Additional Information about
Finale for Windows
Finale Read Me, November 2021
Copyright © 2021, MakeMusic, Inc.

IMPORTANT: Read this document before you begin working with Finale; you may want to print a copy of it to keep with your Finale information.

This file contains important information about Finale not included in the User Manual, as well as information about converting older files into the new version's format. Please note that Finale files cannot be opened in versions of Finale prior to 2014 without being converted to a different format.

The Read Me contains the following sections:
	
Running Finale
New Features in Finale
Fixes in Finale

You may also visit www.finalemusic.com for updated information about Finale and information on new releases. 

Running Finale

System Requirements
Windows 8.1/10/11 (64-bit Intel or AMD processors only). 4 GB of RAM minimum. 1280x800 minimum monitor resolution. High-speed Internet connection required for download, authorization, updates, sharing features, and help resources. 1 GB hard drive space required for software with an additional 8 GB hard drive space required for Garritan Instruments for Finale. ASIO, DirectSound, or WASAPI audio supported. 

The system requirements listed are current as of release but are subject to change. Visit www.finalemusic.com/system-requirements to see the most up-to-date system requirements. 

Installing Finale
If any previous version of Finale has been installed on the machine, Finale recommends that you restart your computer and log on as System Administrator before installing. This will prevent erroneous font warnings.

We recommend that you install Finale, and any other software, when logged in as System Administrator.

If you encounter problems during installation, we recommend that you do the following:

1.	Turn off any programs running in the background. Virus detectors can often prevent Finale from installing necessary files and updating the registry. Rest assured, your Finale installer does not contain any viruses.
2.	Press CTRL+SHIFT+ESC to open the Task Manager. Click on the Details tab (if this tab is not visible, click More details). In the Details tab, click User name to sort the running programs by user ID name. This lists every process that is running on the system.
3.	Under the User name column, look at all of the processes in the Name column associated with your account name. Right-click each one, choose End task, and click End process. Do this for every process assigned to your name except Taskmgr.exe, explorer.exe, and System Idle Process.
4.	Close the Task Manager.
5.	Check your system tray (lower-right corner of the screen) for any running programs, especially antivirus software, which can interfere with proper installation of programs. Right-click each and choose Quit.

User Manual
For full, up to date documentation on how to use Finale, choose Help > User Manual. Finale opens the User Manual using your default browser and accesses the latest online content from MakeMusic’s servers.

To download the manual for offline use, visit the Finale Knowledge Base. 

Authorizing Finale
The first time you launch Finale, you will be prompted to authorize. To authorize a single copy of Finale, click Authorize Now to open the Authorization Wizard (or, choose Help > Authorize Finale). Follow the on-screen instructions to authorize your copy of Finale. If you choose not to authorize, you will be prompted to do so each time you launch Finale. If you do not authorize within thirty days, printing and saving are disabled until you choose to authorize. 

Note that the Computer ID and Authorization Code are computer specific and will only work on the given computer installation. Your copy of Finale can be authorized on two computers simultaneously, and, with an Internet connection, authorization can be moved from one computer to another at will. Choose Help > Deauthorize Finale to open up a free slot. Your copy of Finale can now be authorized on a different computer. When you deauthorize, printing and saving are disabled until authorization has been restored.

If you make a change to the computer (such as replacing the hard drive or motherboard, or installing a new operating system), then you will need to re-authorize the installation. If you no longer have access to the computer or hard drive that previously had an authorized version of Finale installed, go to www.makemusic.com and click My Account. Log in, click the My Software button, and click Manage Authorizations. Here, you can delete authorizations on machines no longer in your possession. If you have deleted the maximum number of authorizations from your account, you will need to contact the Customer Support Team online at www.finalemusic.com/support with your serial number and the location or computer name for the specific installation in question. If the software is not reminding you to authorize when you run the program, then the registration/authorization has been successfully completed.

Installation Details
To accommodate the autonomy of each of a computer's multiple users, and to prevent permissions issues, Finale installs its components to various locations on your hard drive depending on their function and required accessibility. See Finale Installation Details in the User Manual for more information.

Finale Trial The Finale trial is available as a download from our website. The trial version is identical to the full version, but does not include the Garritan sounds or music files. After the 30-day trial period, printing and saving are disabled. To purchase the full version of Finale, along with all sounds and features, choose Help > Purchase Finale. Trial users: after purchasing, another download is necessary to acquire the Garritan sounds and music files.

Contacting the Finale Customer Support Team
For Finale support, visit www.finalemusic.com/support. 

