merging files

[maxxzz]

I have a three part continuous piece in which the middle section has different percussion. i.e. parts 1 and 3 have one percussion line and part 2 has four. I would like to make one file with all three parts. How do I get Finale to do this and to extract the percussion part correctly?

[Peter Thomsen]

Let me get this straight:

In the manuscript the piece falls in three sections.
- The first section has the percussion part notated on 1 staff.
- The middle section has the percussion part notated on 4 staves.
- The last section has the percussion part notated on 1 staff.

Right?

You have already entered the manuscript into Finale, as three different Finale documents.
You would like to merge the three documents into one document.

Right?


1) The ScoreMerger can help you with this task (File menu > ScoreMerger…).

However, you will make the task easier for the ScoreMerger if the three documents have exactly the same staves, in the same staff order.
In the two documents with only 1 percussion staff I would insert 3 extra staves so that the staff order is the same in all three documents.

You can use the Score Manager to insert staves (Window menu > Score Manager).
An added staff is inserted into the Score Manager at the place of the currently selected staff, thus pushing the lower staves down.

Also, make sure that the staves/instruments have the same names in all three documents.


2) When you have merged the three documents into one document, you can hide the empty percussion staves from Page View, both in the score and in the linked percussion part.
This can be done with a staff style.

Staff styles can be different between the score and the linked parts.
You can hide/show the empty percussion staves in the score and in the percussion part independently.

The hidden staves will remain visible in Scroll View.


I hope that this is clear?
If not, ask again.

[maxxzz]

Perfectly clear. Thank you.

[maxxzz]

Now that I have done what you suggest, is there a way to re-space the staves of parts I, II, and III independently of each other?

[miker]

You can select only the staves you want, and adjust them as a group. Click in the first measure of your group, and shift+click on the last, to select everything in between.

[Peter Thomsen]

Now that I have done what you suggest, is there a way to re-space the staves of parts I, II, and III independently of each other?

If I understand you correctly, the number of staves is different in the percussion sections I, II, and III, namely

I: 1 staff
II: 4 staves
III: 1 staff

- right?

1) It is only in the middle section (with 4 staves) that you can respace staves.
In a part with only 1 staff, staff respacing does not make sense.
Staff respacing is done with the Staff Tool.
You can respace “manually” by dragging on the computer screen…
… or you can respace “numerically” by typing numbers:
Staff menu > Respace Staves…

2) However, in all three sections you can respace systems.
System respacing is done with the Page Layout Tool.
You can respace “manually” by dragging on the computer screen…
… or you can respace “numerically” by typing numbers:
Page Layout > Systems > Edit Margins…

[maxxzz]

1) It is only in the middle section (with 4 staves) that you can respace staves.
In a part with only 1 staff, staff respacing does not make sense.

The result is that in parts 1 & 3 there are wide separations between the percussion "area" and the strings. It's just a question of neatness for me.

[Peter Thomsen]

…The result is that in parts 1 & 3 there are wide separations between the percussion "area" and the strings. It's just a question of neatness for me.

If I understand you correctly, you are talking about the score, not about the linked parts, right?

From your description it sounds like the 3 empty percussion staves in the score have been hidden as “Cutaway”.

If you instead hide the 3 empty staves as “Collapse”, you will note get the “wide separation” between percussion and strings.

[maxxzz]

…The result is that in parts 1 & 3 there are wide separations between the percussion "area" and the strings. It's just a question of neatness for me.

If I understand you correctly, you are talking about the score, not about the linked parts, right?

Yes, only about the score.

From your description it sounds like the 3 empty percussion staves in the score have been hidden as “Cutaway”.

I've attached a .png of my two choices. The second choice ("CO") has no effect. I must be doing it wrong.

If you instead hide the 3 empty staves as “Collapse”, you will note get the “wide separation” between percussion and strings.

[Peter Thomsen]

Exactly!

You have selected staff style #12 which is the staff style “Force Hide Staff (Cutaway)”.
You can use staff style #12 for Cutaway scores (= scores where you e. g. make two measures invisible mid-system).

Instead, use staff style #13 which is the staff style “Hide Staff (and Collapse)”.

By The Way:
Note the keyboard shortcut(s) shown in the dialog box.
To apply the staff style “Hide Staff (and Collapse)”, just hit the letter D key.

[maxxzz]

"Instead, use staff style #13 which is the staff style “Hide Staff (and Collapse)”."

Still no result. The staff does not disappear.

Why does my dialogue box read differently then yours? I'm using 2014d as well.

[Peter Thomsen]

…Still no result. The staff does not disappear.

Why does my dialogue box read differently then yours? I'm using 2014d as well.

I can not explain why the staff does not disappear.

I also can not explain why your screen shot looks different from mine.

Let us be scientific.
Attach a Finale document here for the gurus to examine.
In that way we can find out whether the problem is document specific.

Before you can attach a Finale document in this forum, you must compress it, e. g. as a .zip file.
And the file size must not be more than max. 100 KB.

[maxxzz]

I figured out what I was doing wrong. Thanks very much.

On a side issue, there's the screenshot discrepancy.

but also using Apple's compress command does not change the size of the .mus file for some reason. I can't figure out why. i.e. the archived file is that same size as the original. Weird.

[Peter Thomsen]

…using Apple's compress command does not change the size of the .mus file for some reason. I can't figure out why. i.e. the archived file is that same size as the original. Weird.

Not so weird, actually.

Since you are using Finale 2014, the file format is not .mus anymore, but rather .musx.

The new .musx file format actually is a compressed file format, namely a .zip format.
As a matter of fact you can change the .musx file name extension to .zip, and then “de-compress” (un-zip) the file, to take a look inside the notation file.

(Similarly, the new Microsoft Word file format .docx is a compressed file format, too)

The .musx file format is going to be the same file format for the following Finale versions.
If e. g. some day in the future someone sends you a Finale 2016 document, then you will be able to open the document directly in Finale 2014, without the need for any file conversion.
This feature is called downwards compatibility, and it is a new (and long time wished for) feature in Finale.

In Other Words:
When using Apple’s compress command to create a .zip file you do not really alter the file, since it is a .zip file already.
No wonder the file size does not shrink.

Instead of compressing the file you could just change the file name extension from .musx to .zip, and then attach it here.
But it is faster/easier to zip the file.

[maxxzz]

That explains it. But here's the thing: I reduced my file to about 6 measures (out of 300 or so) , i.e. showing the beginning and end of each section, and the file size became 380kb, about 1/2 the size of the whole piece. I can't get it under 100kb!

[Peter Thomsen]

A notation document’s file size is not only a matter of the number of measures in the document.
What increases the file size, is also all the libraries loaded into the document.

To reduce the file size, delete as many items as possible from dialog boxes like Chord Suffix Selection, Articulation Selection, Expression Selection, Shape Selection &c.

Try this, just to get a better understanding of file sizes:
File menu > New > Document Without Libraries
Save this empty document, and note its file size.
My guess is that you will find, that its file size is less than 13 KB.