playback output to headphones

[lynndavidnewton]

System is a Mac Mini M2, macOS Ventura 13.5.1, Finale is 27.3.0.160, but I have the same problem on my MacBook Pro.

My Mac is correctly set up to send audio from (e.g.) YouTube to my Bose Bluetooth headphones (QC45s).

In Finale (newly reinstalled with universal binary code to run on Apple silicon), I open a finished score I want to listen to on playback.
I go to MIDI/Audio => Device Setup => Audio Setup, click on the Source dropdown menu, select Bose QC45.

When I play it makes no sound.

In times past I've noticed possible conflicts with Zoom, which I do use once or twice a week.

Does anyone have an explanation and/or a solution? I want to hear my Finale scores playback in my headphones.

Thank you.

[Bill Stevens]

You've probably thought of this, but under Bluetooth on the menu bar is the selection correct?

If Bluetooth is de-selected, does it play back correctly through the internal speakers?

::: Bill

[ebiggs1]

I don't have an answer but I sympathize with you. My Windows machine does exactly the same thing. All sounds from other software Windows Media player or Audacity or Musescore 4 or You Tube etc., play back with either speakers or headphones. I can go back and forth with out issue. But Finale 27.3 will play speakers just fine, very well in fact but it will not play in headphones. Period! I have run out of things to check or change. It has to be something in Finale.

[lynndavidnewton]

Bill Stevens: Yes, everything is correct. This is a new system, so I checked everything carefully just to be sure. But I've been enduring this problem for some time on my MacBook Pro.

Ebiggs1: That sounds like my problem all right, and the fact that you're running on a different platform certainly suggests something is wrong with Finale.

This is going to be a disappointment to me if I don't find a solution. I do have a set of external speakers, but I'm not really satisfied with them. And the internal speakers on the Mac Mini are almost non-existent, about the quality of a 1957 transistor radio.

My six-year-old MacBook Pro is going into my music studio, where I'll be able to use it for Logic.

And I'll continue to do Finale work in my office. It would be nice if I had gear to make the whole thing happen in one place, but I don't and don't expect to.

I'm not sure what I can do about not having satisfactory sound output from Finale.

Thank you to both responders for your comments.

[ebiggs1]

I have these JBL 306P MkII 6.5 inch Powered Studio Monitor https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... io-monitor and they are fantastic but they require an audio input from your computer. I have the JBL Tune 760 headphones. It is a shame for whatever reason that not too expensive but certainly not cheap sound gear doesn't play well with Finale. Especially when it works very well with all the other sound apps on my computer. You know all other sound using apps virtually set themselves up without notice but not Finale, no not Finale.

[motet]

FWIW, Finale 27.3 plays through my (wired) headphones on Windows 10.

[lynndavidnewton]

I hadn't tried doing that. My Bose headphones come with a pinhole jack and a short cable.
So I tried it — plugged it in and went to the Audio Device setup page and defined the audio device as an external set of headphones.

While I had the phones in but before starting them, I heard a quiet ker-chunk, rest, rest, ker-chunk, rest rest ... (you musicians can imagine it right?) which did not sound encouraging. At least something was happening.

When I tried to play a score there was still no sound. When I hit stop, I got a pop-up that said Audio Engine Error:
Finale's audio engine failed to load.
Please restart Finale.
Error Code: 7.

I tried to press the OK button but it was dead. I had to use Force Kill (Mac users will know what that means), the first time I can recall I've ever had to use it on Finale. (Been a user since about 2005.)

I did it again with the same result. This time I made a screenshot of just the pop-up and a bit of surrounding context, but when I tried to attach it to this post, the forum software told me it's too big. It's 291K. That's really too big in this day and age? I'm wondering how people post scores. Anyhow, I was ready to let this issue go, but it's become something else.

My experience is that a person can complain to the manufacturer about bugs all he wants and they will ignore it. I understand the reasons but I don't like it.

[Bill Stevens]

If you get this:

Audio Engine Error:
Finale's audio engine failed to load.
Please restart Finale.
Error Code: 7.

You need to go to your iPhone (yes -- iPhone) and Settings > General > Airplay and Handoff > turn off Continuity Camera.

If that doesn't allow playback, then post a file here so we can see if it works for others. I don't have a problem with EarPods through BlueTooth. Good luck.

::: Bill

[lynndavidnewton]

Ha! I have five functioning Macs and two Apple iPads (in addition to two Android phones and two Android tablets, counting my wife's stuff), but no iPhone!

I do have a set of earbuds (Plantronics, not Apple) that I'm reluctant to try. They work wonderfully well on my phone.

Any other suggestions?

[ebiggs1]

FWIW, Finale 27.3 plays through my (wired) headphones on Windows 10.

