Welcome thread for Finale users

I’m also a user of Wavelab elements 11, Dorico Pro 5, Cubase pro 13 and Logic Pro 11. Everything running fine. I’m still using elicenser for some old plugin (tapestop) and it is working fine (this plugin works inside Logic too).

Thanks much. I’ll be sure to check it out.

For the most accurate export possible, you need to have the files open in the application.

Does this mean that the best way for me to do this finale → xml → dorico project is to open each file in finale individually and export (i.e. no batch exporting?)

My plan is to do this whole process ONCE and PROPERLY so that everything has the capacity to be massaged in Dorico in the future, if necessary.

You can certainly batch process XML export, using the Translate Folder XML menu item.
Finale’s XML preferences contain an option to process subfolders.

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Hi all! Another Finale user switching over- thanks to all who have rolled out the welcome wagon for us.

I saw this addressed earlier and would like to quickly follow up regarding note entry. Like gaker mentioned farther up, I got really proficient in Speedy Entry and one of the things I enjoyed most about it is that I can keep my right hand on my MIDI keyboard and my left hand on the numpad. I’m struggling to do that in Dorico and was hoping to get some guidance.

I’ve already gone into my preferences and switched to ‘Pitch before duration’ by default, which is fine for notes. However, in order to do rests, I either have to take my left hand off the num pad to hit the right arrow/spacebar, or hit K to force enter a rest. If I could get the Rest option to stay toggled by default then it would be perfect, but as soon as I press a note on my keyboard, Rest un-toggles and I have to re-toggle it again.

Is there any way I can keep Rest toggled even after inputting a pitch? Otherwise, I don’t see how I can keep the same speed of notation entry when my left hand is having to flex more than I’m used to.

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I’ve just been reading this whole thread, and Daniel Spreadbury just wrote some posts earlier (#294) that the Speedy entry thing was something they were going to think about.
Having used Dorico and this forum for the last eight years (almost), I’d that should sound good to your ears :wink:

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Welcome! This is one of the biggest differences between Dorico and Speedy. In Dorico you almost never need to input rests! Here’s a gif where I’m using a MIDI keyboard, numpad, and pitch-first input, and I just change the grid as needed and arrow over while inputting. No rests at all were actually input in this example, and they just magically appear to fill in the gaps between notes.

rests

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Okay, so my challenge is that using the arrow keys in conjunction with the numpad is more cumbersome to me than simply using the numpad by itself.

I did see that Daniel Spreadbury mentioned this being a talking point for the devs and that’s genuinely awesome, however I’d like to be able to get to working in Dorico now. Is it possible to bind the left/right arrow functionality to any of the keys on the numpad?

Sorry, I’m not following what you mean. The arrow keys on your keyboard aren’t any further from the numpad in Dorico than they are in Finale! With my right hand on the numpad (using 5 to keep my bearings) I hit the right arrow with my thumb and with my left hand on the numpad I hit the right arrow with my pinky. I’m pretty much ambidextrous either way and leave the other hand on my MIDI keyboard. The advantage with Dorico is that you never need to enter rests. Just set your grid value and arrow over to the next note placement.

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The intent is great but the greatest concern is having thousands of files to import. I went ahead and downloaded and installed Dorico and then got a bonus – it trashed my Finale’s ability to playback. In fact, something cleared my print drivers in the process. I got them reinstalled but still can not get Finale to playback from my scores. Long before Finale expires I will have had to learn new software to continue creating digital files of new compositions, but I dread the excessive hundreds of hours it will take to export each one in XML, then import, and then visually check each one to be sure the conversions were correct.

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Thank you for clarifying :slight_smile:
I actually went through the audio demos (right at the bottom of the NPPE page here) NotePerformer 4: Artificial Intelligence-based Playback of Musical Notation

So the NP native sound library sounds the most “artifical” (the best sounding to me are Berklee and Synchron prime). In general, i find that, particularly, string runs are problematic- hoping that NP+NPPE+BBCSO core will solve that… Of course i’m not saying the NP native sounds are poor, just that they seem a bit more artificial compared to the more expensive sound libs (which makes sense.)

Hi Davide,
Have you checked your MusicXML Import options in the Preferences? Have a look at the Text items area.
There is also an explaining text underneath.

It might be worth a try also unchecking those items.

