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Preparing Finale Files for Use in Logic Pro

August 28, 2022 By Jon Burr 1 Comment

Your scoreA written representation of a piece of music, including the notation for all parts of an ensemble. is ready for production? Let’s look for the best way to prepare your Finale file for use in Logic Pro X.

Summary

► Is your score more than 16 staves? You’ll need to export your Finale file while in VST or Audio Units playback mode. Give your Logic operator a trackA location where one records or plays back a musical message — usually a portion of the total arrangement. Tracks are for convenience; channels are required. list.

► If your score is less than 16 instruments, exporting from MidiMIDI is a data protocol with information that enables computers and other sequencers to perform music according to the instructions it contains. Playback mode has real advantages for your Logic operator.

► Use Human PlaybackFinale's built-in algorithms designed to interpret score markings to create audible changes in dynamics, note durations, and instrument techniques. Human Playback generates useful MIDI controller and keyswitch data that can save time editing in a DAW. in Finale. It creates useful controller data in the midi

In the Midi/Audio menu….

Logic’s Default Behavior when Importing MIDI

Midi Playback

When using Midi playback (MIDI/Audio>Play Finale through MIDI), your exported MIDI fileA type of file written in a standardized format that can be understood by music programs from different manufacturers so that one file can be used in several different programs. meets the General MIDI (“GM”) standard, which includes patchApplying within Finale's MIDI Playback environment referring to particular instrument sounds within a MIDI channel, consisting of a simple sound choice from an instrument list, or a combination of bank and program changes. numbers. Logic uses them to create instrumentIn terms of the Finale interface, an instrument refers to the collection of settings for each row listed under the Instrument column of the ScoreManager. These include staff properties (staff name, transposition, clef, etc.), playback sound, channel, and other settings. An instrument may include more than one staff (e.g a piano grand staff). tracks automatically assigned to equivalent sounds, giving the Logic operator a complete picture of your score. The GM standard supports 16 channels maximum.

VST/AU Playback

If your score is more than 16 channels, (one bank in Finale), then you need to  export using VST or AU playback (MIDI/Audio>Play Finale Through VST (PC) or Audio Units (Mac). All of your instruments will show up in Logic, assigned to piano tracks.

Alternate techniques in Finale’s VST/AU playback

In VST or Audio Units playback, your instrument technique changesJazz shorthand for Chord Changes; the chord progression are embedded in your exported midi as “Keyswitches” (midi notes out of the range of the instrument that are interpreted by the sample player to triggerIn Finale, the term "trigger" describes a keyboard shortcut that is used to display the Waiting for Input dialog box while entering music with the Simple Entry caret. Once displayed, a Metatool key can be used to enter certain markings, or the marking can be chosen from a selection dialog box. a different sample). The Logic operator may or may not notice that the midi contains them. Let the operator know they’re present by providing a score or staff list, showing channelMIDI channels are used to transmit and receive MIDI information such as note on and note off messages as well as controller and patch information to your MIDI device(s). number and instrument name – bearing in mind that Bank 2 in Finale starts with Channel 17.

Alternate Techniques in Finale’s MIDI playback

According to Finale’s online manual, in a MIDI playback session you should use “patch changes” for articulationsAlteration in sound dynamics, duration, or technique by the player, as suggested by markings in a musical score such as pizzicato or mutes for a particular staff. These changes won’t be interpreted by Logic automatically. The Logic operator will either need to create a new track with the correct sample for the passage, or use a keyswitch-enabled sound librarySets of musical symbols, expression markings, and other important musical elements stored as independent files that can be exported and imported to Finale to assign the sounds. There is a way to make alternate techniques show up automatically in Logic…

Getting your alternate techniques to show up automatically in Logic

► If your score is less than 16 channels, you can put your alternate techniques on a different layerAn independent overlay of music in the same measure. The layer selection buttons appear in the lower left corner of your Finale window, indicating which layer is active. in the score. They’ll each get their own channel in Finale, and show up in Logic on their own track with the correct sound assigned.

Alternate Techniques in Other Layers. Notice the channel assignments (“Ch.”)

Continuous ControllerOften referred to by its abbreviation "CC," either followed by "#" and a number, or just the number: CC#11, Expression or CC#1, Modulation Data

Finale’s Human Playback writes Continuous Controller (“CC”) data while it interprets score markings such as dynamic changes. The data will show up in automation lanes in Logic. Finale writes to CC#1 (Mod Wheel) by default for dynamic changes such as crescendos and decrescendos for sustaining instruments (except percussion, piano, harp, guitar and pizzicato strings, where velocity is used instead).

Finale offers the option to write dynamic data to CC#11, but ! – its own libraries use CC#1 by default.

Use Human Playback ?

Some users have suggested turning off Human Playback when exporting Finale midi for use in a Digital Audio Workstation (“DAW”) like Logic. We’ve found that Human Playback adds useful performance data, saving a lot of time for the Logic operator in editing velocity, controller, and duration data.

Don’t Fuss about Sound Libraries for MIDI Export

Making a good-sounding mockup in Finale is essential, but so is creating the most usable midi when working with downstream production people – or your own Logic project. You could give your Logic operator a list of libraries you used, and maybe they have them. In any case, before delivering your file, try to create the most useful possible midi file. Save-as your original, then edit your copy for midi-friendly export.

See our related article about preparing Logic files for import into Finale

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  1. Preparing a Logic Pro Session for Notation | Arranger For Hire says:
    August 28, 2022 at 11:06 am

    […] See our related article about Preparing Finale Files for Use in Logic Pro […]

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