Transposing an imported line

[miker]

When exporting an alto sax line from SmartScore, it's coming into finale as guitar. But the pitches and key signature are correct for the alto. This fouls thing up, if I'm going to add a tenor sax and a vocal/guitar line, so I would have three keys: C, Bb, and Eb. How can I change the alto sax line to reflect its transposed state, while leaving the key sig and the pitches as they are?

[Peter Thomsen]

If I understand you correctly, the alto sax plays back the correct pitches (= plays back in the correct key) - right?
And the alto sax staff key signature displays correctly for alto sax - right?
But the alto staff is in C transposition, instead of the correct staff transposition for alto (= Eb transposition) - right?
Which means that the alto notes are notated in Concert Pitch rather than in Transposed Pitch - right?

I would begin with the Key Signature Tool, and change the key to the Concert Key (= remove 3 sharps, or add 3 flats), but hold the notes to the original pitches.
Now the alto sax still plays back the correct pitches, but the key signature displays incorrectly for Eb transposition (= displays Concert Key, = C transposition).

Then, change the alto’s staff transposition to Eb transposition.
This step will not change the playback pitches; this step will only change the display from Concert Pitch to Transposed Pitch, so that the alto staff now (again) displays the correct key signature for the alto.

[miker]

Thanks, Peter. I’ll try that, but I’m sure it’s correct!

[miker]

So, after playing around, I learned something new about SmartScore: A single-staff doc, such as a scan from a fake book, opens by default as a violin (C instrument.) But if you change that instrument to what it should be, to an Ab or Eb instrument, the transposition is applied. The notes stay the same. And when you import that into Finale, via XML, it’s correct. The score manager shows that line with the correct transposition.

We live and learn!

Thanks to everyone who weighed in on this.

[motet]

Yay! Good to know.