Converting Finale 2012 (and earlier) documents into Finale documents
Finale 2014 and later have a different file format than earlier versions and will open and convert older versions' documents, giving them the default title UNTITLED.MUSX. We recommend saving a newly converted document with a different name than the original file, keeping the older unconverted file as a backup. If you do want to save the file using the same name, choose Save As from the File menu. Finale Maintenance is run automatically to check for any errors while opening old files as long as Clean up file data is checked in Edit > Preferences > Open (checked by default).

Running older versions of Finale
Finale 2012 (and earlier versions) for Windows or Mac cannot open any standard Finale 2014 or later files. To open a Finale 2014 or later document in an earlier version, choose File > Export > Finale 2012 (for Finale 2012 only) or File > Export > MusicXML (all other versions). Finale for Windows includes the MusicXML importer back to version 2003, and then back to 2000 using software available separately. Finale for Mac supports MusicXML import back to version 2006, and back to 2004 (OS X only) using software available separately. See www.musicxml.com. 

Finale Preferences File
The Finale Preferences file contains many program settings, from the configuration of your tool palette to the display colors you select. Finale does not share the preferences file with older versions of Finale. Finale will automatically load the new Finale default settings upon launching Finale for the first time. To use Finale's default settings at any time, simply reset your Finale Preferences file by choosing Edit > Preferences and clicking the Reset All Preferences button. A new preferences file will be generated the next time you start Finale.

Keep in mind that older versions cannot read the newer version's preferences. 

New Features in Finale 27.1

It is now possible to convert legacy non-SMuFL MakeMusic fonts in documents to SMuFL-compliant music fonts.
Human Playback now recognizes expressions and articulations that use SMuFL-compliant fonts.
The TG Tools Easy Harmonics, TG Tools Easy Tremolos, Create Coda System, and Drum Groove plug-ins have been updated to use the correct characters in SMuFL fonts.
The Symbol Selection dialog box character grid can now be navigated with the arrow keys.
New libraries using the SMuFL-compliant Finale Maestro music font have been added for Accordion (articulations), Accordion Register (text expressions), Figured Bass (text expressions), Guitar (articulations), Guitar (smart lines), Guitar (text expressions), Ornaments (articulations), and Accidentals (articulations). 
Fixes in Finale 27.1

The Symbol Selection dialog box now filters out blank and unused character slots.
Articulations created with the Petrucci and November fonts now play back correctly after closing and reopening a document.
The Reset and Reset All buttons now work as expected in the Clef Designer when using SMuFL-compliant music fonts.
Very large MusicXML files can now be successfully imported.
Exported MusicXML files now correctly capture tempo data in metronome marks, even if playback is not set in the text expression.

New Features in Finale 27.0

Sharing
Easily create a free SmartMusic account to start using sharing in Finale.
Securely log in to your SmartMusic account without leaving Finale.
You can limit who you share your music with by specifying individual email addresses.
You can share your music without specifying recipients by creating a unique URL link.
You can control whether your recipients are able to download a PDF of your shared music.
You can also choose to upload your music to the Content Manager web app without sharing.
Finale automatically maps your music's instruments for upload but also gives you the freedom to choose them yourself.
Finale exports your music to MusicXML behind the scenes so that the maximum amount of document information is retained for viewing and playback in the web apps.
The current sharing status of your music is displayed in the Sharing dialog box.
Uploaded music can be updated or deleted (unless it is being used in an assignment template).
Uploaded music can be managed, shared, and edited via SmartMusic's Content Manager web app.

Fonts & Characters
Finale now installs with the SMuFL-compliant fonts Finale Maestro, Finale Broadway, Finale Jazz, Finale Engraver, and Finale Ash ("legacy" versions of Finale fonts are still installed).
Finale's engraved default document and document style now use the SMuFL-compliant Finale Maestro font, while a legacy version is also available.
Finale's handwritten default document and document style now use the SMuFL-compliant Finale Broadway font, while a legacy version is also available.
The default music font for a Finale document can easily be switched between any SMuFL-compliant font.
Essential libraries have been updated to use SMuFL fonts.
All SMuFL characters, including those specific to fonts used in Finale, are given a clear description in the Symbol Selection dialog box.
The Symbol Selection dialog box now includes category filters and a search field to aid in the finding of specific characters.
The Finale Lyrics and Jazz fonts now include support for additional non-English alphabetical characters.
All fonts shipped with Finale are now available for use under the SIL Open Font License.

