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Attention Mac Users
Apple will release macOS 15 (Sequoia) on Monday, September 16, 2024.
Finale v27 is not compatible with Sequoia and will not be updated.

For more information:
macOS 15 Sequoia and Finale Notation Products
Disabling Automatic macOS Updates

Finale can play through Bluetooth devices, but there are some considerations we think are worth mentioning if you are planning to use them. Since all Bluetooth devices are different, some may work better than others, but in theory, there’s nothing preventing Finale and your Bluetooth device from working together. 

 

Connecting a Bluetooth Device to Finale

To connect Finale to an audio input (microphone) or output (speaker/headphone) device or check that Finale is using the correct input/output, follow these steps.

  1. Before opening Finale, turn on your computer's Bluetooth and connect your Bluetooth device.
  2. Launch Finale and open any document.
  3. Select MIDI/Audio > Device Setup > Audio Setup.
    • To configure an input device, choose the desired device from the dropdown menu next to Mic Source.
      • Configuring Bluetooth input devices should only be necessary if you plan on using that device to record directly into a staff with the HyperScribe Tool. To do so, follow the link matching your device type for the User Manual article: Recording with HyperScribe (Windows / Mac). If you do not plan on doing this, skip this step and focus on configuring the output device. 
    • To configure an output device, choose the desired device from the dropdown menu in the Output section next to Source. Click Test Audio Output to test that you can hear out of the selected device. If you hear the test tone, it’s working.
  4. Click OK.

 

Tips for Using Finale with Bluetooth

Before using Bluetooth with Finale, there are some things we think you should know in order to ensure best results:

 

In order for Finale to function properly, its audio setup needs to be configured, meaning that Finale needs to be properly set up with a designated input source (like a microphone), and output source (like speakers/headphones). In general, Finale will configure itself automatically with whichever audio input/output device you’re currently using. If it cannot configure itself or the configuration is broken, you’ll likely be met with the Audio Engine Failed to Load Error Code 7 error message. 

 

How does this relate to Bluetooth? Due to the nature of Bluetooth and how it makes connecting and disconnecting between devices so easy, this ease of disconnection can sometimes come in conflict with Finale’s need for a stable audio setup. If your Bluetooth headphones are configured with Finale, but your Bluetooth-enabled smartphone is right next to you and is playing something with audio, your headphones could disconnect from Finale and cause the Error Code 7 to appear, as Finale’s audio configuration is now broken. Think of it as unplugging your headphones while Finale is connected to them and open. 

 

Reconfiguring the device is possible (Audio Engine Failed to Load Error Code: 7, No Sound in Finale) should you run into the error message, but there are some ways that you can avoid dealing with this issue in the first place. Here are our recommendations for using Bluetooth devices with Finale:

 

1. Always connect your Bluetooth headphones to your computer before opening Finale 

  • If you find that Finale isn’t playing through the correct device after you open it, follow step 3-4 at the top of the article to make sure the correct device is selected.

2. Always quit (not just close) Finale before disconnecting your Bluetooth device

  • If you have Finale open in the background with no scores open, its audio engine can still fail if you switch input/output devices. Make sure to fully quit Finale when you’re not using it for an extended period of time to best avoid the error code 7 message. 

3. Be careful with other devices in your vicinity that can connect to Bluetooth

  • If you do have a device like a smartphone near you while you're using Finale connected to a Bluetooth device, you have to be careful that the other device doesn't compete for the Bluetooth connection. Disabling Bluetooth on the other device (the phone, in this case) while you're using Finale on your computer can prevent this issue altogether.
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