Finale Forum

I'm trying to save a standard FINALE .musx notation file to an MP3 file. I go to FILE/EXPORT/AUDIO and then I am presented with only one option... a .WAV file. Where is the MP3 file option? I'm running a WINDOWS 10 operating system on a 5 year old LENOVO laptop.
Thank you as always.
Kimball

Set Play Finale thru MIDI, and you will get the MP3 option. It doesn't come up with Play thru VST.

Or, use Audacity to record the Finale playback, and create the MP3 from there.

Using Audacity to record direct playback from Finale has its issues. One is that it takes as long as the piece lasts to record. Second, for some setups, the option to record directly through the system is either not available, or difficult to achieve.

So, my workflow: 1. Render the wav file, which takes very little time. 2. Open the wav file in Audacity. 3. Normalize the file. 4. Export as mp3. This also gives you a chance to add metadata, which can be useful for an mp3.

Zuill

Someone reported recently that .wav playback was not correct, but if it works, your solution is indeed easier.

I've not a problem with it. It might have been user error, or connected with sound samples outside of Finale. If I ever have a problem with wav rendering within Finale, I would use the playback loop method. I use that for other scenarios, so I have my system set up to be able to handle that.

Zuill

There was a recent post about dropout and stuttering in exported .wav files. I think Michel found it occurred in files longer than 10 minutes or so. (So exporting fails when you need it the most!)

kcarpent wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 19, 2020 7:13 pm

I'm trying to save a standard FINALE .musx notation file to an MP3 file. I go to FILE/EXPORT/AUDIO and then I am presented with only one option... a .WAV file. Where is the MP3 file option? I'm running a WINDOWS 10 operating system on a 5 year old LENOVO laptop.
Thank you as always.
Kimball

Save as .wav, Convert the file to mp3.

Tons of free and commercial converters out there. I no longer keep track of what’s out there in the world of Windows but Google and the advice of others are your friends. The thought of installing Audacity just for this simple task? I’ll pass, thank you.

This functionality is built into the Mac OS including iTunes and QuickTime (the Win versions can do it, too).

I use a small commercial app for this but it’s not uncommon for me to process hundreds of files of different types at a time and sort them into folders which this does in a few minutes. The one I use is Mac only but similar apps exist for Windows if you have the need. If you don’t, the free apps are fine.

RVS Lee wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 20, 2020 1:10 pm

There was a recent post about dropout and stuttering in exported .wav files. I think Michel found it occurred in files longer than 10 minutes or so. (So exporting fails when you need it the most!)

I know that I had trouble with longer files in older versions of Finale, but have not had the issue pop up with Finale 26.

Michel R E wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 24, 2020 3:22 am

RVS Lee wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 20, 2020 1:10 pm

There was a recent post about dropout and stuttering in exported .wav files. I think Michel found it occurred in files longer than 10 minutes or so. (So exporting fails when you need it the most!)

I know that I had trouble with longer files in older versions of Finale, but have not had the issue pop up with Finale 26.

I do quite specifically have this problem in Finale 26, but I think (not sure) it varies with the general set up, including external audio connections, though why these should affect saving rather than actually playing an audio file is beyond me.