Configuring instrument playback
Note: Playback sound assignments are saved with the document. If a Finale 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 or later will list the VST 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 VST Banks & Effects dialog, or when making edits to the ScoreManager.)
Whether you are using VST or MIDI for playback, you can easily change the instrument sound. For new scores created with the Setup Wizard and instruments added with the ScoreManager, Finale automatically chooses the best channel assignments for the instruments used in your score. 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 VST playback, see Finale Banks & Channels.
Assigning Finale's included Garritan sounds to score instruments
Finale handles playback of its included VST 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 VST sounds, to automatically assign all score Instruments to VST sounds (based on the Sound Map Priority), choose MIDI/Audio > Reassign Playback Sounds. See MIDI/Audio/Reassign Playback Sounds.
- Choose MIDI/Audio > Play Finale Through VST.
- Choose Window > ScoreManager and ensure one of the available Sound Maps is selected under the Device column for each staff (e.g. Garritan Instruments for Finale for the Garritan sounds). These Sound Maps link your score instruments to a VST instrument. 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 VST Banks & Effects dialog box.
- Under the Sound column, select the desired playback sound. Finale assigns the sound to the instrument using the next available channel and bank.
Note: If
you are experiencing choppy playback or missing sounds, VST instruments may have
exhausted your computer resources. If this is the case when using Garritan instruments, 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 in the individual
of each staff. To do so, click the triangle to the left of the instrument/staff
name; Finale displays new rows of information that correspond to the staff’s
layers.
Assigning 3rd party VST sounds
Finale allows you to manually assign any VST sound to one of your score Instruments using the ScoreManager.
Note: If you have swapped the Bank assignment to a different player in the VST 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 VST library to ensure it is properly installed on your computer.
- Choose MIDI/Audio > Play Finale Through VST.
- Choose Window > ScoreManager.
- Click the Device column for the instrument you would like to assign and choose your VST 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 VST 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 VST 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).
- Under the Sound column, click Edit Player to open the 3rd party VST interface. Select the desired sound, ensuring the slot used for the sound corresponds to the channel assigned to the instrument in the ScoreManager.
- 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:
- to use fewer computer resources than required by VST playback.
- to use General MIDI sounds to ensure your score will sound basically the same on any computer.
- to use an external MIDI keyboard or sound module 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 synthesizer ("SmartMusic SoftSynth") or your internal sound card's synthesizer.
- Choose MIDI > Play Finale Through MIDI.
- Choose Window > ScoreManager.
- Under the Device column, click the drop-down 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/Audio > Device Setup> MIDI Setup to open the MIDI Setup dialog box where you can select the desired MIDI Out device for up to 8 banks of 16 channels each.
- Under the Sound column, click the drop-down 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, such as a MIDI keyboard or sound module, first configure the MIDI Out settings in the MIDI Setup dialog box. Then, in the Sound column of the ScoreManager, click to open the Set Patch To dialog box. See To
establish MIDI sound settings for a score instrument.
