Playing back selective instruments
Moderators: Peter Thomsen, miker
- motet
- Posts: 8292
- Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2016 8:33 pm
- Finale Version: 2014.5,2011,2005,27
- Operating System: Windows
I've got about 20 staves in my score and would like to play it back to check for errors. With that many staves, playback is often a muddle and a wrong note will not necessarily be heard, so I would like to play it back in chunks of different instruments.
I was hoping that using staff sets, only the visible staves would play back, but that appears not to be the case. I know how to selectively mute things in the Score Manager, but this would be cumbersome since I wish to switch back and forth a lot rather than playing through the whole piece before switching (there are something like 3,500 measures). Is there an easier way?
I was hoping that using staff sets, only the visible staves would play back, but that appears not to be the case. I know how to selectively mute things in the Score Manager, but this would be cumbersome since I wish to switch back and forth a lot rather than playing through the whole piece before switching (there are something like 3,500 measures). Is there an easier way?
- miker
- Posts: 6013
- Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2009 4:28 pm
- Finale Version: Finale 27.4
- Operating System: Mac
I use the mixer for that. Easy to solo or mute selectively. Also, I use scroll view/start at leftmost measure to see what I’m doing.
IIRC, someone said the Windows mixer only shows 16 staves, so I don’t know if that would be a problem.
IIRC, someone said the Windows mixer only shows 16 staves, so I don’t know if that would be a problem.
Finale 27 | SmartScorePro 64
Mac OS 13.2.1 Ventura
Copyist for Barbershop Harmony Society
Mac OS 13.2.1 Ventura
Copyist for Barbershop Harmony Society
- zuill
- Posts: 4418
- Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2016 9:35 pm
- Finale Version: Finale 2011-v26.3.1
- Operating System: Windows
Studio View has the settings on the left, but you still have to solo/mute manually. However, it stays in place when scrolling, instead of jumping to the top as in Scroll View.
One thing I have done for this kind of thing is to create a linked part with the subset you want. That way, it is just a matter of switching to a different linked part.
Zuill
One thing I have done for this kind of thing is to create a linked part with the subset you want. That way, it is just a matter of switching to a different linked part.
Zuill
Windows 10, Finale 2011-v26.3.1
"When all is said and done, more is said than done."
"When all is said and done, more is said than done."
There are some very useful Lua scripts that I use all the time for this - see here: https://nickmazuk.com/Resources/JWLua
Solo Selected Staves
Mute Selected Staves
Play All Staves
Solo Selected Staves
Mute Selected Staves
Play All Staves
Finale 3.7 > 27.4.1, GPO5, ASUS laptop, 18.4'' display, Intel Core i7, 32GB RAM, WIN 10 Pro, Cubase
I also use Zuill's method often, which works very well, but takes a little more work to set up.
These Lua scripts can be used very quickly by just selecting a measure, or several staves (only adjacent, though - with Zuill's method you can create any combination of staves) for a very immediate and easy (I have keyboard shortcuts set up for these scripts) check of playback in any document, without going through the process of creating parts.
These Lua scripts can be used very quickly by just selecting a measure, or several staves (only adjacent, though - with Zuill's method you can create any combination of staves) for a very immediate and easy (I have keyboard shortcuts set up for these scripts) check of playback in any document, without going through the process of creating parts.
Finale 3.7 > 27.4.1, GPO5, ASUS laptop, 18.4'' display, Intel Core i7, 32GB RAM, WIN 10 Pro, Cubase
- MikeHalloran
- Posts: 711
- Joined: Mon Jan 02, 2017 2:56 am
- Finale Version: 27
- Operating System: Mac
Like MikeR, I use the Mixer.
Mike Halloran
Finale 27.4.1, SmartScore X2 Pro, GPO5 & World Instruments
MacOS Ventura 14.5 (public beta); 2023 Studio M2 Ultra, 192G RAM, 8TB; 2021 MBAir M1
NotePerformer4, Dorico 5, Overture, Notion 6, DP 11, Logic Pro
Finale 27.4.1, SmartScore X2 Pro, GPO5 & World Instruments
MacOS Ventura 14.5 (public beta); 2023 Studio M2 Ultra, 192G RAM, 8TB; 2021 MBAir M1
NotePerformer4, Dorico 5, Overture, Notion 6, DP 11, Logic Pro
Yes, in Windows it's a problem, using more than 16 staves (the OP is working with 20) makes it quite cumbersome. See this thread re the mixer: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=17292&p=64934&hilit=mixer#p64934miker wrote:I use the mixer for that. Easy to solo or mute selectively.
IIRC, someone said the Windows mixer only shows 16 staves
Finale 3.7 > 27.4.1, GPO5, ASUS laptop, 18.4'' display, Intel Core i7, 32GB RAM, WIN 10 Pro, Cubase
Indeed they are, I use them a lot. I don't know what you might find useful in your workflow, but I very often use a script that mutes any number of selected measures on one or several (adjacent) staves. It's great if you, for instance, just want to mute a few (or many) measures of an instrument group or a solo instrument, but without muting the whole staff, to see what it'll sound like without these instruments.motet wrote:The plug-ins are great.
It's a Finale script and looks like this:
menu item "edit/move-copy layers"
check "move"
check "contents of layer 1 into"
check "contents of layer 2 into"
button "OK"
It requires that you have, in Document Options, unchecked Playback for Layer 2 (or any layer you wish, subject to adapting the script). I hardly ever use layers, so that's no problem for me. The added advantage is also that you will also always see what you have muted, if you have selected a particular other color for that layer. I have it assigned to a Finale shortcut (Alt-M) which runs the script - and also unmutes a selected muted passage when running it again.
Finale 3.7 > 27.4.1, GPO5, ASUS laptop, 18.4'' display, Intel Core i7, 32GB RAM, WIN 10 Pro, Cubase