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What to do when Finale doesn't respond to input?

Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2019 1:03 pm
by Jay Emmes
Is there an explanation for what is happening here? I know Finale has problems with HP. It should respond to text (such as 'pizz.' or 'mute') for making key switches, but more often than not it doesn't. However, until now I had the impression that Finale was pretty consistent in its refusal to do what it was supposed to do. Not so this time.
Finale plays whenever it feels like playing whatever. Play the attached document five times in a row, you'll hear Finale playback five different interpretations of what it reads. Finale even manages to play two notes of a chord (m.1) plucked and the remaining note bowed, choosing at will whether that will be the top or the bottom note of the chord (most of the time the bottom note in the violoncelli and the top note in the violas). Or the grace note plucked and the main note bowed, even though it says 'arco' before the grace note and a data dump to cancel out the 'pizz.' of the first measure.

I created a new file from scratch, but to no avail. I trashed Finale's preferences file, to no avail. I deleted the HP prefs and attached new default prefs to the file, to no avail. I created expressions with data dumps to override whatever HP didn't want to read anyhow, to no avail. Rebooted the computer in safe mode, to no avail. I even tried shouting and throwing objects at the computer, but that didn't help either.
I have already wasted three days (!) on just these eight measures without the slightest inkling of what is going on and what can be done to get a result somewhat close to what the result is supposed to be in the first place. I'm at my wits' end.

Any help is greatly appreciated; thanking you in advance!

Re: What to do when Finale doesn't respond to input?

Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2019 4:14 pm
by motet
I get the same inconsistency, and can't get it to play the grace note arco no matter what. It's as if that didn't occur to the designer.

I don't think the Dumps have any effect.

The mixed inconsistent pizz and arco in measure 1 seem to have something to do with the arpeggios.

You're not doing anything wrong, and it seems to me you're out of luck, though maybe someone will come along with some work-around. There is the third-party Note Performer that people seem to like.

Re: What to do when Finale doesn't respond to input?

Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2019 8:18 pm
by Jay Emmes
Thanks for looking into this. Your response isn't much of a relief, evidently, but at least it confirms that it's not just me or my setup.

For playback purposes only, I could have three separate staves for every string instrument: one for bowed notes, one for plucked notes and one for tremolos. The arpeggio, though, is a bigger problem. I could specify to have 'strummed chords' for plucked strings, but that would arpeggiate every single chord in the harp as well, which is definitely not what I want.
Once again Finale is not working 'perfectly fine' for me. Rather, it's not working as advertised at all. Again.

This 'Note Performer' manages to underwhelm me already with their own examples.

Re: What to do when Finale doesn't respond to input?

Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2019 9:36 pm
by motet
Oddly, the arpeggio plays back with pizz OK some of the time. It seems it has to be in the proper state.

For the bowed grace note, maybe you could put an arco note ahead of it and hide it and turn the volume down to zero, something like that (does HP play hidden notes?). I think there are also "keyswitches" to switch between pizz and arco instruments (I'm out of my element here, but someone will know).

Re: What to do when Finale doesn't respond to input?

Posted: Tue Jul 09, 2019 11:48 pm
by jjvibes
Seems crazie for folks have to buy a third party VST to make things work...…..yikes!

Re: What to do when Finale doesn't respond to input?

Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2019 8:03 am
by Jay Emmes
MAkeMusic responded:
I've been able to recreate this issue outside of your document and I am writing it up as an issue for our developers. The fix for this will involve code fixes in the product so unfortunately I'm not able to provide a timeline for a fix on the issue.
In other words, if there ever will be a fix, we will have to pay for it. Again.