Instruments & Sounds
Default settings for notation and playback have been improved for many existing instruments.
Finale's list of instruments has been expanded to include calliope, cavaquinho, handchimes, music box, and tabor.
Many instruments that formerly did not make use of an appropriate sound from Garritan Instruments for Finale now do.
Several duplicate instruments have been removed from Finale, and inappropriate Garritan Instruments for Finale sounds are no longer automatically selected for several percussion instruments.
Clapper/slapstick, flexatone, and bell tree sounds have been added to Garritan Instruments for Finale (GIFF) and the timpani range has been extended.
Taiko drum ensemble and chime tree sounds are now loaded correctly when added to a document.
Percussion layouts and percussion note types have been added to accommodate new and revised percussion sounds in Garritan Instruments for Finale.
Percussion layouts have been improved for a wide range of instruments in the Drums and Percussion categories.
Percussion layouts and percussion note types have been improved for quad toms, bongo drums, conga drums, percussion accessories, cymbals, and snareline.
Staff positions for snare drum, bass drum, dollu, and lambeg drum on single-line staves have been corrected.
The volume of the Fusion Drum Kit has been increased to be in better balance with other instrument sounds.

High-resolution display
Images used in dialog boxes throughout Finale have been updated for better readability.
The tool palette and Playback Controls icons have been improved for clarity and are shown properly at all display scalings.
The Mixer and control modules in Studio View have been updated for legibility at all display scalings.
Clicking the Add Instrument button and selection dropdown in ScoreManager now works reliably at all display scalings, including on secondary monitors.

MusicXML 4.0 support
Concert pitch scores with transposed parts are now exported and imported.
Swing playback is now exported and imported.
Roman and Nashville chord styles are now exported and imported.
Alternate bass formatting (After Root, Under Root, As Subtext) is now exported and imported.
Piano pedal lines that discontinue without an upstroke and resume without a downstroke are now exported and imported.
Bends created with the bend hat and guitar bend tools are now distinguished from one another on export.
Expressions whose category uses a staff list that includes the top staff (e.g. tempo marks and rehearsal marks) now export and import correctly for use with linked parts.
Measure numbering that use a top or bottom staff now export and import correctly for use with linked parts.
Staff scaling and line spacing are now handled separately during export and import.
Different SMuFL wavy line characters in custom line definitions are now exported and imported.
Enclosures created with handwritten fonts that look like an inverted bracket - a rectangle with the top line missing - are now exported.
Up to 16 simultaneous cross-measure slurs per part can be imported or exported during very large divisi splits.
Linked parts in compressed files are now supported in a standardized way that all applications can use.
SMuFL fonts are now used when importing a MusicXML file using a default file or opened Finale document that uses SMuFL fonts.
Guitar bends and bend hats are now imported. With files from MusicXML 3.1 and earlier that do not distinguish these two types of bends, bend hats are imported with standard notation and guitar bends are imported with tablature.

For a full list of features introduced in previous versions, see New Features in Finale in the User Manual. For a full list of interface changes and more information regarding specific menu command changes, see Interface Changes in the User Manual.

Fixes in Finale 27.0

Document Options and Preferences. Buttons in the Document Options and Preferences dialog boxes are no longer cut off at certain display scalings.
Font annotation. The contents of the Font Annotation dialog box are now positioned correctly when resizing the dialog box.
Human Playback. The Human Playback Samba and Reggae styles now interpret the swing setting correctly.
Left or right only printing. Selecting Left Only or Right Only now properly restricts the printed pages for any page range.
MusicXML. Fixes include: the Restrict Formatting option correctly applies only to single-file import, not to batch import; staff scaling is imported for 1-line staves; harmon mute symbols used in expressions or measure-attached text blocks no longer cause Finale to export invalid MusicXML files; and chord symbols still export correctly even if they contain non-displaying control characters.
Page range. The Print dialog box no longer has a restriction on the number of characters in the page range field, especially helpful for booklet printing.
PDF export. PDF export now uses the native Print to PDF device, resolving many long-standing issues with exported PDFs.
PDF filenames. An extra "x" character is no longer added after the score name when printing parts to PDF.
Print dialog box. The Help button in the Print dialog is no longer disabled when using the Microsoft Print to PDF device.
Printing. The print progress bar is now more accurate.
Printing parts and score. Reverse order printing no longer fails when any part has more pages than the score.
Reverse order printing. Parts of any number of pages can now be printed accurately in reverse order with any page range specified, including N-up and tiled printing.
Speedy Entry. Navigating to a measure on the next page using Speedy Entry in Page View now works with all methods of advancing the entry caret.
Time signatures. The Default Music Font is now correctly retained for time signature numbers and plus signs in parts when set in the Document menu.

For a full list of fixed defects in previous versions, see Fixes in Finale in the User Manual.