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Jeremy Rike Posted
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The bugs in Finale's MIDI tool have led me to search for alternatives for editing my files for playback.  I've used the MIDI tool extensively since I started working on Finale in the 1990s, but it's been buggy since around Finale 10.

I wanted to get some suggestion for a DAW that might best meet my needs.  I'm looking for something that I can do granular editing on MIDI data (e.g., set precise note durations, make exponential curves for key velocities and modulation data rather than only linear, balance key velocities of big chords, etc.)  These are all things Finale used to be able to do.  Ideally, it would be something user friendly (that doesn't break the bank).

I really don't need the DAW for anything other than MIDI editing.  My plan would be to export my Finale file as a MIDI, import it into the DAW to edit the MIDI, and then either import it back to Finale for playback or use ARIA/Garritan from the DAW-I don't really have a preference for that. It's the MIDI editing I'm looking for mainly.

I'm using Finale 26 on Windows 10 with the ARIA player and Garritan instrument libraries (Personal Orchestra 5, Jazz and Big Band, Harps, etc.)

Any suggestions?

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Jeffrey Turner Posted
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Yes, my suggestion would be to do it all in the DAW. Don't bring the track back into Finale. In a DAW, besides midi editing, you have much more control over other elements like reverb, EQ, track volume, etc....

 

Finale is unmatched for notation. But IMO, you can get better playback out of a DAW. I use Finale to write, then bring an XML file into Logic for editing. Logic is Mac only, but there are many different DAWs for windows that would work for you. You might want to look for one that has a trial period, see if you like it before you buy.

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MIKE HALLORAN Posted
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I believe you are describing limited MIDI functionality. Finale has never been a comprehensive MIDI editor and there’s no reason to believe it ever will be. A bug is when the documentation says that something will work but it doesn’t.

 

Digital Performer started out as a MIDI editor 20+ years ago and is still one of the best. It supports MusicXML export to notation apps such as Finale — much better than its built-in QuickScribe notation module — when you need notation to be good. It also acts as a ReWire client allowing me to export Finale (I prefer to start projects in notation as I’ve been doing for nearly 55 years). Unlike Logic, DP does not support MusicXML import—but that’s ok for my needs.

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Jeremy Rike Posted
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Thanks for the suggestion.  I'll give Digital Performer a look.  I like the export you describe.

For the record, the MIDI issues in Finale are indeed bugs that have been known issues since Finale 2014 (I believe).  Every since that upgrade, the MIDI tool hasn't acted the way it is described in the documentation. They tell me it's on their list of things to fix eventually.

Anyway, cheers!  I'll check out DP.

 

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