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Low Volume During Playback

There are a couple ways to handle low volume during playback of a Finale file, one being in Low volume in Finale 2014.5 and later (Windows). If you find that the steps in that article do not solve the low volume problem (or you are experiencing this on a Mac computer), check if you created your document from a template. Documents that were created from certain templates may exhibit low playback volume when using Garritan Instruments for Finale.

 

Contents of this article

How can I tell if my document was created from a template?

Why would I want to use Garritan for my playback sounds?

Increasing Playback Volume Using SmartMusic SoftSynth

Increasing Playback Volume Using Garritan

Avoiding Low Playback Volume when Creating New Files

 

How can I tell if my document was created from a template?

To check whether your document was created from a template:

  1. Open your file in Finale.
  2. Open the ScoreManager from the Window menu or by pressing CTRL+K (Windows) or COMMAND+K (Mac).
  3. Navigate to the File Info tab of ScoreManager. In the Description field, the template (if used) will be listed. 

ScoreManager File Info tab

 

If your document was created from a template and you are experiencing low playback volume, this problem can be solved in two ways. The two solutions depend on whether having playback using the Garritan sounds is important to you.

 

Why would I want to use Garritan for my playback sounds?

Finale can play your score with two sound libraries by default: (1) Garritan Instruments for Finale, or (2) SmartMusic SoftSynth. The Garritan Instruments for Finale (GIFF) library is a collection of high quality sound samples that were professionally recorded. SmartMusic SoftSynth is Finale’s General MIDI SoundFont and it provides synthesized instrument sounds.

 

If you are concerned with having a high quality playback experience when either auditioning your score or exporting audio files, then we’d recommend using GIFF. If the quality of the instrument sounds is not important for your Finale usage and you are experiencing this low volume issue, then using SmartMusic SoftSynth for playback provides a simple solution for this issue. 

 

Increasing Playback Volume Using SmartMusic SoftSynth

An easy way to restore consistent playback volume is to switch to using MIDI sounds for playback. To do so, select Play Finale through MIDI from the MIDI/Audio menu. After doing so, your instrument sounds will automatically switch to their SmartMusic SoftSynth equivalents. 

 

To further adjust the playback sounds after they are automatically assigned, open the Instrument List tab of ScoreManager (from the Window menu) and select another option under the Sound column.

 

Increasing Playback Volume Using Garritan

A solution that allows for Garritan to be used is to convert the file to MusicXML and import it back into Finale. Note that this will create a second version of the file where the issue is no longer present. To use this method, follow these steps: 

  1. Open your Finale file.
  2. In the File menu, select Export > MusicXML.
  3. Save the file in a location of your choosing.
  4. Close the file you were working on, but keep Finale open.
  5. In the File menu, select Import > MusicXML.
  6. Select the file you exported as a MusicXML file (.mxl, .xml, or .musicxml).
  7. After the file opens, in the MIDI/Audio menu, select Reassign Playback Sounds and allow for the file to be changed.
    • Make sure your Sound Map Priority (from MIDI/Audio menu) has Garritan at the top of the list.
  8. Save the file from the File menu, or by pressing CTRL+S (Windows) or COMMAND+S (Mac).

After following these steps, the playback volume in this particular document will be fixed. If you create documents in the future using templates, you could encounter this issue with those files as well. You can avoid this problem in future documents by using the setup method below in place of templates. 

 

Avoiding Low Playback Volume when Creating New Files

A strategy for document creation similar to templates is to start with the Setup Wizard and save ensembles you frequently use so they can be selected in the future. For more on using the Setup Wizard and saving ensembles for it, check out these two guides in the User Manual:

 

If you need further assistance with improving volume on a document created from a template, or any document in general, click Submit a Request at the top of this page to contact our Customer Support team. 

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