Audio Engine Failed to Load Error Code: 7, No Sound in Finale

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When launching Finale if you receive the following error message, "Finale's audio engine failed to load. Please restart Finale. Error Code 7", this means that something has prevented Finale from making a proper connection to the audio hardware on the computer. We've identified a few common reasons why you may get the Audio Engine 7 error or not hear sound but first we'll need to narrow down the operating system that you're working with:

Choose your operating system

Windows Mac

As a first step, check if the program has launched in ReWire mode.

1. Go to MIDI/Audio > Device Setup.
2. If available, select Reset ReWire. If this option is not available, ReWire is not enabled and not the cause of the issue.
3. When prompted, choose to restart Finale.

When Finale restarts it will launch without ReWire enabled and allow the audio engine to connect to the system's hardware as expected. If this is not the case, or ReWire was not the cause of the issue, continue troubleshooting with the options below.

Check for the Test Tone

1. Go to MIDI/Audio > Device Setup > Audio Setup.
2. Click on Test Audio Output.

Do you hear the test tone?

Yes No

As a first step, check if the program has launched in ReWire mode.

1. Go to MIDI/Audio > Device Setup.
2. If available, select Reset ReWire. If this option is not available, ReWire is not enabled and not the cause of the issue.
3. When prompted, choose to restart Finale.

When Finale restarts it will launch without ReWire enabled and allow the audio engine to connect to the system's hardware as expected. If this is not the case, or ReWire was not the cause of the issue, continue troubleshooting with the options below.

Check for the Test Tone

1. Go to MIDI/Audio > Device Setup > Audio Setup.
2. Click on the Test Audio Output button.

Do you hear the test tone?

Yes No

Checking for a Test Tone

While in the Audio Setup dialog window (MIDI/Audio > Device Setup > Audio Setup), use the Source drop-down menu to change the Output in Finale. You may also need to try different Sample Rates and Buffer Sizes to accommodate for your computer's specific hardware. If you can hear the test tone after changing these settings, please select the Testing Document Setup Sound Settings button below to test document settings to ensure playback.

If you do not get a test tone, please use the Submit a Request button at the top of the page to contact Customer Support and submit the following diagnostic files:

SPX

1. Close any open programs.
2. From the Finder menu bar at the top of your screen, click Go > Utilities.
3. In the folder that appears, double-click the program named "System Information".
4. When the System Information program opens, click File > Save.
5. Save the report as an SPX file to your Desktop.

Plogue Log

1. Close Finale
2. Open a new Finder window
3. Choose Go > Go to Folder (from the Finder toolbar at the top of the screen)
4. Type the following location: ~/Library/Application Support/Makemusic/Finale [your version number]/PlogueEngine
5. Press RETURN
6. Find the files named "PlogueEngine.log" and "PlogueEngine_x64.log" and copy them to your desktop (*note: do not be concerned if you only have one of these files)

Testing Document Setup Sound Settings

Checking for a Test Tone

While in the Audio Setup dialog window, go to the Audio Driver drop-down menu and select another available option (the options here will vary depending on the setup of the computer). Allow a moment for the driver to connect, then try the test tone again.

If you hear the test tone, Finale is now connected to a working audio driver on the machine and is working normally. Click OK to close the dialog window and test your document for playback. If you are unable to get a test tone, please follow the steps below.

Can you hear your document playback?

Yes No sound from document

If you are unable to hear the test signal with the available audio drivers, please follow the steps below.

First, contact your computer manufacturer and sound card provider to see if there are more current drivers than the drivers that are currently installed on our system. Also make sure that your version of Windows is up to date.

Next, check that the microphone has not been disabled.

Windows 10

1. Close Finale and all other open programs.
2. Open the Windows start menu and type "Privacy" without the quotes.
3. Press ENTER to open the Privacy Settings panel.
4. Choose Microphone from the left-hand menu.
5. Locate the setting for Allow apps to access your microphone.
6. Make sure that this is set to On.
7. Locate the setting for Let desktop apps access your microphone.
8. Make sure that this is set to On.
   

Windows 11

1. Press the Windows key  on your keyboard to open the Start menu.
2. Type "microphone privacy" and press ENTER to open the Microphone privacy settings panel.
3. Locate the setting for Let apps access your microphone.
4. Make sure that this is set to On.
5. Locate the setting for Let desktop apps access your microphone.
6. Make sure that this is set to On.

If you are still unable to receive a test tone and continue to receive the Error -7, please use the Submit a Request option above to contact Customer Support. Please provide this information as well as the following 3 diagnostic files in the case when submitting the ticket.

DX Diagnostic

1. Hold down your Windows key and type the letter "R" to open the 'Run' dialog box
2. Type "dxdiag (without quotation marks) and click 'OK'
3. If you are asked "Do you want DXDiag to check if your drivers are digitally signed?" choose 'Yes'. This will launch the DirectX Diagnostic program.
4. Once the program has loaded, choose Save All Information
5. In the Save As dialog box, chose to Save In your Desktop
6. Click the Save button
7. Exit the DirectX diagnostic program
8. Attach the "DxDiag.txt" file when submitting your ticket

MSInfo

1. Hold down your Windows key and type the letter "R" to open the 'Run' dialog box
2. Type "msinfo32" (without quotation marks) and click 'OK'
3. Click the File Menu and choose Export...
4. Name this new file "info" and save it to your Desktop
5. Attach the "info.txt" file when submitting your ticket

Plogue Log

1. Close Finale
2. Hold down your Windows key and type the letter "R" to open the 'Run' dialog box
3. Type "%appdata%" (without quotation marks) and click 'OK'
4. Navigate to "MakeMusic\Finale [your version number]\PlogueEngine
5. Find the file named "PlogueEngine_x64.log" and copy this to your desktop
6. Attach the "PlogueEngine_x64.log" file when submitting your ticket

Testing Document Playback

If you can hear the test tone in the Audio Setup dialog but cannot hear your document playback, we will want to narrow down the issue a bit further. To do this, we will need to test the different types of playback options in Finale with standard documents.

For MIDI instrument playback, input some notes with Simple Entry and test playback with Finale's Default Document. Go to File > New > Default Document.

For VST or Audio Unit Playback (Mac), use the Setup Wizard (File > New > Document with Setup Wizard) and follow the prompts in the Setup Wizard to complete the document creation.

If one or both of these document types does not work, use the Submit a Request option above to contact Customer Support. Please provide information about the results from testing these two types of documents in your case submission.

If these documents do playback but you have a specific document that still does not, please submit a case with this information and attach your Finale .musx or .mus file to the ticket.

If your document is playing back correctly, the issue is now resolved! If you are not hearing playback with another document, as a first step go to MIDI/Audio > Reassign Playback Sounds, then try playback.

If this does not resolve the issue, please use the Submit a Request option above and attach this document to your request.