#Dsp quattro plugins problem how to#

C) Midi/Audio>Audio Units Banks and Effects> Bank and Master volume slidersĪs suggested above, Bank and Master levels work on groups of instruments or the mix as a whole, helping to set your basic mix level. New (or reiterated) dynamic marks are essential to reset levels after events such as hairpins (crescendo and decrescendo). Slurs, accents and other articulations, and hairpins all convert to Continuous Controller data, affecting playback sound characteristics.

It’s good to make liberal use of dynamics in the score, as well as other markings, which are translated by Finale’s Human Playback into control parameters. Although they can be used for mix purposes, make sure you set your basic mix levels first. Instrument levels can be set in 5 different places in Finale:Ī) The Mixer Window (Window>Mixer) should be the first stop in trying to get a balance at expected dynamic levels B) Dynamic Marks in the score Score Markings in Finaleĭefine these as you’d like the (potential) players to see them, as interpretive direction for human beings. When these occur, it’s necessary to reduce audio levels within the Finale application before they reach the master output. When it gets over a certain point, Finale’s audio drops out. Having more instruments in your score creates a higher cumulative audio level. When your mix runs out of headroom, it hits the maximum, causing “clipping,” meaning the “overs” cause distortion or overload. “Internal clipping” (cumulative audio too loud) causes dropouts in playback. Begin by changing the playback buffer in Midi/Audio>Audio Units Banks and Effects>Device Setup>Audio Setup> The default playback buffer in Audio settings may not be high enough. It’s possible to change the balance within the drum kit in Midi/Audio>Audio Units Banks and Effects>Bank>Edit Aria Player> Select Drum Slot>Instrument Controls Fix your Drum Mix in Finale Set the Playback Buffer to the maximum value ► I’ve found that the internal mix in Finale drum kits tend to be heavy on the bass drum and light on the cymbals. ( headroom is the space between your track’s maximum level and the maximum possible, or “0db’) It’s better to leave some acoustic “headroom” for your initial levels – make everything a bit quieter than you like, leaving room for crescendi and ffff’s. Do it with BanksĪnother solution would be to move Instruments to a new bank, with “too loud” instruments assigned to a new bank, and “too quiet” instruments to another, then adjust the bank’s volume using Midi/Audio>Audio Units Banks and Effects> Bank Volume slider. I’m finding that a velocity of at least 100 (which would be ff in the score) sounds like a “normal” playback level.Īnother solution would be to create another set of Dynamics expressions for use in drums only, and boost the values by 35 for each one. The default velocity for score note entries is 64, which would be mp (no wonder it’s inaudible). Finale drums have a really wide dynamic range depending on Velocity. Some default instruments are way too quiet – drum kits in particular – and some are too loud, particularly some plucked strings (such as Ukelele and Mandolin), and solo (vs “section”) woodwind player samples.Ī good solution for drums is to assign your desired dynamic in the score, so it shows up in the part correctly – but then, override it for Finale playback with the Midi Tool. Some instruments are out of balance, even with the same dynamic marking in score When you find yourself adding unusual dynamic markings (“pppp” when everybody else is “mf”) in an attempt to balance the instruments in a score, it’s time to revisit your “starting” balance.

Start by opening Window>Mixer, and get basic levels with the faders. Mix issues with Finale default settings First stop – Mixer Window

#Dsp quattro plugins problem how to#

Let’s take a look at how to address common problems you may encounter, and create the best possible mix in Finale. For those working on larger scores in pursuit of the best possible quality, however, the defaults might not work well. For more information on setup for these libraries, see this article on the Scoring Notes blog: “ Getting Started in Finale with Garritan’s Premium Libraries ”). Midi/Audio>Play Finale Through Audio Units should be selected in order to activate Garritan Instruments for Finale (or Garritan’s premium libraries.

For the majority of users, the default settings are adequate. Finale’s audio output has the potential to generate great audio and wonderful-sounding scores for consumers and demos.