Tight Spacing Music with a Different Time Signature for Display

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DONALD BARTLETT Posted January 30, 2017 16:19

In the line of music below, I have applied Note Spacing using the Tight Spacing library.

The third bar has time signature 3/4 with Cut Time for display. The fourth bar has time signature 1/4 with Cut Time for display. The music spacing algorithm seems to be using the displayed time signature to determine the bar width. The Fibonacci Spacing library doesn't have this problem.

Of course I would like the problem to be fixed. Meanwhile, does anyone know of an easy workaround?

6 comments

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PETER THOMSEN Posted January 30, 2017 21:58

If I understand you correctly, Measure 3 is a 3/4 measure with a double barline, and Measure 4 is a 1/4 measure, right?

Take a look at

Document menu > Document Options > Music Spacing

What is the setting for Minimum Measure Width?

DONALD BARTLETT Posted January 31, 2017 14:19

You're right about measures 3 and 4. Essentially I'm just putting a double barline part way through a bar of music. As far as I know, I need to tell Finale that it's two bars, although musically it's a single bar.

Good idea to check Minimum Measure Width, but Minimum Measure Width is set to 0. As I said above, the Fibonacci Spacing library doesn't have this problem.

PETER THOMSEN Posted January 31, 2017 19:46

It looks like you have found a shortcoming in the Tight Spacing library.

Instead of trying to fix the Tight Spacing I suggest that you try a Scaling Factor spacing (like Fibonacci spacing) with a lower scaling factor.

Fibonacci uses the Golden Ratio as its Scaling Factor.

To get a tighter spacing than Fibonacci, try e. g. a Scaling Factor of square root 2 (= 1.4142).

This is done in

Document menu > Document Options > Music Spacing > Spacing Widths…

DONALD BARTLETT Posted January 31, 2017 21:47

Thank you for your help, Peter. Indeed I am using Fibonacci spacing, and it's working pretty well for me. I'll try adjusting the scaling factor.

Matthew Caminer Edited October 12, 2017 18:00

-2

I have a similar problem, but can't even get this far.... tempo is 3/2 but a bar is divided into one of 2 beats and another of 1, with a double bar dividing them. The dialogue box for time signature on my version of Finale MakeMusic (2014) doesn't have the 'time signature to display' option. Is this a version issue or am I pulling down the wrong dialog box?

PETER THOMSEN Posted October 12, 2017 18:34

… The dialogue box for time signature on my version of Finale MakeMusic (2014) doesn't have the 'time signature to display' option. Is this a version issue or am I pulling down the wrong dialog box? …

Are you using the “full Finale” 2014, or are you using PrintMusic 2014?

Only the “full Finale” has the option of displaying a different time signature than the actual time signature.

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