Solo Instrument Playback

[itsallkosher]

I'm trying to find out how to playback certain instruments in a score. For example, just playback the string section, while horns don't play. In Sibelius, I would just select the instrument staves I wanted to play and then hit play. The only thing I can remotely figure out is muting the other instruments from the mixer, but that is nowhere near efficient. The next minute I'll want to hear just the horns and have to go back and mute all the strings and unmute the horns. Somebody please save me from this headache! Thank you!

[miker]

On a Mac, you can hold down the shift+spacebar, and click in a staff to play back only that staff. I don't know if this works in Windows as well, but I think I remember doing something similar.

[itsallkosher]

Thanks for the reply. That seems to work. But only for one instrument. Typically I'll want to hear a whole section, e.g. Violin 1, 2, Viola, Cello, Bass. Yet I only want to hear those, not the woodwinds, horns, etc.

[miker]

Can't help you there. Let's see of anybody else has an idea.

[bvstudios]

Are you using the Aria Player? If so, try clicking the "solo" button on each instrument in the string section before starting playback.

You can easily select anywhere from one to 15 instruments this way (although there is a a line where the "mute" button- muting one or two instruments- is more effective and gets you to the same point).

The same method should work for the Mixer supplied with Finale when you playback via built in MIDI. There are "M" & "S" buttons on each slider there, too.

[miker]

Evidently he's looking for a way to do this with just one or two clicks. Is there a way to predefine groups for playback?

[bvstudios]

Not that I've tripped over to date- sorry.

[michelp]

One other thing that I wished the mixer would offer : sub-groups : additional faders for groups of selected staves (trumpets, trombones, saxes in a big band for instance).
While I'm recording a playback, I like to adjust the volumes of various sections. But I have to do it for each instrument of a section, and that takes time...
Sub-groups could also get muted or put in solo mode with just one click.
Maybe a feature request that should be sent to MakeMusic Support.
Also, automation would be nice (like in sequencers, where the mixer memorizes your volume changes).
I know that Finale is not a full-fledged sequencer...bur there are a few basic things that I would like to be able to do without leaving Finale.

[Gillespie1983]

Well, here it is many years later, and I'm looking for the same shortcut. I would be happy if I could press one key to unmute all the muted instruments. I could use the TG Tools' Menu Shortcuts plugin if muting was possible via menus. Any advice?

[mmike]

sub-groups : additional faders for groups of selected staves

The best way to do this in Finale (obviously not a full-blown DAW) is to use different (up to 7) banks and instances of the ARIA player for different groups of instruments (in each bank you can have up to 16 instruments). You can then control the level for each group in the MIDI/Audio > VST Banks and Effects screen. You can't solo or mute a bank individually, you can only fade it up or down (to nothing).
On the other hand, if in the Score Manger you have soloed certain instruments, you can un-solo them all with one click on the S on top (same with muting/M)

[motet]

There are JW Lua scripts somewhere that

• Mute all staves
• Mute only the selected staves
• Mute more selected staves
• Play all staves
• Play only the selected staves
• Play more selected staves

[mmike]

You can also select any number of (adjacent) staves/instrument groups (all or selected measures) and Mute them in JW Change > Note Entries > Playback > Mute.
However .... if you do just that, the selected items will indeed be muted, but you don't actually see what you have muted. I created a sequence in the JW Change plug-in which not only mutes but also hides the note entries, meaning now you will see what you have muted (the notes don't disappear, but are greyed out - you can change the amount of shading in Preferences > View > Hidden Objects Shading). For the un-mute (Playback) sequence you have to, of course, also include the command to again Show the note entries. Sounds more complicated than it is, I use this constantly.

[engelbach]

To toggle mute and unmute for all the instruments, press the M above the Mute column in the Score Manager. Ditto with the S in the Solo column.

I find it easier to solo the instruments I do want to play than to mute the ones I don't want.

Cheers,
Jer

[motet]

JW Change actually goes and toggles the playback switch for every single note, which seems extreme, but I guess it works.

[Gillespie1983]

...
On the other hand, if in the Score Manger you have soloed certain instruments, you can un-solo them all with one click on the S on top (same with muting/M)

-- Thanks! This is exactly what I want!