Jump to content

question for anyone using finale 2007 or 08


Recommended Posts

I haven't used Finale since PrintMusic 2006, but I can say that you're not likely going to be able to get OCR-worthy music out of it, no matter how hard you try.

The problems you face is one of control and realism. Control is an issue in the sense that the only way you can manipulate the human aspect of the music is through dynamics and other markings, and Finale will typically render those in a uniform way. Think about a crescendo, for example: are all crescendos from mp to f the same? Even just the ones that last the same length? What specifically does f mean, and can you quantify it, say to measure it in decibels? Not really, since dynamics are a range, and the intensity with which you play a f passage as a player is largely dependent on the nature of the music, where it lies in the piece, and so on. There are a lot of human aspects like this that you can't control in Finale since it's not set up that way.

You also don't have control of things like EQ and mixing levels. Nearly all recorded music in all genres now, including classical, is produced in the studio (in the case of an orchestra, recorded in a concert hall and mixed down later is an option). The last I'd seen, Finale doesn't give you the fine-grained controls you need to really give that last bit of polish to the sound.

Your best bet, if you want to use Finale compositions to produce remixes, is to export as MIDI and import into a proper DAW (Cubase, FL Studio, Sonar, Logic, GarageBand, Live, etc.) where you can manipulate the human aspects of the performance. Your arranging skills may be fantastic, but Finale isolates you from the level and type of production tools you need to satisfy the production requirements of the OCRemix standards.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's actually what I've been doing. I made the basis of my arrangement in Finale (basically just the standard treble and bass piano clefs) and then exported it to a midi (type 1, with each staff as a different channel) and then imported it into Reason. I wrote little notes using the text tool to remind myself of what I wanted to do with it (have some strings here, this type of drum here, etc...). Then in Reason, I would add instruments in the background (flute, strings, echoes, etc.), change from piano to another instrument (a sax for example) and play with the basic arrangement even more. Like, instead of having just a left and a right hand, I have a left hand on piano, with the right split into a soprano sax and an alto sax playing an octave apart playing the same melody but with different arrangements so that it sort of sounds like they are competing for the spotlight.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...