Playback devices and Sound Maps

Changing playback sounds

Finale supports two main ways of playing back your music: MIDI playback or VST playback. This allows you to choose the best playback sounds based on the hardware or software that you have available. Using Finale's Score Manager, you can easily select any instrument sound available on your computer.

By the end of this lesson you will know:

1. The difference between MIDI and VST playback and the best uses for each
2. How to select a new sound for playback
3. How to convert files to use a new device for playback

To begin at this point, open tutorial document Tutorial 8.MUSX.

MIDI

MIDI stands for Musical Instrumental Digital Interface, which is an industry-standard computer language that computers and MIDI devices use to speak to each other. Finale can play back using an external MIDI device, a sound card's synthesizer, or a SoundFont installed on your computer.

To play your file using a MIDI device or SoundFont

1. From the MIDI/Audio menu, select Play Finale Through MIDI.
2. Press the Play button .

Finale uses the MIDI device that is specified in your MIDI setup window. To configure your MIDI system, see Setting up your MIDI system.

VST

You probably installed the Garritan Instruments for Finale as well as the Finale program. Finale is designed to take advantage of the best audio plug-in technologies, allowing Finale to load VST instruments (like the Garritan instruments) and effects (like Ambience Reverb) directly and use these instruments and effects to play back any file you create.

“VST” stands for “Virtual Studio Technology.” VST is an audio plug-in standard developed by Steinberg (creators of the Cubase, a digital audio workstation application). VST plug-ins, like Audio Units plug-ins, can be virtual instruments or effects, which can then be used by any audio application that supports VST plug-ins.

Finale also supports a whole range of additional VST samplers, synths, effects, and instruments — see the Finale website for details. Any of these instruments can be combined with the instruments from Garritan Instruments for Finale.

To play your file using VST instruments:

1. From the MIDI/Audio menu, select Play Finale Through VST.
2. Press the Play button .

Right now, this file is using Finale's SoftSynth sounds. You can use the Score Manager to reassign instrument sounds. See Configuring Instrument playback for details.

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