Is this happening when you open up an older file into the new version of Finale? Or perhaps in a MusicXML import? Because on both Mac and PC for me, opening up a default document, I am seeing all of the correct expressions in the correct categories. Perhaps trashing the preferences and quitting the app may help, or it may be file specific (as category items are). 

Right, when opening older files (created before F 2012 when categories were introduced?) all the expressions are dumped into Misc.

Thank you, that is exactly what happened. It was an earlier file before 2012 and I'm not even sure of the year, but thanks for clarifying it.

Re: Finale PrintMusic 214.5.24.

Re Expression Selection Box: Anyone know why I can't choose numbers instead of letters for Rehearsal Marks - neither auto-sequenced nor single?

This feature is mentioned in options, but ....

I've been having the same issue with version 25, also with older files. I trashed the preferences and restarted, and the expressions box is still empty. And in the "show all" box, there are things missing, including "pizz." which is what I need. I can create it again, but don't know how to make that work in playback. Robert, did the preferences fix it for you?

Kurt - it appears that you are referencing a confusing sentence in the PrintMusic user manual article that has now been reported. I'm afraid that PrintMusic will only allow for alphabetical rehearsal mark sequencing. If numerical rehearsal mark sequencing is an important need for your score, you may wish to try using the Text tool to create a numerals on the Measures where you need these rehearsal marks, or try the 30-day free trial of Finale to see if it suits your music notation needs.

Andrew - If you do happen to have a files that does not have categories, you can create some by choosing Document > Category Designer. You can also get there by clicking Edit Categories in the expression selection dialog box. Here is a user manual article on Categories in case it helps: https://usermanuals.finalemusic.com/FinaleWin/Content/Finale/Category_Designer.htm. If you are looking to recreate your pizzicato expression, you can create a new text expression, type "pizz." and apply it to your score. Human Playback will take care of the keyswitch.

Hope this helps!

Thanks, Lawson! I did figure that one out, but there are a lot of those markings that come up with some frequency, and it is time consuming to have to create them all from scratch, when all the other documents I'm working on have all of the standard expression marks. It would be great to have Tempo, tempo alterations, expressive text, all of it. I read somewhere that this was an issue when you open documents from older versions of finale. But didn't learn whether there was a fix? I will continue as you suggest, but will keep my eyes open for a full solution to the issue. Thanks, again!

If the expressions exist in the Miscellaneous section, you can select (Click, then CTRL-click) expressions and then Move them to a new category and apply its default positioning, etc. to the transferred marks. It takes some time but is easier than recreating expressions if they already exist but are in the wrong category.

Ah. No. Some expressions exist in misc. and Show All, but many are missing. They are not anywhere. I don't mind going to another folder to find them, but they are simply not there. So I think the some of the misc. ones, and a lot of the dynamics are in Show All, but all the technique, expressive text, &c. are nowhere to be found.

No problem, Andrew!

You can also, if you have many marks missing, load one of the default libraries into the file to see if that helps. Why don't you try saving a new version of the file (File > Save As) and then choosing File > Load Library, to load one of the default libraries. If you are using Finale's default font, Maestro, you can load Expressions.lib file in the Maestro Font folder to get most of the markings that are missing. Here is a user manual article on loading libraries in case that helps:

Finale Libraries (Mac)

Finale Libraries (Windows)

I hope that helps!

The library thing worked like a charm, Lawson, so thanks again. But even in the 15 minutes I was messing with that I stumbled onto 2 separate MIDI related difficulties. I need to either find a live human being who knows about this stuff, or get some kind of skype situation going. Dealing with this learning curve, where each problem has an 8 to 24 hour lag-time to get on the the next problem, is maddening with deadlines breathing down my neck... I don't suppose makemusic has even a chat-type thing? Sadly, everyone I know uses Sibelius, and I was already invested in Finale by the time I found that out, because community resources are the best, if you have them,,,

Hi Andrew,

Certainly. These forums are designed for discussion and not necessarily for in-depth technical support. So, if you would like some direct and concentrated technical support, I would recommend either submitting a ticket using the Submit a request button at the top of the page or by giving us a call. You can find out contact info here. While we do not have a chat-type system setup, our email support cases are designed to have a 1 business day turn around time.

Oh, thanks again. I've done that one before, but 1 day is an eternity when you have a week to score a dozen pieces for 25 players, and you've got a huge blind spot with all the MIDI aspects especially. I have submitted for a couple of thinga, but I can't even keep up with them anymore. For example, the one in the last ten minutes is suddenly the bass drum and cymbals are silent, even though the meter is moving. So the Garritan patch for these seems to be blank? Obviously, it's a lot less critical to have a percussion patch not work, so I just go ahead with silence for that one, but other things are more of a conundrum, and  it is maddening to wait a day to turn the violin on, say.  But as long as I can get the architecture of the piece to the players, they can soldier on without hearing it all.

OK, well 5 minutes on and this is the new one: Out of a score with 19 staves, I click "extract parts," and I get glockenspiel, Bass clarinet, and snare drum. In order to extract the rest I have to go and define each part, renaming it, and adding the right stave to it, and then extract. I will go do all that because I don't have time to wait. But why would Finale come up with a random list of 3 instruments? What am I missing?

