On 7 Apr 2013, at 1:00 PM, <finale-requ...@shsu.edu> wrote: > That is what I am finding too... It is a bit > annoying, having just bought GPO4, especially to get better-sounding output. > Most of the stuff I have done, the appearance is > most important. It is going to be used by real > people, and the audio output is just for my own > use as I work on it. This time, I am working on > some pieces which are going to be played through > an audio system in lieu of real people. The > appearance doesn't matter half as much, but it needs to sound right. > I have never tried exporting midi from finale to > another program, but I know that it doesn't > import midi too successfully. The few times I > have tried, I ended up scrapping it and entering > the music by hand. I don't mind that, but it > would be a real pain if I were working on a symphony! > > Thanks, > > Phil.
I think the tempo changes using the tempo tool or the built-in ritard/accel or using the shape designer to create your own slopes are problematic, always have been. I have, at various times, really tried to figure them out, and got inconsistent results, even when I triple-checked my work. I also use other programs when playback is crucial. Used to use DP, now use Logic. Always do separate passes, never try to get the MIDI back and forth to work. Sometimes, I've exported audio from Finale and tweaked that (amazing things can be done with fine tempo and dynamic control to audio using these programs). If you want to use MIDI, on Apple products the GPO plugin is usable in the other programs, since they are all Audio Units. I think this probably is true on the Windows side (VST?). However, if you want this to work in Finale, I think it is possible. If you really don't care what it looks like, you can try this: put a real tempo mark (quarter = whatever) wherever you want to change tempo. For gradual tempo changes, put a tempo mark one on every beat (quarter, eighth, sixteenth). These DO work, at least nearly always. You can create a silent scratch track with a string of notes to which to attach the tempo marks. If you DO care what it looks like, you can hide those tempo marks (group-select and hide), and I think you can hide the scratch track. The scratch track might work in an unused layer (layer 4?), and I believe you can set that layer not to display. I think TG trills put playback hidden in layer 4, so that should work. Then you can put in purely graphic "rit" or "accel" marks, but make sure they are disconnected from anything related to playback. You probably also want to turn off human playback. That does all kinds of inconsistent things that I've never been able to control to my satisfaction, even wading into the HP preference settings. Whenever you put in expressions, double-check the playback tab to make sure it does exactly what you want. Finale was designed primarily as a notation tool, with MIDI as an afterthought (especially MIDI playback). It is better than it used to be, and vastly better, comparatively speaking, than the notation side of DP or Logic or any of the audio-centric programs. I think MIDI playback is vastly easier than notation, and it has always puzzled me why this is one area where Finale has failed to please. Finale, forever, has been the tool that gives the user enough control to be able to find work-arounds and options. MIDI playback, if you don't like HP and the other things that come built-in, has long been (and continues to be) a very frustrating thing. Good luck with this. David Froom _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
