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Audio

Finale's audio options include the ability to add an audio track to your document suited for either recording a live performance or inserting an external audio file. Additionally, any document can be saved as an audio file using the same high-quality results you hear during playback.

Wave, AIFF, or MP3 files can be loaded into a Finale document's audio track. To add an audio track to a Finale document and add an audio file, see To import an audio file (below). To record audio in real-time with HyperScribe, see To record an audio track. The Mixer controls and Studio View Staff Controls that are used for controlling staff volume, panning, and other playback parameters also apply to audio tracks. See Studio View.

Note: Finale does not include any audio editing capabilities. To make changes to an audio file itself, use an audio editing product. (Pro Tools, Sonar, and Cubase are examples of audio editing products).

You can save a Finale document as a standard Wave file (for burning to a CD), or as a compressed MP3 (for storing on your computer or transfer over the Internet). See To export an audio file (below). Finale generates the audio file based on the MIDI performance of the Finale document. For sound, Finale uses a General MIDI SoundFont installed to the Finale 2014/Audio Support folder named “synthgms.sf2.” (See Finale Installation Details for specific folder locations on your computer). This file contains the sounds used to ‘record’ the audio file. To use a different General MIDI SoundFont, from the MIDI/Audio menu, choose MIDI Setup, click SoftSynth Settings, and then click Select to open a different SoundFont.

To burn audio files to a CD, follow instructions included with your CD burning software to organize the files into tracks and burn them to a recordable CD.

Note: Finale can use VST sounds when saving as audio, although the file is recorded in real-time, and is not in a compressed (MP3) format.