Muted playback until I reset it

[michaelrmurrin]

Hi,

I am encountering a strange problem regarding Finale playback. I'll have to provide a bit of background.

I got a new laptop a few days ago. I have installed Finale 25 on it. I had Finale 25 on my old laptop as well.

I am on Finale 25, on Windows 10. The sound libraries I have are Garritan Personal Orchestra 5, as well as SmartMusic SoftSynth, as well as Garritan Instruments for Finale.

My sound map priority is such that the first choice is Garritan Personal Orchestra 5.

When I create a new score, let's say, a string orchestra, (violins, violas, cellos, basses), all of the playback works fine. But then, when I save the Finale file, then close the program, then re-open the file... there are no playback sounds. It's all muted. The only way I know of how to fix this problem after it occurs is, go into the ScoreManager, go to each instrument, assign a different voice to that instrument, then re-assign the voice that was assigned before. Then it's all fixed and it plays back fine. Of course, this solution is tedious. A quicker solution would be to select "Play Finale through MIDI" then re-select "Play Finale through VST", which will then automatically re-assign everything to the default voices. The problem is, I have voices chosen ("lush mutes") which are not the default voices. So that solution wouldn't work for this particular piece I'm working on.

This problem happens only with new files I create on my new computer. If I open an old file which I created on my old computer, the playback all works fine. So I'm guessing it's some weird MIDI setting or something on my new computer. But I've never manually changed any MIDI or playback settings that I know of, not on my old computer nor on my current one...

Also, (just for more information) I have never had a piano keyboard connected to my computer. All of the Finale files I have ever created have been strictly on the computer, without any piano keyboard or synthesizer attached. I don't have that much knowledge about MIDI stuff.

Also, on my old computer, I had the same sound libraries as I have currently. Garritan Personal Orchestra 5, SmartMusic SoftSynth, and Garritan Instruments for Finale.

The version of Finale I'm on is Finale 25.5.0.290. I've been only on Finale 25 for the last few years. Could this problem be caused by using a newer version of Finale 25? Unfortunately, I don't know what version of Finale 25 I had on my old computer. Like if it was on Finale 25.3 or something. I don't know.

Thanks for any help.

[zuill]

It took me awhile to get Finale set up when upgrading to windows 10. I installed 2011, 2012, 2014, 2014.5 25.5 and 26 (whatever was the version when I first installed--it's now 26.3.1)

Anyway, if you have a file for us to test, please upload it here. If it works fine for us, then maybe it's your setup. However, I only have GIfF. If you are using anything other than that in your sample file, I won't be able to help.

Zuill

[michaelrmurrin]

Thank you for the offer of help. Unfortunately, this problem is only occurring with Garritan Personal Orchestra 5. When I save a file and the voices are from Garritan Instruments for Finale, or from SmartMusic SoftSynth, then I close and re-open the file, the playback works fine. So this problem is coming up only with Garritan Personal Orchestra. I hope and would be hugely appreciative if someone who has Garritan Personal Orchestra is able to help. Thanks.

Attached is a file to use/test/etc.

I'm realizing that the problem is when I open one of these files, and click the Play button, Finale does not load the individual voices that are assigned to each staff. Normally, when I open up a good file, and I click the Play button, Finale shows the quick pop-ups showing me each individual voice loading. But with the attached file (and any file I save on my new computer using Garritan Personal Orchestra), when I open the file and click the Play button, it does not show the multiple quick pop-ups showing the voices loading. Unfortunately, I don't know what's causing this problem, or rather, why the voices aren't loading.

I'm still in the program trying to find solutions and workarounds. At the current moment, the only workaround I have is a pretty tedious one, which is to go into the ScoreManager and individually assign a new voice to each staff, then go and assign the original voices to each staff (and to do this every time I open a file).

Thank you for any help

[zuill]

Does 'Reassign Playback Sounds" work?

Zuill

[michaelrmurrin]

"Reassign playback sounds" does load Garritan Personal Orchestra to where the staves will play back, but doing so will re-assign all the voices to the default voices for those instruments, which in this case won't work, because I am wanting to use "Violins 1 Lush Mutes", "Violas Lush Mutes", etc., instead of the default "Violins 1 KS", "Violas KS", etc. Choosing "Reassign Playback Sounds" will change the staves back to these default voices.

[zuill]

There is one way to at least back up the custom settings you have, in case they get lost in the future. You can save a file of sounds for each of the banks of the Aria Player and then reload them if they go mute next time. Not an ideal situation, but a time saver.

Zuill

[michaelrmurrin]

There is one way to at least back up the custom settings you have, in case they get lost in the future. You can save a file of sounds for each of the banks of the Aria Player and then reload them if they go mute next time. Not an ideal situation, but a time saver.

Zuill

Thanks! It took some clicking to figure out how to do this, but I got this to work, and this will be a time saver, especially with larger ensembles.