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

Introduction:

 

This knowledge base article will instruct you how to use the Garritan Instruments for Finale (known as GIFF going forward) in new documents and existing documents. 

 

What exactly is GIFF?


Included with your purchase of Finale is an integrated collection of instrument sounds from Garritan Personal Orchestra and other premium Garritan libraries. These instruments are professionally recorded sound samples known as GIFF. Follow the steps below to use GIFF playback in your score: 

 

To see the differences between GIFF and other specialized libraries offered by MakeMusic, please see the following article:

Garritan Instruments for Finale (GIFF) vs. specialized Garritan libraries

 

 

Creating a new document with GIFF

 

To create a new document that automatically uses GIFF, you can use the Setup Wizard or create a document from an existing template. 

The Setup Wizard can be accessed in two ways:

  • Choose File > New > Document with Setup Wizard.
  • In the Launch Window, select Setup Wizard.

 

Template creation can be accessed by choosing File > New > Document From Template

 

*If you have created a new default document, this will automatically play through MIDI and will not use GIFF by default. Proceed to the next steps to manually assign GIFF.*

 

 

Using GIFF in an existing document/New Default Document

 

Step 1: Play Through VST/Audio Units

The first step to using GIFF is to make sure the following option is selected from the MIDI/Audio dropdown menu: 

For Mac users, choose MIDI/Audio > Play through Audio Units

For Windows users, choose MIDI/Audio > Play through VST

 

Step 2: Adjusting the Sound Map Priority

Finale includes several Sound Maps which are used to link Finale's instruments with sounds from various sound libraries. When automatically assigning sounds to instruments, Finale needs a way to determine which sound is preferred for each instrument. This dialog box allows you to prioritize the available libraries. In this instance, we will be putting GIFF at the top of the list.

 

To view the Sound Map Priority, choose MIDI/Audio > Sound Map Priority. To adjust the ordered list of sound maps:


On Mac: Click and drag to reorder.

 

Screenshot_2023-05-31_at_2.16.50_PM.png

 

On Windows: Select an option and use the arrow buttons to shift its position.

 

soundmappriority.PNG

 

Once the Sound Map Priority has been adjusted, you will not need to repeat this step for future documents unless you wish to change the order. 

 

*If you cannot see GIFF in your Sound Map Priority, Finale cannot locate your samples and you will need to reinstall them. See the following article to do so:

Reinstalling the Garritan Instruments for Finale (GIFF) sample library

 

Step 3: Reassigning Playback Sounds

 

Following the previous steps, you will need to reassign playback sounds to your document to ensure Finale is using GIFF samples for playback:

  1. Choose MIDI/Audio > Reassign Playback Sounds. 
  2. When prompted with the message, "This will alter the document. Do you wish to proceed?" select Yes.

At this point, playback will utilize GIFF.

 

If you receive an error message entitled, "Slot 0: No sound asset loaded", please see the following Knowledge Base Article:

 

If you are see any other error messages related to audio or if playback is silent/noticeably choppy, please use the Submit a request option above to contact Customer Support.