Finale Forum

Finale Version 25.4.1.152
Windows 10

Problem - For a piece with 3/4 swing, I get two different playback rhythms from using the spacebar or using the right-arrow "play" button. I have the spacebar playback working ok - 3/4 swing plays back appropriately. Yet when I use the "play" button, or try to export the audio, it plays as just 3/4 straight-time. I'm unable to figure out why.

For this, we might need to examine the file for the cause.

Zuill

How did you apply the Swing?

Space bar bypasses HP, no?

Yes, it does. Which is why we need to see the file, or at least, know how the swing was applied.

There's a Swing playback effect possible in a tempo marking, and HP has its own Swing processing and options, so I suspect that accounts for the difference.

Thank you for your responses, everyone.

1) Choose window>playback controls
2) In the playback controls pane now near the top of the window, Click on the "playback" button (the button looks like a speaker) in the playback row near the top of the window.
2) In the Human Playback Style pull-down, select "jazz".
3) In the "SwingValues" pull-down, select "standard".

The piece now plays appropriately. If one selects "None" in the Swing Values pull-down, then the two outputs, either space-bar or play or export-audio sound the same.

Thank you so much for helping.

The help system references another technique for swing playback, using the "mf" tool, on a staff-by-staff basis. It references a standard swing notation symbol of "two eights = a triplet {quarter eighth}". As just a music-theory timing question, is this symbol still correct for 3/4 time? Please be gentle, my background is engineering.

bobwo wrote:As just a music-theory timing question, is this symbol still correct for 3/4 time? Please be gentle, my background is engineering.

The same symbol can be used, it is correct.
In 3/4, however, when swing is the basic feel, one often alternates between swing and straight phrasing.
Quite often, phrases using 2 or more eight note are played straight, as opposed to single notes, syncopated, or dotted quarter notes, which are played with a swing feel.
Considering the basic feel is swing by default, I would add an expression "straight" wherever necessary (canceling the swing playback as well) followed by another expression, "swing", when the phrasing reverts to swing (swing playback reactivated).

After reading this thread from beginning to end, I'm totally confused as to what is being reported and what conclusion the OP has come to.

Bottom line: is everything solved now?

Zuill

I fuzzed up the thread with two distinct issues, one on Finale, another on timing theory.

I think I've figured it out.

My initial issue was that, for swing, the "spacebar" playback for swing resulted in different timing than the result for playing with the "play" button (right-pointed triangle button). The reason seems to be interaction between the two ways of swing playback:

1) If, in the dialog box that opens from clicking the playback button (speaker symbol in the button), you select "jazz" and "swing" in the pull-down menus, then the "spacebar" play will swing. But the playback from clicking the "play" button (right-pointing arrow) would NOT swing.

2) The other technique for swing, using the "mf" technique (see help system "playback"), seems disabled when the playback defined by the "playback" button is set to "jazz" and "swing".

To solve my problem, I set the playback dialog box to "regular" instead of "jazz", then used the "mf" technique, selecting the "two eighths equal triplet {quarter eighth} for the top staff and doing what the help system says to set the other staffs to the same thing. Now all the playbacks, whether spacebar, play or export, all are consistent.

I appreciated you guys jumping on this, apologize for any confusion and hope my solution seems clear. Thank you all so much.

"I think I've figured it out" --> I think I figured out the Finale playback problem. The other music-theory timing question was quickly answered. Thank you all again.

part of your problem is you're expecting the spacebar playback to be the same as the playback button, and they are NOT supposed to be the same.
spacebar playback is a way to rapidly scrub playback, with no HumanPlayback.
the playback button applies all of HumanPlayback's features and functions.

There actually should NOT be consistency between the two types of playback.

Yes, you're right, thank you.

-Bob