Syncing Finale to video
Finale allows you to write to picture using
either the integrated Movie Window, or a SMPTE-compatible movie player
or editor. If you would like to sync Finale to another software product,
it must be capable of receiving MIDI Time Code, which is the SMPTE medium
that can be sent from Finale for synchronization. If you decide to use
Finale’s integrated Movie Window, videos need to be in MP4, QuickTime, or Windows Media format. To play QuickTime movies
in Finale for Windows, QuickTime (a free download at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/) must
be installed. (The accompanying file “ArnoldsPark.mov” is in QuickTime
format.)
Finale offers performance tools designed
specifically for writing to video. For example, the tempo of your Finale
score, or portions of your score, can be modified to fit within a specific
duration, so the music flows with the movie perfectly. Also, to help guide
you, measure number “time” indicators can be used to show the elapsed
time at any measure. In this section, you will learn how to synchronize
Finale with video and use the tools necessary to successfully compose
an accompanying sound track.
- and then choose Window > Movie Window. This file is located in the "Finale 2014/Music Files/Tutorials" folder. (For the specific folder path for your system, see Finale Installation Details).
- In
the Movie Window, click Select, and then open the file “ArnoldsPark.mov”, located in the same folder as the document in step 1.
- Click
the Speaker icon in the Movie Window (left of the Play button) and drag
the volume all the way down. Now the movie’s sound will not interfere
with our Finale arrangement.
- Make
sure Sync is checked.
Notice the Time is displayed on the Movie Window
and Finale’s Playback Controls. As long as the “Sync” box is checked,
both the movie and music start, stop, rewind, and fast-forward together.
Let’s try it now.
- Click
the Play button in Finale’s Playback Controls. The movie and music
begin. Continue watching the video until the carnival rides appear. Notice
the entrance of the waltz-style piano motif begins a couple seconds after
the appearance of the carnival rides.
Let’s say we want to edit the music so that
the piano and the carnival enter simultaneously—a common type of edit
when writing alongside video. To do this, we will adjust the tempo slightly
from the beginning of the score until measure 14.
-
Choose Window > Advanced Tools Palette. Choose the
MIDI tool
. The MIDI tool menu appears.
- Click
measure 13 in the top staff to select it. Then, hold down the SHIFT key
and press the DOWN ARROW. Continue holding down SHIFT and press
the left arrow. All measures from 1-13 are now selected.
- Choose MIDI tool > Edit Tempo. Then choose MIDI tool > Fit to Time. The Fit to Time dialog box appears. Here, we can specify
a duration for the selected region of music and Finale will adjust the
tempo accordingly.
- For
New Elapsed Time (or New End Time), replace 41.736 with 37.5. New
End Time refers to the point in time at the end of the selected region.
New Elapsed Time refers to the duration of the selected region. Since
all measures are selected from the beginning of the piece, both will have
the same result.
- Click
OK. Now, if you play back the score, the piano enters at the same
time as the carnival—37.5 seconds from the beginning.
