Slight vertical misplacement of dynamics

[David Ward]

This seems to be specific to my using hidden noteheads. See the position of the mf in the PDF as opposed to the Finale file. It doesn't happen when there are no hidden noteheads. If these are present, any dynamics (and I think other expressions) attached to the stave & beat with the hidden noteheads seem to be a little higher in the PDF.

It's also observable that the noteheadless stems are shifted to the left in the PDF.

Any ideas? Does this happen for anyone else?

[N Grossingink]

How are you hiding the notehead? JW Change will keep the notehead but apply a hidden style. The other method, replacing the notehead with one of those blank font characters, might cause problems.

[David Ward]

I am using JW Change.

I seem to remember I did originally use another method but that that caused different problems. My original entry of the music in full score was a while ago, but I'm now preparing the piano reduction vocal score and am noting these details (none insurmountable [as yet!]).

[Peter Thomsen]

David Ward,

How did you create the PDF file?
- via “printing” to a PDF file?
- or by exporting from the Graphics Tool?

In my experience you get more accurate results when exporting from the Graphics Tool.

[David Ward]

I usually do use the Graphics Tool, but I tried both methods.

In this particular instance I can make the relevant adjustments, but of course it would be useful to know whether or not I'll need to do the same in future, or whether it's a peculiarity with the file itself (no other related problems, though, that I've found, but just this specific one in the several places where I have hidden noteheads).

[motet]

See the position of the mf in the PDF as opposed to the Finale file.

Can you attach a Finale file of that measure?

[David Ward]

Can you attach a Finale file of that measure?

It seems that just one bar, after deleting all the others, still retains the full original file's size (709 KB) even after applying data check file maintenance. Another Finale oddity! Anyway, it's too big to upload to this forum.

[motet]

This seems to be an issue on Windows, too.

Finale:

0113.png

Print to CutePDF:

0112.png

Export page from Graphics tool:

0114.png

Note that the ledger lines are not completely gone using the CutePDF method.

[David Ward]

I have submitted a support request to MM…

[Peter Thomsen]

… It seems that just one bar, after deleting all the others, still retains the full original file's size (709 KB) even after applying data check file maintenance. Another Finale oddity! Anyway, it's too big to upload to this forum.

The big file size is probably due to the contents in the Selection dialogs.

When you have deleted all the measures except a single measure,
go to the Articulation Selection, and delete all items.
Then, go to the Chord Suffix Selection, and delete all items.
Then, go to the Expression Selection, and delete ….
Then, go to the Shape Selection, and …
&c.

[David Ward]

This is what I think seems to be happening in a simple new document.

Using the utility the dynamic rises slightly as soon as one replaces the notehead with a blank, but then stays in that position in the PDF. Using JW change to hide the notehead the dynamic does not rise in Finale, but rises by the identical amount just described as soon as one creates the PDF. This is most easily visible if one alternates single notes with attached dynamics, with and without visible heads and created via each method.

The same shift of the stems to the left occurs when creating the PDF however one has gone about creating the blank notehead and whichever method of making the PDF one uses.

I regard this as a minor irritant rather than a major problem as long as one is forewarned and knows what to look for and adjust accordingly. My support request with MM is continuing.

[Peter Thomsen]

You can hide a notehead in several ways:

1) Reduce the notehead’s font size to a very small size (this step will note hide the notehead completely, but turn it into a tiny dot)

2) Replace the notehead character with an empty character, e. g. the blank character in slot #202

3) Change the notehead’s font style to the font style Hidden

For me, method 3) seems to work best.
Have you tried that?

[motet]

I consider any situation where Finale's display differs from the PDF output to be serious. I think the amount of shift here depends on the vertical level of the notes and the placement settings for the dynamics category. See my example above for a more-than-minor discrepancy.

[Peter Thomsen]

I consider any situation where Finale's display differs from the PDF output to be serious. I think the amount of shift here depends on the vertical level of the notes and the placement settings for the dynamics category. See my example above for a more-than-minor discrepancy.

You may have found the culprit.

My guess is that the PDF, in the case of a hidden notehead, positions the dynamic relative to the Baseline, rather than relative to the Entry:

CategoryDesigner.jpg

[motet]

It seems to be more complicated than that, otherwise the level of the dynamic under the hidden notehead here would be the same as the G. Note also the stem has been shifted to the left in the PDF output only.

[motet]

Changing the notehead to #202 (beat 1 below) pushes the dynamic way down. #32 (beat 2) works a little better, and the Finale display seems to agree with its PDF output, but the stem is shifted to the left in both Finale and PDF displays. At least the displays agree.

[zuill]

Moving the notehead off the page horizontally seems to give me good results.

Zuill

[motet]

By Jove!

[motet]

Zuill's method also has the advantage of automatically getting rid of the ledger lines, whereas hiding seems to require an extra step. If you want to keep ledger lines, move vertically instead of horizontally.