So do mine, wired. Its no different than the wired JBL speakers. That's not and has never been the issue. Mine also worked in my Windows 10 machine that crashed a few months ago. The new computer is set up exactly the same way (except Windows 11) but the same Bluetooth headphones do not work with Finale 27.3. They work in every other, many, sound app on this computer.

[lynndavidnewton]

This morning I learned that my inexpensive, ordinary, wired headphones with a pin jack work fine with Finale.
Note that this is not my $$$ Bose headphones that have a pin jack hole in them and supply a wire, which
I plugged in yesterday and found that it does not work.

I'm not sure about this, though. It's possible it would work that way if I turn the switch on the phones to OFF, which may have to do
only with Bluetooth. I may have had it on yesterday. Ordinary headphones don't have such a thing as an On/Off switch,
so I'll bet that would work.

Note that this is a problem only with Finale. I can use the Bose phones over Bluetooth just fine listening to YouTube or any other sort of application that cranks out sound.

So at least there is a workaround, which is a great relief. And I'm optimistic that what I said above is right, I just am not in a position to test it for at least an hour. I'll post a follow-through later.

Regardless, the fact remains that there is a BUG in Finale such that defining an audio device on a Mac doesn't work.
I'd sure like to see that fixed.

[lynndavidnewton]

Huzzah. I tested my hypothesis from yesterday. If I have the Bluetooth switch OFF on my $$$ Bose headphones and then plug it in the pin jack on the Mac Mini and set Finale's MIDI/Audio Device Setup to External Headphones, it DOES PLAY!

So my previous problem was that I had the thing polling Bluetooth at the same time without realizing it.

It nonetheless will not playback when those phones are connected with Bluetooth. I can live with that. These headphones get moved between devices anyhow.

Problem resolved adequately, and once again thank you to the contributors to this forum for always helpful and insightful suggestions and for taking the trouble to help.

[oldmkvi]

Go to Privacy in System Prefs ( on a Mac ).
There's a prompt to allow Microphone, check it.
My copy of Reaper wouldn't pass the Mic signal unless that was checked,
should work for you on Finale.

[lynndavidnewton]

Thanks for that suggestion oldmkvi.
That option is enabled on Finale and every other app in the list except Chrome (where I certainly don't want it).

[ebiggs1]

What well meaning folks don't understand it we have all the 'normal' things set correctly. Plus the sound is working correctly in all the other apps that use sound. Just not Finale. Some combination or conflict in your Mac OS machine and my Windows 11 PC are preventing it. Does seem somewhat odd that two completely different systems are having similar issues. Obliviously some deeper issue but not one of the readily known settings.

[motet]

What does MM say?

[lynndavidnewton]

motet ... how would one know?
Does someone from the manufacturer monitor this group?
I would think it to be an important source of information ... if they care about their users
and the problems they have with their software.

I'm not complaining. I love Finale and I'm deeply grateful for the excellent support I get from this forum.
But sometimes there are things that only people with insights into the code can answer.

[ebiggs1]

What does MM say?

I have not contacted them about this issue because it really doesn't bother me. It is just different than it was with my last computer. I guess I would prefer Finale and the other sound apps would play well together and get along but I don't have time right now to fight it.
School has started, I have rehearsals tonight, tomorrow, Thursday and Saturday and this is just the beginning.

Other than that Finale 27.3 has been great. I love it. The very few times I have contacted MM support in the past they were helpful and have no reason to believe they would not be this time. However, the very last time MM was unable to solve the problem blaming MS and Windows updates. MS blamed MM so that's how that back and forth went.

And, no I doubt seriously they monitor this site. IMHO, MM is more into its cloud and sharing platforms than they are with Finale and how its issues remain.

[motet]

motet ... how would one know?

File a problem report, if your version is still entitled to that.

[horn_guy]

I also had this problem and I found that using Airfoil will allow streaming Finale audio to both my AirPlay speakers and Bluetooth earbuds. So, this may be a possible solution at least for Finale users who have Macs.

[danarmst]

The problem with Error 7, Audio Engine failed to load, continues as I test Finale 27 demo. My setup is simple, I use the MacBook Pro speakers and the headphone jack with either headphones or an inexpensive set of external speakers. Every time I unplug the headphones or speakers, the Audio Engine error pops up telling me to restart Finale. If I press OK, the error window pops back up; after a few more times pressing OK, the window goes away and Finale remains open, but without sound availability. Quitting and restarting brings back sound, but I'm still never able to unplug or plug in headphones without having to restart for sound.

I tried the weird iPhone continuity camera settings; it made no difference. Likewise turned off the computer bluetooth.

I'm using the Big Sur OS; however, I don't have any confidence that upgrading the OS will solve the Error 7 problem.