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Finale 26.2.2

March 3, 2020

MakeMusic today released a maintenance update; Finale 26.2.2. Select Check for Updates in your Finale menu if you have not already been notified. Here are a few of the fixes and improvements; notably in MusicXML.

Note Entry

(Windows only) Note entry input times for large scores and scores using NotePerformer now match 26.1.

Page Layout

(Mac only) Finale maintains the page layout when opening a file with the Automatic Update Layout option deselected from the Preferences – Edit dialog box.

MusicXML

Exact slur positions are now exported.
Hidden clefs now export as hidden.
Hidden Smart Shapes are no longer exported.
Hidden time signatures at the start of a part now export as senza misura.
Hyperlinks for measure-attached text blocks are now exported.
Metronome font information is now exported.
Parts with no visible clefs are now imported without clefs displaying.
Positions of text repeats at the end of multimeasure rests export more accurately.
Staff Style changes in the middle of the first measure are now exported.
Text in the JazzText, Broadway Copyist Text, and Finale Copyist Text fonts now exports more accurately, especially for codas, segnos, and metronome marks.
The Scale Expression with Attached Note setting found in the Expression Assignment dialog box is supported during export.

Related:
Scoring Notes: Finale version 26.2.2 released
Finale Blog: Finale 26.2.2 is Here!

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Finale v26.1 release

“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”  ~Goethe

MakeMusic just announced the release of version 26.1 of Finale. This is a solid point release update which refines new features introduced since the initial release of Finale v26 in October of 2018 and earlier, and also squashes some bugs which were affecting productivity for some users, as well as improvements for MusicXML and SmartMusic.

Here’s a quick look:

more >> “Finale v26.1 release”

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Finale version 26 review

MakeMusic’s Finale v26 update was released  today. Their social media teasers over the last few weeks have contained the perfect buzzword for a guy like me: “productivity”.

(If you are new to Finale and anxious to get started,  feel free to skip to the last paragraph of this review. Then, head over to MakeMusic to download the free 30 day trial and check it out for yourself.)

For the rest of us, I’ll cut to the chase: for me, by far the most compelling productivity feature in this upgrade is Finale’s reworked Articulation Tool, so let’s start there.

more >> “Finale version 26 review”

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Dorico Pro 2 ushers in some DAW-dropping enhancements

Dorico, Steinberg’s music notation application now has my full attention. Dorico Pro Version 2 indicates the start a phase of deep focus on a suite of tools to enhance the creation of music for media, as well as many fine-grain improvements for the printed music presentation itself.

Dorico Pro 2 pays particular attention to two groups of users: people working in music for media, such as film, TV, and games; and people working in genres like rock, pop and jazz – basically any idiom that involves a rhythm section.

more >> “Dorico Pro 2 ushers in some DAW-dropping enhancements”

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Finale 25.5 update released

MakeMusic continues its recent pattern of releasing incremental point updates at regular intervals to fix bugs and make minor improvements to Finale’s UI.

Finale 25.5 is the latest of these, offering a few minor enhancements while fixing some bugs which were evident, particularly on the newest OS versions (like Mac OS X High Sierra).

For instance, the following new features of this upgrade are very much “under the hood” type enhancements; stuff that subtly makes Finale easier to use:

1) Garritan Instruments for Finale. The Garritan Instruments for Finale installer has been updated to improve speed and produce a higher installation success rate.

2) Finale’s file structure has been updated in an effort to make the application more localizable.

3) MusicXML. Measure number text is now exported when a file contains measure numbers that are repeated in multiple movements or sections.

On Mac, users can now access the clear key functionality of a full keyboard on a laptop computer by using FUNCTION+SHIFT+DELETE.

If you plan to use CLEAR or FUNCTION+SHIFT+DELETE when working in PART view, keep in mind that Clear functionality is a Stack operation, meaning that rather than clearing only notes and other staff attached objects, it will also delete global system text such as tempo text or rehearsal marks affecting all other parts. Use with caution.

The update includes a number of little UI fixes. For instance, text in a number of dialog boxes now displays correctly.

And, good news for for Mac High Sierra users: a whole bunch of crash scenarios have been sussed out and fixed.  The Finale installer ReadMe file has a complete list of these.

While there isn’t anything really “exciting” about this update, what *is* exciting is the way MakeMusic has been supporting their Finale notation product with more frequent point release updates to fix bugs and make Finale run more smoothly.

For more information, visit www.finalemusic.com