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Hi @FredGUnn that is all well and fine if you’re writing on a blank staff, from left to right.
the problem (for me at least) is when i’ve written , say 100 bars, and now i want to change bars 50-52, adding rests and removing notes etc.
again, this is not a complaint, i understand that new tools require different workflows, so am gonna roll with it. Just highlighting my pain point so far here. :stuck_out_tongue: luckily i don’t need to compose that fast anyway, but i can imagine a copyist needing to generate a 100 page score in a week as a project would be having nightmares now

RE: McHoss’s issue- could it be he’s using a dedicated and separate numpad than the keyboard one. ?

Haven’t got around to this major issue yet (my legacy Finale scores) but when i finally do, i’m pretty darn sure it won’t convert seamlessly and lots of adjustments will need to be made manually. Even opening older Finale versions’ scores (eg from 10 years ago) in the latest Fin v26 gave me issues (one example, my old score tremolos being reinterpreted as a long row of demisemi quavers

Make sure that you choose the Steinberg Built-in ASIO Driver in Edit > Device Setup in Dorico, as that’s a multi-client ASIO driver and should allow Finale to also play back while Dorico is running. The issue will be that whatever driver you have chosen is demanding exclusive use of the audio output. If you’re unable to resolve this, please start a new thread with some more information about your audio hardware, and we’ll get you sorted out.

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7 posts were split to a new topic: Iconica Sketch playback template not appearing in Dorico Elements

I guess I’m not seeing the problem here. I routinely have to make edits like that. If you delete a note, the rest will automatically appear, or a neighboring rest duration will expand. You really don’t need to input rests in Dorico 99.99% of the time. In Dorico, note input is locked into a grid vs in Speedy where the notes are contained within a measure. In Speedy if I have 4 quarter notes in 4/4, say GABC, and I delete the A, the B and C will slide over so the B is now on beat 2. In Dorico, if I delete the A, it just becomes a quarter rest and the beat placement of B and C are unchanged. I don’t have to input a rest there though, it just automatically appears.

(In Dorico, you can also delete with Insert toggled if you actually want B and C to move back like Speedy, but Insert mode is sort of a different topic all to itself.)

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It’s not the position of the arrows, it’s the fact that I have to use them at all. In Speedy, my left hand stays more or less in the same position on the numpad, only moving slightly whenever I need to tap 1-3 or 7-9.

You never need to use the arrows in Speedy. For pitches, I press note with right hand and duration with left. If the next input is a rest, I simply tap the duration without pitch and move on. Rinse and repeat as it’s always moving on to the next thing. This has also allowed me to use a dedicated numpad.

In Dorico, the workflow for rests seems to be “tap duration you want, tap right, add new note.” Still quick, but still one more keystroke than tapping simply one number, plus I’m now unable to use my dedicated numpad because I now need the arrow keys. This also forces me out of the relatively stationary left hand position I would otherwise have in Finale.

So my questions still remain. Am I able to A. Tweak a setting in write mode that will allow me to input rests manually as I do in Finale? Or B. Map a key on the numpad to the left/right functionality so I’m not having to move my left hand off the numpad during note entry?

I also hope I’m not coming off as fussy or upset- I’m genuinely excited for a lot of the features Dorico brings to the table, and I’m very pleased with the welcome all the tenured Dorico users have been showing! This particular part of the workflow is just the one I’ve gotten very proficient in and un-learning this 10-year muscle memory is daunting lol.

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If you can’t reach the arrow keys (bluetooth numpad?) with your hand on the numpad, you can always either click the numlock button so the numpad arrows work, then reclick it to activate durations, or simply change one of the keycommands. If you don’t routinely enter a lot of 128th notes, you could simply assign numpad 1 to also be “Move Right.” Or 2 could be Move Right and 1 Move Left. (I hacked in a command for numpad 1 to start 3:2 triplet input personally.)

A bluetooth numpad that also has the arrow keys might be a worthwhile purchase in terms of efficiency too. I don’t do a ton of inputting on my laptop, but I have this one:

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Okay, that’s the Plan B path I’ve been looking for, thanks! I put quarter note on 5 and since I hardly ever use breves I can simply map left/right to 8 and 9 respectively. Appreciate you being so thorough with your help! :slight_smile:

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