Finale Forum

Good morning.
Got a new computer about 8 months ago with Windows 10 OS. Installed both Fin 2011 and Fin v25 along with GPO5, some Vienna Symphonic and EastWest/QuantumLeap instruments. The VST libraries worked fine in both Fin 2011 and Fin v25. Then I got an orchestra project where I was working only on the notation side of Fin v25 for six months. Having finally finished that project this past weekend I went back to earlier projects where I was working with performance playback. Everything was fine in Fin 2011, but not Fin v25 where the VST folders were no longer being recognized. No VST files at all! The only change made that I can think of was updating to V 25.3.
How do I get Fin v25.3 to recognize VST files? Is this a bug in the update? Should go back to v25.2? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Jerre

The first thought:

When you updated to 25.3, did you run both installers in the download file? If you didn't run the second for Aria/Garritan, then 25.3 is not going to know where to look on your system.

Thanks, Mike, for your reply.
That's a good good question: whether I downloaded and ran the Aria installer. I'll do it again and see what happens.

Your Finale download contains two installers. You need to run both. Some see that second window still open after running the first and think, "I've already done this" and close the window. That other one still needs to be run.

Please bare with me: have had to uninstall and re-install Fin v. 25.3 and am having authorization issues. Since I've not been able to open the program there is no way of knowing whether re-installation solved the problem.
Will get back as soon as possible.

After a bit of a go-around, finally got v25.3 re-installed and authorized. You were right, there was no Aria installation to the update. I tried to install Aria but was told it was already installed. I uninstalled Aria and then tried to re-install v25.3, ran into the authorization problems, got that cleared up again, and then re-installed v 25.3. It did not install Aria. But Aria is not installed on my computer. Tried to find the installer for Aria in MakeMusic/Garritan but now can't find it. Am beginning to feel I've moved into a parallel universe. What am I doing wrong? How can I avoid these maddening spirals???

Well, there you have it! The sign my brain is going is my calling the Aria player/Garritan by the Sounds-Online EastWest/QuantumLeap Play interface name. Of course, I meant "Aria," not "Play." Since I've used both for several years now their names tend to be interchangeable in my mind. Which, in reality, they are two quite separate entities.
I currently am trying to access the Aria player for VST instruments. Finale v25.3 is not recognizing ANY VST player.
I also have Fin 2011 installed. I tried getting it to perform files with the Aria player and am getting other-worldly electronic sounds, not assigned instruments.
I checked the Garritan instrument files for GPO5 and they seem to be normal. Also the instrument files from EW/QL and VSL. Everything looks normal.
I simply don't understand what's happening.

Play is the EWQL player, it has nothing to do with either Garritan installation, nor Finale installation.

If it is not installed on your computer, don't waste time reinstalling FInale. Find your EWQL library and reinstall THAT.

Sorry, Michel, for causing confusion. I meant "Aria" player, not "Play." I uninstalled "Aria" and am having trouble getting it re-installed. "Aria" is the problem to be addressed.

Meanwhile, "Aria" in Fin 2011 [on the same computer] is not functioning either [see above]. It brings up the "Aria" console window but the sounds are all wrong, very electronic. The Fin 2011 folder, in the Programs X86 folder, contains an earlier "Aria" player. Several months ago it was accessing GPO5 instruments just fine. Now itʻs not.
But I don't want to distract from the Fin v25.3 problems. Iʻm caught it a fruitless v25.3 loop, canʻt get "Aria" reinstalled, much less fix v25.3ʻs inability to recognize "Aria". v25.3 is not recognizing any VST player.

I hope this clarifies the situation. And apologies again for distracting by confusing "Aria" with that other player!