On 30 Oct 2008, at 04:18, Robert Patterson wrote:
The most interesting enhancement in the new Fin09a release was
"staff assignment lists," especially as I had made a lot of noise
about Staff Lists after Fin09 came out.
MM has upped the number of true "staff lists" (now renamed Score
Lists) to 8. I think this may just wave the red flag again, esp.
since it proves they can set the number to any arbitrary number
they choose. While 8 is now in the range of being enough for just
about anyone, there was absolutely no reason for an artificial
limit, and forcing those of who don't use more than a couple to
have 8 is no small matter either. (The larger the fixed number, the
more cumbersome it becomes for those who don't need them.) At least
they can be named now.
I usually use only one score list, but I don't find it "cumbersome"
that there are 7 more in the menu. How often do you actually see the
whole list of lists? The only time I *might* see the menu of 8 score
lists is when I go to edit my one list, which I don't do more than
once for each score. Even then I don't actually have to look at the
names of the other seven lists: they'll only appear if I click on the
pop-up menu. For most scores I'll be using a template where this list
is already set up as I wish, so I don't even have to think about it.
I think MM must have hoped to placate all the p.o.-ed users with
these new "Staff Assignment Lists". While they aren't completely
useless, I think they may be nearly so for many users. The biggest
problem I have with them is that to use them you have to go through
so many mouse clicks. If one could set up meta-tools that
automatically used a certain list, it would be better, or set up
meta-tools to apply a list at a key-stroke, or even just listed
them as a sub-menu in the context menu. But no, so far as I can
tell you always have to navigate the dialog box to use them.
You can't use metatools with the old staff lists, so there's no loss
here. The heavy staff list users will be used to going through the
dialog boxes: they'll find that there are less actions involved in
placing an expression with a staff assignment list than there were
with a staff list in 2008:
In 2009, if the assignment list already exists, there are three actions:
- double click in the score
- choose the expression
- choose the assignment list
(no neeed to OK the dialog: as soon as the assignment list is chosen,
the dialog closes and the expression appears in the score).
In 2008, if the staff list exists already, there are five actions.
There might even be six:
- double click in the score
- choose the expression
- (if necessary select the option "Measure Expression")
- OK the dialog to get to another dialog
- choose the staff list
- OK this dialog
All they apparently are is a shortcut for mass assigning "this
staff only" expressions to preset, discontinguous collections of
staves. They list doesn't stick to the assignment. If you drag an
expression on one staff or delete it, nothing happens to the
expressions on the others. If you change the definition of the
assignment list, expressions that have already been assigned are
not affected. In looking under the covers, there appears to be
absolutely nothing linking an assignment to the staff assignment
list used to create it. The assignment list is (somewhat) a
shortcut for assigning expressions, but then it exits the stage.
Yes, the assignment list is exactly that, and I think this is a good
thing. Once the expressions are entered, they connot be messed up by
a change in a staff assignment list, and you can indeed delete
separate expressions. A passage on a single line or on a group of
staves can be copied to another place in the score without spawning a
new staff list with a name like "Brass-2-2". If you have already
entered expressions in a passage using a staff list in Finale 2008,
and then need to change the dynamics of just the trumpets in this
passage, you'll have to create a new staff list (or maybe even two).
In 2009, just select the dynamics in the trumpet part and double
click on the appropriate metatool.
Nevertheless, being able precisely to assign an expression to a
predetermined set of staves is certainly not a step backwards (from
Fin09), and it is especially nice that they are accessible from the
context menu. You can apply a list en masse by multiselecting the
handles. If there were a keyboard shortcut to apply them, I'd say
it would be at least an in-the-park double. As it is, it is perhaps
a line-drive to right for a single. Certainly not a home run. I'll
be interested to hear what heavy SL-users like Barbara and Claudio
think.
So will I. I'm looking at the staff assignment lists with interest,
but I don't think I'll make much use of them. Finale 2009 introduced
the method of entering an expression (using a metatool if wished) on
several staves at once with "drag-apply". In 2009a there's a new
method for gaining time that needs more publicity, methinks: you can
select an expression and apply it to adjacent staves with option-up/
down arrow (Mac) or control-up/down arrow (Win). You can even do this
to several expressions at a time.
Try it out: enter a few expressions in a staff, then select the
handles of these expressions. Now hold down the Option (or Ctrl) key
and press the down arrow: the expressions appear in the staff below.
Just keep the arrow key pressed to see the expressions being applied
to more staves. Nice!
Michael
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