All Finale family notation programs support sound cards that utilize either DirectSound (Windows) or Core Audio (Macintosh) drivers. Finale 2009 and later also supports ASIO drivers for professional level soundcards.* Sound cards exclusively supporting other types of drivers (such as MME, GSIF, etc.) are not supported and may cause problematic playback.
Most sound cards available on the consumer market today meet these requirements (generally supporting either DirectSound or Core Audio), although there are some professional level sound cards that do not include this support.
*ASIO drivers are supported in Finale 2009 and later only, and are not supported in earlier versions or other MakeMusic software (such as Allegro, PrintMusic, SongWriter, NotePad, and Reader). The MicNotator feature does not support ASIO drivers.