Finale 26 thoughts

General notation questions, including advanced notation, formatting, etc., go here.

Moderators: Peter Thomsen, miker

User avatar
ebiggs1
Posts: 1424
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2016 8:57 am
Finale Version: Finale 27.3
Operating System: Windows

Post by ebiggs1 » Sun Oct 14, 2018 5:01 pm

I have been with Finale ever since it began. How long ago I can't even remember. Over the years I have always explored the other notation packages and always stuck with Finale. Seems like Sibelius is looking more attractive all the time though, recently. I became friends with Yvonne and Justin, they are gone, and a few others and was a beta tester for a long time.
However, this nonsense and let down, IMHO, of Finale 26 is bothering me more and more. I think my age is the only thing stopping me from jumping ship. I really don't want to learn all over to get to the level I know Finale.
Ramble over, thanx.
Finale 27.4.1 - Perfect Layout Silver - Note Performer 4.4 - SmartScore Pro 64 - Windows 11
President, The Shawnee Concert Band, Composer/Arranger, retired Music Teacher.


User avatar
gogreen
Posts: 305
Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2016 12:50 am
Finale Version: Finale 26.3
Operating System: Mac

Post by gogreen » Sun Oct 14, 2018 5:46 pm

I've been using Finale for about 20 years--I can't remember exactly--since the late 1990s or early 2000s.

My disappointments with Finale 26--the apparent lack of fully testing it (and Finale 25.5) in Mojave, the crashing problems I've been having, the FinaleScript difficulties I'm having (another thread) and MM's lack of FinaleScript support, the grayscale printing I get with a Brother printer (yet another thread), and the myriad bugs that remain unfixed--these annoyances are bringing me closer and closer to accepting the learning curve and moving to Sibelius and to Dorico.

A few weeks ago, a publisher told me, "We're working exclusively in Sibelius and Dorico." I know that was only one comment from one publisher in a pool of a gazillion publishers, but the comment has stuck with me and I find it foreboding.
Art
Finale 27
NotePerformer, GPO5, COMB2
MacOS Ventura 13.6.4
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BRHBTHT/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=%22Arthur+J.+Michaels%22&qid=1593016536&sr=8-2

User avatar
motet
Posts: 8229
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2016 8:33 pm
Finale Version: 2014.5,2011,2005,27
Operating System: Windows

Post by motet » Sun Oct 14, 2018 6:23 pm

Twas ever thus that they release a new version without thoroughly testing it, but I agree that the paucity of improvements and new features is worrisome. I think it's always a good idea to wait for the first maintenance update.

User avatar
Jay Emmes
Posts: 227
Joined: Thu Dec 08, 2016 4:29 pm
Finale Version: 25.4.1.164
Operating System: Mac

Post by Jay Emmes » Sun Oct 14, 2018 10:37 pm

motet wrote:… I think it's always a good idea to wait for the first maintenance update.
True, but if all of us would think and act this way, there would never be a first maintenance update since no one would have any problems to report.
Running Finale 25.4.1.163 in OS X 10.11.6

User avatar
ebiggs1
Posts: 1424
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2016 8:57 am
Finale Version: Finale 27.3
Operating System: Windows

Post by ebiggs1 » Mon Oct 15, 2018 2:18 pm

My disappointment was/is not the lack of new features or even fixing known problems but the seemingly lack of concern or plain ignorance by MM. Two MM folks telling me they never knew there was a problem. This is after I spent a week of back and forth with MM techs just a month or so ago about it. The fact the MM tech didn't even know of the zendesk blog about it. Then they a boast about two new ukulele templates! Whoa, stand back!

Also had a MS tech involved, he actually spent more one on one time with me than MM did and it isn't his software!
Finale 27.4.1 - Perfect Layout Silver - Note Performer 4.4 - SmartScore Pro 64 - Windows 11
President, The Shawnee Concert Band, Composer/Arranger, retired Music Teacher.

Post Reply