now use the MIDI/Audio menu commands to affect the specified controller data. (Note that the "Alter Feel" and "Randomize" commands aren't available if you're editing continuous data.) After you select this command, a check mark appears beside it in the MIDI tool menu.
Edit Tempo. Choose this command to tell Finale that you want the editing commands (Set To, Add, Scale, Percent Alter, and Limit) to affect the tempo of the selected music. When you return to the score (or MIDI tool split-window); you can use the MIDI/Audio menu commands to change the tempo data. After you select this command, a check mark appears beside it in the MIDI tool menu.
Set To. When you choose this command, the corresponding Set To dialog box is displayed, in which you can set the values of the specified MIDI data type (velocity, durations, or continuous data) for all selected notes to a single value. For example, you could set the key velocities for all selected notes to 100 (on the MIDI velocity scale of 0 to 127). See Set To - Key Velocities; Set To - Note Durations; Set To - Continuous Data (and Set Patch To); Set To - Tempo.
Use this command to create pedaling, after using the Continuous Data command (see below) to specify that you want to edit sustain pedal data. Select the point at which you want the sustain pedal to go down by dragging through a small sliver of the graph area. (The “pedal down” message will occur at the beginning of the selected [highlighted] region.) Choose Set To, and enter 127; when Finale plays back the music, it will push the pedal “down” at the point you specified. Repeat the process at the point where you want the pedal released, but choose Set To and enter zero. See Pedal markings.
Scale. When you choose this command, the corresponding Scale dialog box is displayed, in which you can scale the values of the specified MIDI data type (velocity, durations, or continuous data) evenly from one value to another across the selected region. You could scale the velocities of the notes in a selected region, for example, from a low value to a high one; Finale would play the notes back with a smooth crescendo. This command is also useful for creating pitch bends. Note that you can scale the MIDI velocity values either from one specified absolute value to another, or from one percentage of the original value to another (from 15% to 50% of the original values, for example). See Scale - Key Velocities; Scale - Note Durations; Scale - Continuous Data; Scale - Tempo.
Add. When you choose this command, the corresponding Add dialog box is displayed, in which you can add a positive or negative amount to the values of the specified MIDI data type (velocity, durations, or continuous dataContinuous Data is a broad MIDI term which includes both Controller data, such as volume or aftertouch, as well as patch, pedaling, and pitch wheel information. Continuous Data is not associated with particular notes, but is stored with measures.) for all selected notes. You could add a certain amount to the key velocityStrictly speaking, key velocity refers to the pressure or force with which a piano-style key is depressed. A key velocity value can be used in MIDI to denote the attack tone or the volume of a MIDI event (although MIDI CC 7, Volume, is more common for the latter). In Finale, key velocity is generally interpreted as volume, with one notable exception being several of the Garritan Instruments for Finale. data for every note, for example, or make a pitch bend less "deep." See Add - Key Velocities; Add - Note Durations; Add - Continuous Data; Add - Tempo.
Percent Alter. When you choose this command, the corresponding Percent Alteration dialog box is displayed, in which you can increase or decrease the values of the specified MIDI data type (velocity, durations, or continuous dataContinuous Data is a broad MIDI term which includes both Controller data, such as volume or aftertouch, as well as patch, pedaling, and pitch wheel information. Continuous Data is not associated with particular notes, but is stored with measures.) for all selected notes by a percentage of their original values. You could make the key velocityStrictly speaking, key velocity refers to the pressure or force with which a piano-style key is depressed. A key velocity value can be used in MIDI to denote the attack tone or the volume of a MIDI event (although MIDI CC 7, Volume, is more common for the latter). In Finale, key velocity is generally interpreted as volume, with one notable exception being several of the Garritan Instruments for Finale. for every note twice as high, for example, by specifying an increase of 200%. See Percent Alteration - Key Velocities; Percent Alteration - Note Durations; Percent Alteration - Continuous Data; Percent Alteration - Tempo.
Limit. When you choose this command, the corresponding Limit dialog box is displayed, in which you can limit the values of the specified MIDI data type (velocity, durations, or continuous dataContinuous Data is a broad MIDI term which includes both Controller data, such as volume or aftertouch, as well as patch, pedaling, and pitch wheel information. Continuous Data is not associated with particular notes, but is stored with measures.) for all selected notes to a certain minimum and maximum value. Any notes with values above the maximum you specify will be clipped back to that maximum value; any notes with values below the minimum will be boosted to that minimum value. For example, if you discover that you can't hear any of the guitar notes in your score when the synthesizer keys are "struck" (during playback) with a velocity under 50, you could "limit" the entire guitar staff to a minimum velocity value of 50. See Limit - Key Velocities; Limit - Note Durations; Limit - Continuous Data; Limit - Tempo.
Alter Feel. Like the Add or Percent Alter commands, the Alter Feel command displays a dialog box that lets you add a positive or negative number to the velocities or durations of every note in the selected region. However, in the Alter Feel dialog box, you can target individual beats in each measure to receive the alterations. For example, if you've selected Key Velocities, you can specify that the downbeat of each measure in the selected region should be played back with 50% more volume, while the other beats in the measure are unaffected. In fact, you can specify a different value for Downbeats, Other Beats, and Backbeats. See Alter Feel - Key Velocities; Alter Feel - Note Durations.
Randomize. When you choose this command, the corresponding Randomize dialog box is displayed, in which you can specify an amount by which you want to randomly alter the velocity or duration values for all selected notes. This can be a useful option if you want to give your playback a more imperfect, "human" feeling. Type a fairly small number into the box - to randomize key velocities, for example, you might enter a number between 10 and 20 (unless you really want some unpredictable, madcap accents). See Randomize - Key Velocities; Randomize - Note Durations.
Clear. Choose this command to clear all MIDI data within the selected region.
Edit MIDI Note. When you choose this command, the Edit MIDI Note dialog box appears, in which you can set the start and stop times, and the key velocityStrictly speaking, key velocity refers to the pressure or force with which a piano-style key is depressed. A key velocity value can be used in MIDI to denote the attack tone or the volume of a MIDI event (although MIDI CC 7, Volume, is more common for the latter). In Finale, key velocity is generally interpreted as volume, with one notable exception being several of the Garritan Instruments for Finale. of a note in one place.
Fit to Time. Choose this command to open the Fit to Time dialog box where you can specify a duration for the selected region of music or the elapsed time of the entire score. This feature is particularly useful for writing to picture.
Play. This command, available if the MIDI tool split-window is open, plays the displayed music immediately using the captured MIDI data.
Show Selected Notes. This command, only available if the MIDI tool split-window is open, tells Finale to draw lines in the graph area for only notes whose handlesA small square which appears on currently "selectable" elements in the score. Handles allow you to select, edit and adjust musical elements in the score. are selected. If you're working with a notationally dense score, for example, or if you're trying to work with an inner melody in a chordal passage, choose this option to hide the graph lines for the notes that aren't essential to what you're doing. (Because MIDI controller data isn't associated with individual notes, this command is not available if Continuous Data is selected in the MIDI/Audio menu.)
Dragging Copies Music • MIDI Data. Check one of these commands to tell Finale to copy music while dragging (as you would with the Selection tool) or to copy MIDI data while dragging.
Apply Human Playback. Use this command to display the Apply Human Playback dialog box, where you can apply a Human Playback style or specific elements of Human Playback to a region of your document.