Andrew, I have to ask:

Have you ever read through the documentation for Finale or looked at the Quickstart Videos or done the tutorials for Finale 25? You are asking a lot of questions about managing parts, handling expressions, and MIDI/Aria questions that are explained in the documentation. You have taken a great risk trying to work to a deadline with a program that appears to be unfamiliar to you. I hope it turns out well, but you really need to take the time to learn more of the in's and out's of the program before you switch from what you are familiar with to a substantially new version.

Tell you what, J Adrian. Go to the documentation, which we have both read, and find where it addresses, for example, what to do when the Aria system won't play any sounds in one document, but will play them in another. And send me the link. And then go to the part in the documentation where it tells you why several categories of expressions simply disappear in one document (and not in another.) Someone else on here told me about reloading the libraries, but that isn't something in the basic (and I do mean basic) "getting started" tutorials. OH! And my favorite, search the Finale manual for the problem where only a few staves show up in "extract parts!" And tell me what arcane search terms you used to find that one. I believe I am by now one of the best read people here on the basic user manual issues. And clearly this is wildly buggy software one way or another. But if you don't know the answers to my questions, you can simply refrain from answering instead of complaining that the answers should be obvious. I have been using Finale for fourteen years, composing and arranging for all sizes of ensemble. And I have never seen this level of glitches and strange behaviors. It is true that I have not had to worry about the audio of the score before as much as I am doing now. And the learning curve is pretty steep. For example, your fix for "2nd time only" expressions of switching the MIDI channel for the duration of the pass? Was that in the "getting started" section? No. It's a workaround for a shortcoming in the software. I am in agreement with you that Finale was not a great choice in software.

Search Finale Help > User Manual (directly from the program) for "Bank 2" you get

If I search for Expressions, I can find

But I likely am more familiar with recent versions of the program than you are and have frequented Forums--among them 

http://forum.makemusic.com/default.aspx?f=5  (a fantastic resource)--long enough to gain a fair idea of how many parts of hte program work.

My point is primarily that moving to a new program to complete a project under deadline is probably unwise. I get the sense that your file was originally written in a version of Finale more than four years old (since IIRC Expression Categories debuted in the 2012 version. You will notice, I have been happy to offer suggestions when I could, but when you take Finale reps to task for not being at your beck and call 24/7, I think you are being less than completely reasonable. I also disagree that Finale is the problem. Although not perfect, it is a very capable program, but it has a steep learning curve--especially for newcomers, but also for those who are skipping to a new version after several years.

I am currently experimenting with Dorico. Although released, it is still really in development and has virtually no manual; one has to read its Forum daily to learn enough to get by. And on its Forum, there are users who are already blasting it for being released when it cannot do everything Finale and Sibelius and several other programs can do. All these complainers also want Dorico to automate their pet routines to the exclusion of all else. I see it as a promising program, and I am experimenting with it so I will know how to use it before I depend on it.

But for my production work, I use Finale and may still be using Finale in five or ten years. I do not agree with you that Finale was a bad choice in software: in spite of some shortcomings it is an amazing program precisely because it has so many in's and out's. But it does take time to learn them, and I understand that you are under a deadline and that you therefore do not have an excess of time.

Well, firstly, Finale is the only program I know, and the version I had is no longer compatible with my OS. So I had no choice but to upgrade. So I am working with what is possible, beyond pen and paper (which, at certain moments, is seeming like a not absurd idea. So when I read, about the expression box being empty, I am not having that trouble. Just that some of them are missing, and they are only missing on specific documents. So I am trying to find out what explains the symptoms I am experiencing. Believe me, I have presumed to try fixes that sound somewhat similar, but don't address my specific problem, sometimes with catastrophic results.

And when I read about banks 1-16, 17-32, &c., I am looking at the score manager, and they have banks 1 and 2 each numbered 1-16. And when I put number 1, it naturally presumes bank 1. So for me, the wrong sound. This makes no sense, unless you start guessing, and possibly making things worse. I did start guessing, because desperation makes you try everything, the smart along with the stupid. And I did figure it our before anybody replied to that one.

In terms of which software, I think Finale is better than Sibelius in numerous ways. But I have three friends who are well versed in Sibelius, whom I can call on for help and discuss something in real-time. Not a small thing. In fact, most of the problems I was running into with playback issues, MIDI, &c., could have been handled in one 15 minute phone call, instead of 2 days of jabbing about in the forum. Most of my problms stemmed from one or two misunderstandings of the MIDI world, which is how I started all of this. So, I appreciate everyone who is willing to help out on here to give others a hand, but it is still a frustrating thing to go through when you are really needing to move forward. I have downloaded Sibelius, and will at least be able to transfer scores over there, and then get help from friends, and see if that is any less problematic.

Perhaps you have made the wiser decision for the present problem, since it lets you call friends for support, and I do wish you the very best on your project. Hope you will take another look at Finale when you have the time to delve in.